Engagement Rings: Styles and Current Trends
If you’ve been following our series including engagement ring history and the engagement ring settings guide, you know by now there are many possibilities when it comes to finding or creating your perfect ring. Along with choosing a ring setting, there are several styles of diamonds and gemstones to choose from and current trends made popular by celebrities have shown us that most any style ring can be considered an engagement ring. As you journey through this exciting and romantic process of choosing an engagement ring we have included some important things to consider.
Engagement Rings: Styles of Diamonds and Gemstones
Diamond 4 C’s: Diamonds are usually the most popular pick for engagement rings and there are many terms to be familiar with when shopping for a diamond. Luckily, we have a blog series just on the 4 C’s of diamonds! If you’re up for a crash course in finding your perfect diamond, take a look at the importance of diamond cut, clarity, color and carat weight.
Solitaire Center Stone: The classic and timeless look of a single diamond is always in style. Plus, it has the added symbolism that you’ve found ‘the one’ who is truly unique and one of kind.
The most popular choice of diamond in a solitaire setting is the round, brilliant cut diamond because of the way it allows light into the stone and causes dramatic sparkle. If a round stone wasn’t what you had in mind, there are many different shapes that diamonds or gemstones can be cut and they all have their own unique shimmer.
Some shapes don’t need a lot of explanation such as the oval, pear or heart shaped stones. Others such as emerald, princess and marquise shapes are shown here so you have a better idea of what each looks like.
Three-Stone Style: Often referred to as a symbol of the couple’s past, present and future, this setting includes three center stones that are either all the same size or the larger stone is set in the middle with two smaller diamonds or gemstones on each side.
Side Stone Styles: This is a popular look nowadays to have smaller side stones to accent around the gem or down the band of the ring. The terms, pavé and micro-pavé, were used in our previous segment about ring settings and can really add sparkle and glamour to any engagement ring. Some people prefer to have the shapes of all the gemstones the same while others mix and match, for example, a pear shaped solitaire surrounded by many smaller round diamonds or oval shaped sapphires with round diamond accents. But really, is there ever a wrong way to wear diamonds? We don’t think so!
Engagement Rings: Current Trends
Colored Diamonds or Gemstones: More and more couples are seeking fancy shaped center stones as we mentioned above. Along with this trend is the increased popularity of using colored diamonds or other gemstones as the center stone. Diamonds that are not the typical colorless, white diamond are called fancy colored diamonds. The most sought after colors in recent years include yellow, pink, brown and blue diamonds although there are also red and green diamonds. The more vivid the color, the more rare and therefore pricier fancy colored diamonds are, especially if you are looking for deep hues of blue, red or green diamonds which are not often found. That is where other gemstones come into play. Sapphires, emeralds and aquamarine are the most commonly used precious gems in engagement rings taking the place of a traditional diamond.
Mixing Engagement Ring Metals: It used to be considered a fashion faux pas if someone mixed silver and gold jewelry but now there is a trend of engagement rings with a band of white gold intertwined with yellow or rose gold, harkening back to the past where antique rings often mixed different metals. When couples are seeking a more nature-inspired look there are wedding bands or engagement rings that look like they are intertwining vines of different metals with buds or petals created by tiny gemstones.
Vintage Engagement Rings: A huge surge in demand throughout the past decade has been vintage inspired engagement rings. Because of their beauty and unique history some couples are drawn to the Victorian style rings that use signature romantic touches like vines and rosebuds to create a classic look. Others looking for unique detailing and geometric lines are characterized by Art Deco engagement rings while someone that really wants to make a statement with asymmetrical designs yet keep a feminine look would be classified as a Retro era engagement ring. If vintage is the way you want to go, our wide selection of vintage rings could help you choose ‘the ring’ or help inspire your own engagement ring creation.
So remember, as you pick out ‘the ring’ for your special someone, you really can’t go wrong! Of course we always suggest that you know or have asked your significant other what their preferences are in a ring and best of all, if you choose or custom design your ring together then you’ll guarantee the right pick. We’re here to help answer any diamond or engagement ring questions you may have so feel free to call or visit our Gilbert showroom.