The Ring Bling - Day 3

Thirty Days of Toothy Tile, Grey Goose and the Baby Tiles

Day 3

 

"Putting a ring on it," as the familiar saying goes, is the ultimate act of commitment and domesticity.  Therefore, given the fast track romance of Austin Nichols and Jake Gyllenhaal, there was no surprise that the sentimental ritual was physically expressed very early on in their relationship. Nor hardly unexpected that the possessive grand gesture continued many times over throughout the years. 

 

Just a few months before Jake and Austin began filming The Day After Tomorrow, and barely four months after they first met, Jake proudly demonstrated some pretty hefty bling at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2002. Notice not only the ring on his index finger, but the grandness of that bling, as well as the white diamond-like set stone. Not exactly the kind of ring Jake was known to wear at all. Much too large for one thing. Worn on his index finger for another thing. And that gigantuan birthstone that no one can miss is associated with the month of April, not Jake's birth month of December.  

 

Gee, I wonder whose ring Jake might be wearing in this photo?  Hint: Austin Nichols is a big guy, over 6'3" in his stocking feet, and he was born on April 24th. #WhatACoincidence

 

             Jake going steady with someone we might know? And, I don't mean Maggie.

 

Then we have the infamous appearance of the black diamond ring in 2005, which Jake first publicly wore on May 1, 2005 after he returned from a vacation in Tortuga, Dominican Republic.

 

And just around the same time, Austin coincidentally started wearing a ring with a big turquoise-like stone that can be found only in the Dominican Republic. Just like the Diamond is Austin's birthstone, Turquoise is Jake's. Each man wearing the other's birthday bauble. How's that for romantic? Oh, and by the way, when Jake was asked about his black diamond ring he responded by saying that it was an engagement ring...to himself. I'm sure it was, Jake. I'm sure it was. 

 

 

 

 

Although Jake and Austin made many baby steps towards coming out between 2004-2006, events took a dramatic 180 degree shift a few months after the infamous Lakers photos appeared. Several sign posts began to develop which pointed to a change of plans being in the works towards the end of 2006. This movement most dramatically illustrated by the concealment of the ring bling. Instead of continuing to proudly show off their private commitment to one another, their sentimental "accessories" began to be hidden away, especially with regard to Jake whose change of mind had resulted in a very high profile bearding arrangement with Reese Witherspoon, gradually rolled-out throughout 2007. The cat and mouse game ending with the laughable "That's Amore" PEOPLE headline planned for Rome, October 2007.

 

There's the happy couple!

 

                                                                

For those versed in the curious ways of the closet, pieces of paper cannot change the truth behind the fiction. And, rings do not vanish merely because they are no longer publicly displayed. Metaphorically, it was more than telling that both men began to wear their rings on chains around their necks, as opposed to on their fingers for all to see - the meaning crystal clear. Both men might be constrained by contractually prescribed circumstances in the future, but what they felt for one another in their heart was much more defiant and enduring.

 

authored by:  Methodical Muser

pic sources:  iheartjake, Oh My Godot

our playlist: Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
                    Band of Gold - Freda Payne
                    Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - Elton John