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June 25, 2024- Gigi Hadid gifted Taylor Swift a ring with a portrait of her cat, Benjamin Button, on it.
- The ring was made by Cece Jewellery, which specializes in hand-enameled pieces.
- The custom ring also includes nods to Swift's music, her lucky number, and Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift is many things: an award-winning singer and songwriter, charismatic performer, director, billionaire, and recently devoted NFL fan.
But Swift herself would likely say cat mom is her most important label. As the proud pet parent of three cats — Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey, and Benjamin Button — Swift is arguably the world's most famous cat owner.
Swift has long been vocal about her love of her cats, even referencing them in her song Karma, singing, "Karma is a cat, purring in my lap because it loves me."
So when Swift's close friend Gigi Hadid saw a sketch of a ring from Cece Jewellery starring one of the singer's pets, it was no surprise Hadid moved quickly to acquire the accessory for her friend.
High-end jewelry with a pet-friendly twist
Cece Fein-Hughes founded Cece Jewellery, specializing in hand-enameled and ethically sourced jewelry. Her pieces feature portraits of everything from landscapes to people's pets.
"Enamelling is an ancient, ancient craft and has been going since the Byzantine times," Fein-Hughes told Business Insider. "The way in which it's made has not changed, and that's what makes it so special. And there's only a handful of people in the world that can create at the level of craftsmanship that we use."
Fein-Hughes' pieces are even more unique because she combines high-brow craftsmanship and fine materials with whimsical designs, taking inspiration from vintage tattoos and the natural world.
"I love the witchy, whimsical stories of countryside fairy tales," she told BI. "I love basically anything colorful and playful."
Cece Jewellery launched in 2021 and has since become a success. Fein-Hughes landed herself on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, regularly collaborates with celebrities, and makes bespoke pieces that reflect her customers' personalities.
"People come to us with crazy, cute, fabulous, wild ideas. It doesn't mean much to us, but it is like, I don't know, a crazy radish would mean something to someone else," Fein-Hughes told BI of her work. "We like to use every part of the ring of the canvas, whether that's inside, outside, on the top, on the sides."
A sketch of a ring featuring Taylor Swift's cat caught Gigi Hadid's eye
In April, Fein-Hughes shared a series of sketches of rings on her Instagram that starred celebrity pets. Her ring mockups featured A-list pets like Queen Elizabeth II's corgis and Kendall Jenner's Doberman.
Fein-Hughes also posted a sketch of a ring that featured one of Taylor Swift's cats, Benjamin Button, on her Instagram story.
Swift adopted Benjamin, her third cat, after he appeared in the music video for her song "ME!" in 2019. He also appeared in Swift's Time Person of the Year cover in 2023.
Fein-Hughes filled the Benjamin ring sketch with nods to Swift, including her lucky number 13 in a fiery heart on one side and her boyfriend Travis Kelce's jersey number 87 in an identical heart on the other, both of which sit atop a crescent moon.
Pearls, a current favorite design element of Fein-Hughes, surround Benjamin's portrait.
"I'm obsessed with pearl borders, and I keep chucking them into the designs," she said.
The sketch piqued the interest of Hadid, who wanted to buy the ring for her longtime friend, Swift.
The singer often wears personalized jewelry, from a luxury friendship bracelet to pieces that honor her relationship with Kelce, including a TNT bracelet and double T ring.
When Hadid contacted Cece Jewellery about the piece, Fein-Hughes was thrilled to bring the ring to life.
The ring represents the things Swift loves
Hadid loved the design Fein-Hughes created, requesting the piece be even more personalized to Swift.
She had Fein-Hughes add an engraving of "TTPD," the abbreviation of Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," on the inside of the ring.
The final product was full of details celebrating Swift's passions, from her cat and her music to her boyfriend.
"I actually think I'm obsessed with the hearts on fire," Fein-Hughes said of her favorite design element.
"I feel like it's just so fun and playful," she said. "And it kind of represents Taylor Swift, who is literally on fire at the moment doing her world tour."
Fein-Hughes did not specify the ring's cost, but she said her bespoke pieces start around $4,000 and can cost upwards of $20,000.
Swift has not been publicly spotted wearing the ring yet, but Hadid told Fein-Hughes the ring was a hit with the Eras Tour star.
"Apparently, she loves it, which is fantastic," Fein-Hughes said. "I can rest easy."
The designer shared photos of the finished ring on her Instagram on Monday, and Hadid thanked her in the comments for the creation, calling the ring "perfect."
The post opened Fein-Hughes's work to a new audience, with Swift fans flooding the comments section to applaud the piece and ask if Fein-Hughes would be making rings for Swift's other cats.
"I love that Gigi found you and you could make this for her," one user wrote.
"This is amazing," another commented.
"I want a best friend like @gigihadid," someone else wrote.
"It's been mad," the designer told BI of the public response to the design. "We have been inundated with requests and people wanting their own pets. People coming back for more orders. Press has gone mad. It's just been a wild ride."