When I first started writing this story about trends in engagement rings, the engagement heard ‘round the world had not yet happened. Since Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Instagram announcement that “your English teacher and your gym teacher” are getting married, social media, and the internet writ large, has been buzzing with news and speculation about every detail of the moment.
At the center of all the excitement was, of course, the ring, which features an elongated, old mine cut diamond weighing anywhere from 5 to 7 carats. With a setting designed by a talented, independent artist, Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry, the diamond in Taylor’s engagement ring is unquestionably (though not confirmed as of press day!) antique (as opposed to antique inspired). And based on the fact that suddenly everyone knows what a culet is, her ring is already influencing trends in the category.
Image courtesy of @TaylorSwift & @Killatrav
According to the experts I spoke with before Taylor and Travis’ “big day,” the diamond itself and details in the choice of the design have been on the rise for some time. While celebrities of all stripes have long influenced engagement ring styles, only becoming even more impactful over time, personal lifestyles and shifting dynamics in contemporary relationships have also begun playing a larger role in shaping trends. With women more involved, and couples more sophisticated and savvier, we’re seeing engagement rings that truly speak to a woman’s individuality.
The inaugural Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show, taking place November 14-16, is certain to be filled with soon-to-be fiancées looking for their perfect engagement rings. And I’m using the feminine plural of the word because apparently, the engagement ring decision is increasingly becoming a joint venture.
Image courtesy of Lucas Botz Photography
“They’re not only shopping together; the woman is often the one who ultimately makes the decision,” explains Severine Ferrari, Founder and Editor of Engagement 101. She notes the female empowerment factor extends to who buys the ring, “If it’s a couple that’s getting engaged later, closer to their 30’s, they make the decision together in terms of the budget because they likely already share finances, and sometimes it’s the woman that’s going to be the money maker in the relationship.”
Marion Fasel, founder of The Adventurine, writer, historian, curator and author of several books on jewelry, including her most recent publication, The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance, agrees, furthermore, she is all for it, “It’s a great liberation of women that they are involved in the choice of their engagement ring. We don’t trust men to tell us how to dress, why do we trust them to pick out an engagement ring that we’re going to wear for the rest of our lives?”
Oscar Heyman ring, image courtesy of Daniella Engelbert
Jewelry influencer and self-described “future fiancée,” Kira Kirby, concurs, explaining, “I think there used to be a stigma around women choosing their own engagement ring, or even having a say in it, because they should ‘just be grateful’ that they’re getting the ring in the first place. I think that stigma is slipping further and further away (thankfully) as society shifts its opinions on marriage and gender roles. The engagement ring is less of a ‘gift’ and more a symbol of the love between two people that should be celebrated and carefully thought through.”
Image courtesy of Excallibur Jewelry
With a newly invigored determination to find an engagement ring that speaks to them, women often turn to celebrity culture, “With engagement rings, trends simmer, and if something is worn by a celebrity, it comes to a boil,” quips Fasel. She goes on to say, “For many years, people talked about wanting something different, and now they mean it and are out there looking for something unique.”
Both Fasel and Ferrari call out fancy shape stones as the most notable current trend, attributing the recent rise in popularity of marquise shaped diamonds specifically to Selena Gomez. She said “yes” in December of last year to Benny Blanco, who proposed with a marquise shaped diamond estimated to be 6 carats. Referring to anything other than a round diamond, in addition to marquise, “fancy shape” diamonds include pear, oval, portrait, rose cuts and yes, elongated old mine cuts, shapes that are seen everywhere among today’s glitterati.
Marquise diamond ring from Geller & Co., image courtesy of Daniella Engelbert
The veritable ice rink Cristiano Ronaldo gave to his long-time girlfriend and now fiancée, Georgina Rodríguez, in August of this year, is an oval that is speculated to be around 30 carats, yet it was the size rather than the shape that was the outlier. Ovals have been trending in engagement rings for a long time, with celebs like Hailey Bieber, Serena Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Simone Biles and Lady Gaga all rocking the shape in a variety of carat weights and influencing women globally.
Ferrari points out that, in addition to being an embodiment of celebrity style, fancy shape diamonds leave more room for innovation and adding personal flair, “The ratios in fancy cut stones are all different. A brilliant cut is a brilliant cut, but an oval, a pear, a marquise, there are so many different ratios, you have juicy pears, skinny pears; little things like that help women feel like they have a unique engagement ring.”
Image courtesy of Excallibur Jewelry
Kirby also believes women today are seeking unique, and that often translates to antique, “Many couples, especially ones who are trying to distinguish a natural diamond from a lab grown one, are eager to choose a cut of diamond that gives the feel of an antique stone.” She goes on to explain that they’re even willing to make a little sacrifice to stand out, “I think people are less concerned with perfection and increasingly focused on being unique,” noting that the rings she features in her “Unique Engagement Rings You Won’t See on your Highschool Bully” series always get an overwhelmingly positive response from her community.
Taking stock of what types of styles are an accurate reflection of one’s individuality often means reflecting on one’s day-to-day life, which is also having an impact on the choice of ring, “People are being more practical about settings,” Ferrari says. “A solitaire with high prongs might look pretty in a picture, but it’s not the best for every day, so women are opting for a sturdier setting. Wider bands, from a few millimeters to chunky cigar bands or even bezel settings. Visually, bezel setting is very popular in jewelry, but aside from the aesthetics, there’s a practicality to that choice.”
Fancy shapes with East/West settings and stones set “akimbo” also tend to be more protective of the stones, rendering them better suited to an active lifestyle. With Kirby referring to Art Deco as “a cult favorite at the moment,” Ferrari told me Art Deco styles are “very strong” due to both form and function, “Art Deco is always very popular because they’re usually more practical and better protected.”
Art Deco ring from Jack Weir & Sons
The license to be more individualistic, and dare I say authentic, in their ring choices, also extends to how women wear their rings, which is being bolstered by celebrity behavior. Victoria Bekham and Laura Sanchez are known to have a “collection” of rings that they wear depending on their mood, and that’s being adopted more widely. It used to be, when a woman would “trade up” her wedding ring, say, for a larger stone that the couple is able to afford later in life, the original ring would be traded in. Now, “Upgrades happen much sooner than they used to, and women start building a collection of rings that they wear in different ways and different days; the ring rotation is something that’s rising,” Ferrari elaborates.
“I am, unsurprisingly, completely in favor of having a collection of engagement rings,” Kirby enthused. “I think a huge reason some people choose a more ‘classic’ engagement ring is because they want it to be timeless, over a ring that they may love much more but is a little riskier or more unique. The notion of a ‘collection’ of engagement rings assuages that fear from the start.” She even romanticizes the concept, suggesting, “It doesn’t need to be an ‘out with the old in with the new’ mentality; rings can be seen as eras, even if that means resetting your original stone into a setting that can reflect that era more appropriately.”
Art Deco ring from Jack Weir & Sons
Whether a direct influence of celebrity romances, more knowledge and greater autonomy in the selection process, or shifting perspectives on how a ring should be worn, women are, without question, more determined than ever to find the ring that is a true reflection of their life and their love. Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show, November 14-16 at The Hangar at Regatta Harbour, will feature a vast selection of unique engagement ring styles that allow women to express their best, and truest, selves.
1950’s Old European cut ring from Jack Weir & Co.
