An engagement ring is a symbol of commitment, lasting love, and a promise to provide and cherish. It’s also a big investment and treasure that you might want to pass down the generations. As you look through the catalogs and sort through popular engagement ring styles, keep in mind these six engagement ring trends that have repeatedly stood the test of time.
Diamonds
Made popular by the De Beers campaign “a diamond is forever” in the late 1930s, diamonds have dominated engagement ring trends for close to a century. Before the famous campaign was launched, diamonds were used in around 10% of engagement rings. Afterward, they became almost synonymous with engagement and have featured in engagement rings to the present day—either with or without colored gemstones.
Some of the most popular engagement ring styles feature a solitary diamond in various cuts, three-stone settings with a colored center stone flanked by diamonds, and metal shanks and halos with small round brilliant diamond pave. Diamonds with a larger carat (weight) are more rare and more expensive than the smaller diamonds used in pave. Whether you like your diamonds alone or with colored gems, their sparkle is truly timeless.
Colored Stones
Before diamonds came to dominate the market, other precious stones like sapphires, rubies and emeralds were common in engagement rings. In the 1980s, Diana Frances Spencer (Princess Diana) brought colored-stone engagement ring trends back onto the scene when Prince Charles gave her a sapphire engagement ring. The famous ring—later worn by Kate Middleton—consists of a 12-carat sapphire surrounded by a halo of 14 small diamonds.
Today, engagement rings with colored stones are making a comeback yet again thanks to celebrities like Penelope Cruz, Halle Berry, Victoria Beckham, and Jennifer Lopez. Sapphires, emeralds, pink diamonds, and yellow diamonds have been seen gracing the fingers of the stars—a tribute to the colored engagement rings of yesteryear and evidence that they haven’t gone out of fashion!
Diamond Pave
In the 1980s, engagement ring trends followed a pattern of “more is more.” For the first time among regular society, engagement rings were literally dripping with sparkle. In solitaire settings, diamond pave was typically wrapped around at least part of the band. Small round diamonds were also used to encircle halo settings of every shape.
Today, diamond pave is making a comeback with the halo design’s popularity in the 2010s and the return of the colored-gem craze. Colored stones are often surrounded by tiny diamonds to enhance their sparkle and make them “pop.” The smaller size of the diamonds used in pave also makes this a less expensive option compared to a large-carat diamond centerpiece.
Solitaire
The 1990s saw a minimalist trend take the place of the more excessive engagement ring trends of the 1980s. Whereas the 80s were all about fitting in as many diamonds as possible, the 1990s brought back the popularity of the solitaire ring with its elegant simplicity and lower cost. The solitaire rings of the 90s were still mostly centered around diamonds, but today, colored stones are used as well. It just goes to show how engagement ring trends make a reappearance.
Solitaire rings in the 2020s come in all shapes, sizes, colors and tastes. You can find colored solitaire centerpieces with diamond pave around the band or solitary gemstones with a plain, split, or asymmetrical shank. User-designed rings are another new innovation on the jewelry shop window experience. For example, you can take a solitaire design and change the shape, metal, or even the gem.
Halo
How do you make a solitary gemstone look bigger? Surround it with a halo of diamonds! In the 2010s, we saw the return of the halo among popular engagement ring styles, coinciding with the boom in the popularity of colored gems. The halo design was originally popular in the Georgian era of the late 1700s, where the small stones in the halo could either be diamonds or pearls. Today, most halos use diamonds exclusively to surround any kind of colored gem.
In guides to engagement ring trends, you’ll often notice the halo design mentioned in the section about budgets. That’s because a halo creates an optical illusion that makes the center stone appear larger. When your budget for an engagement ring doesn’t stretch to a 12-carat sapphire (like Princess Diana’s), you can always go for a 1.5-carat sapphire with a sizable halo to create an opulent—but affordable—look.
Three-Stone
As we’ve seen with colored gemstones, engagement ring trends are spurred on by celebrities. This was true with diamonds (Marilyn Monroe and others), blue sapphires (Diana Spencer and Kate Middleton), and it was also true with the three-stone setting. In 2017, Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with a three-stone diamond engagement ring, and three-stone engagement ring sales subsequently exploded as the public adopted the trend.
While the Duchess of Sussex’ three-stone ring featured a diamond flanked by two more diamonds, popular engagement ring styles include colored gemstones flanked by diamonds on the sides. In addition to providing a colorful contrast, the smaller size of the accent diamonds makes the ring more affordable than diamonds alone.
Choosing an Engagement Ring
Engagement ring trends might seem to be constantly changing, but these styles have stood the test of time. Whether you decide on a diamond-only ring, colored gemstone ring, or a combination of the two, the styles that we feature in our collections at AZEERA are designed to carry a timeless appeal.
An engagement ring is a significant purchase and one you’ll want to be proud of for years. That’s why we’re here to guide you through the entire process from beginning to end with support from our expert gemologists. From the moment you contact us or schedule a callback, we’ll help you design the ring of your dreams and transport it to you safely with free, fully insured US shipping. All of our rings come with free engraving, free resizing* and free 30-day returns. Browse our designs or sketch a custom design to make engagement ring trends your own today!
*All rings except eternity rings can be resized for free.
