Engagement Ring Trends Over Time

Just when you think engagement rings and their trends couldn’t possibly change again any time soon, something new hits the market. It can take a long time to get to grips with “what’s hot and what’s not”, but before long, a new style hits the market and throws everything you thought you knew on its head. This isn’t a new problem. For as long as engagement rings have been around, trends have been changing. Below, we run you through a few of the many drastic changes since the turn of the century.

1910s

If you thought engagement rings today were beautiful, you haven’t seen what was available in the early 1900s! Reminiscent of the Victorian era, rings in 1910 were designed in what is known as an Edwardian style. They featured elegant designs, lace-like filigree, and intricate detailing in the band and setting. What’s more, there was typically a lot of love and thought put into the one-off pieces with symbols, love hearts, and other icons of love and unity.

1920s

Only ten years later, engagement rings changed completely. While artistry was a significant part of creating the perfect engagement ring, it became far more streamlined and more straightforward in as little as a decade. The 1920s were known as the Art Deco era, which meant that rings had sharp lines, geometric designs, and several small diamonds. Often, the stones and settings were rectangular, too.

1940s

Wind the clock forward 20 years, and World War II has made a significant impact on the engagement ring market. Rather than utilise platinum, which became popular during the 1920s, yellow and rose gold became the metal of choice. What’s more, the sharp lines and rectangular shapes of the 1920s were a thing of the past, replaced by floral details and one large diamond as opposed to multiple smaller ones.

1980s

One woman influenced much of the 1980s engagement ring trends, and that was Princess Diana. Princess Di’s engagement ring was a significantly-sized sapphire, oval in shape, which was then set inside a diamond halo. Because colored diamonds were not yet a “thing”, it sensationalized them and brought about a new trend that many women wanted to copy. Such was the demand for engagement rings like Diana’s that manufacturers began to create replicas.

2005

The year 2005 was a time for many trends, which meant that jewellers had the option to stock all manner of engagement rings to appeal to several men and women. White gold rings were all the rage, as were platinum after their downturn in the 1940s. Three-stone ring designs also took off, but solitaire rings which became prominent in the 1920s were also making a return.

2018-2019

By 2018 and 2019, a few of the trends from 2005 and years before were making a comeback, but a few new ones were also coming through as well. For example, double bands which were quite common in the 1990s were now back on-trend, with one stone set between a dual band with multiple smaller diamonds. Art Deco sharp-lined engagement rings from the 1920s were also again in fashion, as were three stones in one ring from 2005.

Engagement ring trends change all the time, with some coming back in fashion several years, or decades, later. While you may be struggling to keep up with what’s hot and what’s not, why not set aside what other people like and focus on what you like instead on your perfect day?