Is a $3K Diamond Toe Ring the Most Ridiculous Summer Trend Yet?
This priciest pedicure accessory isn't a shoe.
New York’s hottest fashion event of summer '25 wasn't a runway show or a star-studded store opening. It was a "Pedi Party" hosted by the jewelry brand Chan Luu on a Monday morning in mid-July. Guests, including veteran Vogue editors and fashion personalities from Instagram, TikTok, and Substack, gathered at a trendy Tribeca nail salon to doll up their feet with fresh polish, Jimmy Choo shoes, and explore Chan Luu's new collection of solitaire Swarovski crystal toe rings. The goal was to create "'Marry Me' toes"—feet so polished and irresistibly glamorous, they’d inspire proposals on bended knee.
"I can think of no better way to spend a Monday morning," said Christina Holevas, a fashion editor-stylist who took home suede green strappy sandals and a sparkler for her index toe.
Chan Luu’s NYC “Pedi Party,” the second event following a successful kickoff in Los Angeles, arrives at a moment when fashion is clearly obsessed with the appendage. Peep-toe shoes made a strong comeback in 2025. Toe ring sandals are everywhere in NYC, and flip-flops are more fashionable than ever—with luxury price tags to match. The New York Times recently published a foot-focused style report titled ‘It’s a Great Time to Be a Toe.’ Naturally, the next phase of this trend would be toe rings, jewelry specifically designed to draw some attention.
Unlike the minimal gold bands or tiny butterfly styles from the early 2000s, today’s toe rings mostly feature gemstones large enough that they can’t be worn with closed-toe shoes. Chan Luu’s $150 crystal Caprice rings are 10mm, about the equivalent of a sizable princess diamond engagement ring. Leandra Medine Cohen, the author of The Cereal Aisle, teamed up with former Reformation founder Yael Aflalo’s new brand, Aflalo, to create a large $3,000 lab-grown three-carat diamond set in 14K yellow gold-plated silver—an apt accessory for your latest sandal splurge from The Row.
Aflalo x Leanda Medine Cohen's toe ring, modeled with a super sparkly diamond anklet.
Both toe rings are more subtle than the $600,000 pear-shaped piece Rihanna wore on her middle piggy in May 2023, but the effect is the same: a gemstone on your toe signals, I’m expensive—or, at the least, I'm a loud luxury pioneer. “There's something a little twisted about wearing a diamond so close to the ground,” says Holevas. “It's got a rich-girl, nonchalant energy, even if you're actually wearing Swarovski crystals (which I am).”
Zoom in for a closer look at Rihanna's massive diamond toe ring by XIV Karats on her left foot.
Highlighting an overlooked toe with an oversized gemstone only amplifies its eccentric charm—the same goes for Maison Margiela’s toe-split Tabi shoes. Both fall into the ‘so wrong it’s right’ style category. Coco Schiffer, a fashion stylist and fellow “Pedi Party” attendee, says, “I love unexpected styling touches—things people don’t typically lean toward, like a necklace worn backwards or repurposed as a belt. Toe rings fit into that. They’re subtle, maybe not noticeable at first, but once you see them, the whole look just clicks.”
Even for minimalists, a diamond or crystal toe ring can be a small, unconventional touch to make an outfit more interesting. “I personally wear a lot of neutrals and black even in warmer months,” says creative director Gabriella Khalil, also a “Pedi Pary” guest, “so my accessories are important, and [toe rings] are a fun way to add unexpected layers to my looks.” Khalil recently discovered that Chan Luu’s freshwater pearl toe ring and large crystal ring pair well with black jeans and a matching dark cami.
The niche accessory also shows that your style is so intentional that you adorn even your smallest digit—no detail goes unnoticed. “There’s something cool about an extra bit of unexpected bling,” says Holevas. “I’d love to make toe rings a year-round habit—even in winter!” If you're not in the market to drop a couple grand on yours, Spanish label Simuero makes it easy with recycled sterling silver bands set with micro cubic zirconia—priced from about $26 to $150—and designed to slip on under closed-toe shoes. And if you’re not usually a toe-ring person, that playful sparkle can still be your little secret, safely tucked beneath a sock.
