A message with the right ring

There was once a time when women pined for a committed suitor to slip a lavish rock onto their finger. Not anymore.

A massive campaign by diamond promoters, designed to entice successful, independent women into buying diamonds for themselves, has the right hands of many sparkling. And the ladies, single, divorced, and married, as well as celebrities, are buying their bling with their own hard-earned cash, sans lifelong commitment.

They want to express their personalities and reward themselves, said Claudia Rose, a senior partner at J. Walter Thompson, the agency behind the Diamond Trading Company's right-hand ring ads and a subsidiary of De Beers, the same folks who marketed the engagement ring.

''It's really your time to shine," Rose said. ''It's about you and your unique spirit and style."

The rings, often chunkier or more whimsical than traditional solitaire or band engagement rings, are derivative of 1960s-style cocktail rings. But the old rings, classified as ''non-bridal," eventually became associated with grandma's jewelry box, industry folks say. So they dreamed up the right-hand ring to lure liberated women, especially singles.

Terry Kisil, a 48-year-old mother in Canton, needed little encouragement. ''Why sit around and wait for a man to buy them?" she asked.

''I have two kids, I've never been married. Why shouldn't I have diamonds?"

The retired nurse practitioner recently bought two diamond right-hand rings at Long's jewelers in Boston.

''I wear one on the left and one on the right," she said, laughing. They don't look like wedding rings or hand-me-downs. ''I wanted no confusion."

Kisil said she's not trying to make a statement. Providing a home for her sons is far more meaningful, she added. ''But you still have to do things for yourself. If Mom is happy, everyone's happy."

Kristine Sweetland, 30, of North Reading said she felt only slightly guilty about buying herself a three-carat tanzanite ring flanked by four diamonds in St. Martin.

''That's kind of frivolous to spend that on yourself," said Sweetland, who is single and works in finance. ''But beauty overcomes that. And when you divide it over the years I'm going to live," she said, ''you spend more on parking!"

Her friend Natalie Griswold of Wakefield, a 29-year-old teacher, wears four rings; she bought three herself. ''I used to wear rings my boyfriends would give me," she said. ''But they weren't me. So I'm buying [jewelry] for myself."

Local jewelers say women deck out their right hands for many reasons. New moms reward themselves. Career women celebrate successes. Divorced women refashion old engagement rings. Husbands are even buying right-hand rings as gifts.

A-list celebs such as Halle Berry and Sarah Jessica Parker are sporting them, and first daughter Jenna Bush sent tongues wagging with a giant sparkler on her left hand at her dad's inaugural festivities. (She is not engaged, White House flacks hurriedly explained.)

Some women want diamonds, others lust after custom pieces set with other precious and semiprecious stones. Right-hand rings by Casa Gi, Roberto Coin, Di Modolo, and David Yurman are hot at Long's, said Patricia Jusino, assistant manager. Prices start at $1,500.

Even Wal-Mart is on to the trend, selling cheaper models that range from $128 to $500.

Hearts on Fire, based in Boston, represents the higher end. ''It's really a great statement piece," said Mindy Hines, marketing manager. ''You've arrived. You've made enough money."

Jusino said the rings reflect women's increased earning and buying power. It's not complicated, she said: ''Men will buy a car, a woman will buy a ring."