Taylor Swift arrived to the 2023 VMAs decked out in jewels, and left decorated with awards. She tied the record for the most VMAs ever won in a single evening.
For all her wins, she may have lost something valuable: The diamond from a Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels ring. The vintage jewelry dealer Joseph Saidian & Sons, who let her the ring per an Instagram post, priced the ring at $12,000.
A backstage camera caught the moment Swift was told the ring was now missing its diamond. In the footage, she frantically looks for the stone, and enlists the help of numerous VMAs staffers, who try searching for it too.
What might spell disaster for civilians likely didn't carry the same weight for Swift, jewelry content creator and gemstone wholesaler Julia Hackman Chafe tells TODAY.com.
Chafe explains that celebrities don't typically own the jewels they wear to awards shows. Instead, their stylists procure bling for them. If a stylist sees a piece she wants, she goes through the jewelry company's PR firm to book the accessory.
"Different jewelry companies hire different PR firms," Chafe says. "The PR firms would then work with celebrity stylists, who can pick from a bunch of different pieces to hand to their client."
There are guardrails in place in case of emergency — like what happened at the VMAs. Chafe says usually someone from "one side of the deal" signs an insurance waiver for the product in case it gets damaged (or lost at the VMAs).
The story had a happy ending: A fan video captured the moment Swift found the diamond. TODAY.com has reached out to Swift’s team regarding the diamond's recovery. TODAY.com has reached out to Saidian & Sons and has not heard back at time of publication.
She received a playful public response from Joseph Saidian & Sons.
The day after the VMAs, the jewelry brand posted an Instagram of Swift looking shocked as she held up a ring missing its diamond. The caption read, "We are still forever Swifties!” with a laughing face emoji.
Diamond or no diamond, Swift sparkles.