Platinum is proving the precious metal of choice for celebrities' wedding and engagement rings.

Over the past 12 months a number of high profile unions have been sealed with a band of the rare white metal.

Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley and Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery now all don platinum wedding rings.

They are soon to be joined by Josh Duhamel and Stacey 'Fergie' Ferguson and Jessica Alba and Cash Warren - both couples have platinum engagement rings and are sure to complement them with a matching wedding band.

Currently sitting in Jessica's left hand is a £75,000 ring with a five-carat center diamond framed with a row of micro-pave diamonds, while Fergie's is adorned by a simple round brilliant cut diamond of about 4.5 carats.

Jewellery designer Ryan Ryan attributed the stars' love of platinum to its "timeless beauty" which he compared to that of Hollywood actresses.

According to the Wall Street Journal, over half of today's brides feel that having the "best" engagement and wedding rings is a more important factor than price.