
Trinity RingBy Cartier
With its three intertwined bands, Cartier’s Trinity ring feels both modern and classic. Originally designed in 1924, the design was a minimalist outlier in an era dominated by the ornamentation of the Art Deco aesthetic. Designed by Louis Cartier (1875–1942), the grandson of the legendary French jewelry house’s founder, he chose three unadorned 18-karat gold bands for the Trinity ring, employing only their varied hues — white, pink and yellow — and the simple Cartier stamp for decoration.
The Trinity ring is rich with symbolism, with each of the bands representing a different phase of a relationship: the white stands for friendship, the pink for love and the yellow for fidelity. According to jewelry lore, the Trinity ring was inspired by poet, novelist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, who reportedly dreamed of Saturn’s rings one night and asked Cartier to design a ring inspired by them. Whether or not that’s true, Cocteau did wear the ring on his pinkie finger, elevating it to a certain level of stardom.
Over the years, Cartier’s Trinity collection has grown to include various versions of the original ring, some of which feature the original three bands outfitted with diamonds or colored gemstones of different shapes and styles. There was even an iteration with diamond stars, which debuted on the catwalk of 3.1 Phillip Lim’s Fall 2009 show. Other models have different colored bands — a black ceramic band paired with two white-gold ones, for example — and silhouettes, such as three stacked bands instead of intertwined ones. The collection even includes Trinity bracelets, earrings and necklaces, but the Trinity ring remains the most recognizable piece in the series. It has joined the ranks of Cartier’s most renowned successes, such as the Panthère de Cartier bracelet, originally purchased by the Duke of Windsor for his wife, the Duchess of Windsor, in the 1950s and the chastity belt–inspired Love bracelet, designed by Aldo Cipullo in 1969.
Cartier Trinity Ring
Vintage 1980s Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Band Rings
Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Fashion Rings
Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Modern Band Rings
White Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Modern More Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Band Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Band Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Band Rings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Modern Band Rings
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Wedding Rings
Diamond, Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Band Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Artisan Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Wedding Rings
18k Gold
1990s Band Rings
Diamond, Gold
2010s Band Rings
Diamond, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Modern Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Modern More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Band Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Contemporary Band Rings
Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Dome Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century More Rings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Onyx, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Contemporary Band Rings
Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Modern Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Band Rings
Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, Platinum
2010s Band Rings
Diamond, White Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Fashion Rings
18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Band Rings
Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Band Rings
18k Gold, Palladium
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Band Rings
White Gold, Yellow Gold


