Towering over Tom Cruise, with her arm draped protectively over his shoulders, Katie Holmes sometimes seems less a child bride than a devoted husband. And he even has the sparkly rock to prove it. The bantam Mission: Impossible star's Cartier wedding ring, clearly visible in photos taken in Beverly Hills on Dec. 6, features a sizable bluish-white diamond, a rather feminine touch for an actor who often seems obsessed with demonstrating his machismo. Observers acquainted with the strange rites of a Scientology wedding ceremony might assume that Cruise's religion played a part in his jewelry selection. But while exchanging rings is a traditional part of such ceremonies, a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology says there is no requirement involving precious stones. A spokesman for the couple seconds that, saying, "It is simply the design that they chose."

Intriguingly, the ring wasn't the only piece of traditionally womanly attire Cruise donned on his wedding day. It's also been reported that he needed a girdle to fit into his Giorgio Armani tuxedo owing to a recent 20-pound weight gain that's left him with an extra chin or two. And the five-foot-seven-inch star has also been known to wear high-heeled shoes to help him stack up to rangy women like Holmes and ex-wife Nicole Kidman.

Is Cruise an aspiring cross-dresser? Perhaps, but Alison Burwell, jewelry news editor of W, notes that Hollywood leading men, including Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, have been wearing more ostentatious jewelry of late, including multiple rings. "I think Brad Pitt had diamonds in his wedding band, but they weren't really visible. So maybe this is a step toward men embracing that." But Adam Rapoport, style director at GQ, hopes it's not. "Unless you're a hip-hop mogul or in one of the Five Families, diamond rings are best worn (exclusively) by your wife," he says, via e-mail.

"The question you have to ask is, do you really want to model yourself after Tom Cruise these days?"