5 Engagement Ring Trends for 2024
Fancy shapes, multiple stones and sculptural designs are just a few of the engagement ring trends experts expect to see flourish or continue in 2024.
"New York—Few purchases are as careful and considered as an engagement ring.
In addition to being one of the most treasured pieces of jewelry, it also tends to be the customer’s first major jewelry purchase, which comes with its own pressures.
From vision boards to Pinterest boards, shoppers are doing their homework before making this important purchase, and the jewelers who know what’s trending could have a leg up on the competition.
With so many options available and limited showcase space, we asked the experts to break down what’s trending.
1) Getting Fancy
Fancy-shaped diamonds, which have been increasing in popularity in recent years, are expected to continue to appeal to consumers.
“The allure of fancy-cut center diamonds is undeniable in 2024, with emerald and oval cuts taking center stage,” wrote Tacori Head of Design Nadine Tacorian Azerounian in her recent trends report.
“The elongated silhouettes of these two shapes exude a sense of refined elegance and create a striking visual impact. Not to mention, they’re exceptionally flattering on the finger.”
Sylvie Levine, principal designer at Sylvie Jewelry, looked to fancy-shaped diamonds when she was designing her brand’s latest engagement ring collection, “Shelle Iconelle.”
“I love using fancy-shaped diamonds as accents in my engagement rings for their versatility and dimension,” she said.
2) When One Stone Isn’t Enough
Some newlyweds-to-be are embracing multiple gemstone styles, continuing the trend that gained momentum after Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with a three-stone ring in 2017.
“I have seen the resurgence of three-stone and multi-stone engagement rings,” said Levine.
Sylvie offers a mosaic-like setting style that customers have been pairing with several stones, she said, often fancy-shaped ones, as trends collide.
Azerounian is happy to see this style trending.
“I'm an eternal fan of three-stone engagement rings, so I’m excited that this powerful style is prominent in 2024,” she said.
“Three-stone rings offer a canvas for embracing more fancy-cut diamonds to the crown of an engagement ring, allowing truly unique trio rings.”
Ring shoppers can combine the two above-mentioned trends, opting for unconventional side stones, she said, like Cadillac-cut or marquise diamonds.
Three-stone rings also have a lovely sentiment, symbolic of a couple’s past, present, and future.
3) Platinum
While yellow gold has been trending for bridal in recent years, white metals always have dominated the engagement ring market.
In 2024, trend-watchers expect platinum, in particular, to have a big year.
Consumer desire for platinum has “historically been very high,” said Platinum Guild International (PGI).
Nearly 70 percent of consumers want platinum for their engagement rings and wedding bands, it said, but tend to buy other metals due to lack of availability in stores.
“As more retailers and manufacturers rediscover the benefits of platinum, its presence will increase in retail showcases and consumers will have an opportunity to buy these most important and symbolic rings in the metal they truly desire,” PGI said.
Platinum is Tacori’s preferred metal, said Azerounian, noting its resilience as well as its ability to let the stone shine.
“The naturally bright white color of platinum makes it a clean backdrop to spotlight the clarity of a diamond, and in turn, makes it a versatile setting for colored gemstones,” she wrote.
4) Lab-Grown Diamonds
Despite falling prices and continued intra-industry controversy, both Tacori and The Knot put lab-grown diamonds on their 2024 engagement ring trend lists.
Lab-grown diamonds are less expensive than natural diamonds and while there is much discussion about their lack of resale value, some consumers do opt for a larger lab-grown diamond over a smaller natural one.
“The growing popularity of lab-grown diamonds cannot be ignored,” said Naomi Rougeau, The Knot’s senior fashion and beauty editor.
The Knot’s 2023 Jewelry and Engagement Study found that, post-pandemic, more couples found it important that the stone be lab-grown, 32 percent in 2023 compared with 15 percent in 2019, an increase that tracks with the stones’ growing availability.
Levine said, “The prevailing theme [of engagement ring trends] is undoubtedly a move to larger center stones, which I feel is facilitated by the increasing prevalence of lab-grown diamonds in bridal jewelry.”
A number of well-known designers and retailers recently have rolled out lab-grown diamond engagement ring collections, including Neil Lane and Helzberg Diamonds.
5) Anything Goes
Another notable trend is not following trends at all.
As noted above, shoppers who choose a diamond increasingly are opting for fancy shapes, while others don’t want a diamond at all, picking colored gemstones for a bright pop of color.
“This year is personal,” said Tacori’s Azerounian.
“Couples are bidding adieu to generic, mainstream styles as they opt for interesting and meaningful talismans to mark their unions. Expect to see unconventional center stones, bespoke details, and vibrant pops of color.”
Big, bold settings are replacing minimalist designs, with The Knot highlighting Modernist-style settings as a trend for 2024.
“We’re also seeing that tried-and-true combinations, such as yellow gold and white diamond solitaires, have been upended by designers offering more modern, sculptural approaches to the classics,” said Rougeau.
“Brides are also embracing color like never before (and not just for second or third wedding looks). From pastels to black dresses, wedding and engagement traditions are being bucked and that extends to rings with an unabashed embracing of color, such as sapphires and emeralds.”
Moissanite is another popular out-of-the-box choice for brides, said Rougeau.
“It’s a perfectly ... "
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