Top ten alternatives to a wedding ring

Russian nuptial crown
1884

After the marriage of Alix of Hesse to Tsar Nicholas II in 1894, this became part of the imperial wedding regalia. Set with 1,535 old mine diamonds, it formed part of a weighty nuptial ensemble, including a kokoshnik headpiece and gemstone-laden bracelets.

Pair of kaluthiru necklaces
c1800

Their owner, Sameer Lilani of the jewellers Amrapali, says these necklaces from Tamil Nadu would have been worn only twice — by the bride and groom on their wedding day and on their 60th anniversary. The necklaces weigh 2.5kg, with tiger-claw pendants.

Delfina Delettrez, ‘Marry Me’ septum ring
2016

“Why do women who refuse standard love accept a standard ring?” asks the designer Delfina Delettrez. She has turned the wedding band into a white gold and diamond nose-ring for those who sport the piercing du jour.

Gijs Bakker, ‘Ter Horst’ Möbius set
1967-72

This aluminium Möbius necklace and matching bracelet have only one side, thanks to their Möbius twist. They lock closed with screws that can be opened with a Dutch five-cent piece.

Harry Winston, Noor-ul-Ain tiara
1959

This was worn by Farah Diba at her wedding to the Shah of Iran. Set with 324 white, pink and yellow diamonds, the tiara is named for its centrepiece, one of the largest pink diamonds.

Byzantine wedding belt
Late 6th century AD

This belt, found in Baniyas, Syria and now in the Louvre, is strung with 22 gold medallions, some of which carry reliefs of a wedding scene. Mixing iconographies, they show the figure of Jesus and the Roman custom of the bride and groom uniting right hands.

Bulgari, emerald and diamond necklace
1962-64

The central brooch, set with an 18.61-carat emerald, was an engagement present to Elizabeth Taylor from Richard Burton after they fell in love in Rome in 1962. The necklace it hangs from was his wedding gift to her in 1964.

Ilya Kabakov, ‘Flies’ wedding set
1992-2010

This design by the artist Ilya Kabakov for his wife, Emilia, was created in 1992 but not realised for almost 20 years. For the Soviet-born Kabakovs, the fly represents freedom — uncontrollable even in a totalitarian state.

Philip Treacy, wedding helmet
1989

Stylist Isabella Blow’s fascination with the medieval extended to her wedding, for which she wore a jewel-embroidered dress inspired by Eleanor of Aquitaine, topped with a wimple and gold lace helmet.

Cartier, Mackay Emerald necklace
1931

A wedding gift from Clarence Mackay to Anna Case — a prima donna of New York’s Metropolitan Opera from 1909 to 1920 — the pendant of this Art Deco necklace was set with a 167.97-carat stone that became known as the Mackay Emerald.