Let’s Normalize The Ring Gap

I like my jewelry stacks to reflect my energy in life: chic, eclectic, and a little extra. You’ll never catch me in a perfectly curated collection of pieces — on most days, I’m rocking mixed metals, diverse price points, and whatever I managed to grab from my ring box while getting ready in the half-dark. Who says things need to match? I’d rather wear something memorable (and even questionable) than overly polished.

All this to say, the discourse around Zendaya’s ring stack has taken me by surprise. Since reportedly tying the knot with Tom Holland, the Emmy winner has been showing off what seems to be an engagement ring and wedding band at red-carpet appearances for The Drama, Euphoria, and most recently Dune: Part Three. Her elongated cushion-cut diamond is set in an east-west orientation, and both bands are simple yellow gold. Notably, the two rings do not sit flush with each other — the diamond is set low enough that they stack at an angle, with a gap in between.

“Not everything has to be STACKSTACKPERFECT.”

This may seem like a small and unimportant detail, but according to lifestyle content creators, it’s a bold move. Influencer Eli Rallo praised Zendaya for normalizing the ring gap. “It looks a little bit messy and less neat and put-together,” Rallo said in an Instagram reel, explaining that she had been feeling unsure about her choice to wear the same, but was convinced by Z’s effortless look.

Rallo’s followers mostly agreed. “I think it has character and looks cooler,” one person wrote. “Stacks are not for eccentric babes I’m sorrrrrry not everything has to be STACKSTACKPERFECT,” wrote another.

Not everyone is immediately on board with the aesthetic. Under a TikTok discussing Zendaya’s stack, the opinions are wide-ranging, a mix of enthusiastic ring gap proponents and skeptics who are now seeing the look in a new light. “Ring gap isn’t for me but zendaya makes everything look good,” one commenter wrote. Another argued that the gap makes both rings look more unique and intentional: “I like the visual space so each piece of jewelry stands alone beautifully.”

Zendaya knows she’ll get people talking — so why not do it in a way that says, “IDGAF what you think”?

A third person pointed out that the gap is created by Zendaya’s massive rock pushing the bands apart, which makes it a subtle flex. “Ring gap gives….i have to take off the boulder sometimes but still want a simple functional ring but don’t care if you don’t know I have a boulder at home,” the commenter said. It’s a casual nod to her huge diamond without any fussiness about how it fits. Zendaya knows she’ll get people talking — so why not do it in a way that says, “IDGAF what you think”?

Personally, as someone who’s been wearing non-flush rings in my stack for years, I couldn’t be happier to have Zendaya’s stamp of approval. I may not be sporting a 5-carat sparkler (maybe one day), but I’m certainly throwing on ring stacks that give me weird tan lines all summer. In a world of picture-perfect social media aesthetics, this cool-girl ring gap style is a breath of fresh air. I’ll be taking it as permission to get even weirder moving forward. Thank you, Z, for your service.