Engagement Ring Styles: A Guide To Finding The Perfect Ring
Selecting her ideal engagement ring can seem like a difficult task. There are SO many different combinations of styles and settings and diamond shapes to choose from, making it hard to know where to begin.
This comprehensive guide is all you need to navigate the maze of options and find the ring of her dreams.
We’ll go over diamond engagement ring styles, as well as tips for choosing the ideal engagement ring for your future wife.
Although the style of a custom engagement ring is limited only to your imagination, it may help to look at designs to gather inspiration.
How To Choose An Engagement Ring Style
An engagement ring should reflect her style, personality, and lifestyle. When you're choosing a style, think about her wardrobe and the accessories she wears day to day. Her ring should reflect her personal style.
• Is she active?
• How will this ring fit into her daily activities?
She'll be wearing this proudly every day for decades, so we want to be sure it's a balance of being practical and beautiful.
It can be helpful to look at designs to gather inspiration, so keep reading…
Start With The Center Stone
A beautiful ring accents and highlights the center stone. The diamond or gemstone is the star of the show and dictates the overall design of the ring. Everything that surrounds it should make the stone stand out.
Learn more about diamond cut or shapes in this guide.
Lab Grown Diamonds
I get a lot of questions about lab grown diamonds versus natural diamonds.
Lab diamonds are growing in popularity because of their lower cost and ethical considerations. If you're on the fence or want to learn more about it, you may want to check out this guide where I cover information about Lab-created diamonds in detail.
Types of Engagement Ring styles
Some of the most popular engagement ring styles today include solitaire, halo, three-stone, vintage, and pavé. Below, we’ll cover what makes each of these styles unique.
Solitaire Engagement Ring Styles
A solitaire engagement ring is a classic and timeless style. It features a single diamond in the center, usually set in a prong setting. Prongs settings typically have 4 or 6 prongs around the main diamond. This style is perfect for those looking for a traditional, classic engagement ring.
A solitaire diamond ring setting can be embellished with pavé diamonds or channel set diamonds along the sides, also known as a “pavé solitaire.”
It's one of the most popular engagement ring styles for a round diamond, but can be used for any diamond shape.
Diamond Solitaire Style Options
This may seem like the most simple and straightforward style, but there are a few design options that you should know about.
Prongs can be set in a basket, trellis or cathedral setting, to name a few. Or consider a bezel setting for a simple, modern look.
These settings offer added structure to secure the diamond in place.
View our detailed guide on options for Engagement Ring Settings to learn more about this.
Solitaire ring settings are perfect for a woman with sophisticated taste. It allows the diamond to take center stage, and pretty much any wedding band will pair beautifully with it.
Basket Setting
Trellis Setting Style
Cathedral Style Setting
Halo Engagement Ring Styles
A halo engagement ring is a popular and romantic engagement ring style. It often features diamonds with a center diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds. This setting is great for those looking for a very sparkly engagement ring.
A halo-style ring works great with all diamond shapes. It's a great choice for a woman with feminine taste that likes a bit of flair.
Seamless Halo Engagement Ring Styles
A ‘seamless halo’ is a type of diamond halo or setting that eliminates and/or minimizes the gap between the halo and the main center diamond. It can be an indicator of high-quality craftsmanship since there is more labor involved with this setting technique. Many halo rings sold at retailers that mass produce rings don’t provide this type of halo. If you're looking for a halo style when it comes to a significant and meaningful ring that you’re putting tens of thousands of dollars into, make sure it's a seamless halo.
Double Halo Engagement Ring Styles
A double halo ring is a style with two halos of diamonds surrounding the center stone. Consider this style if you want to make a small stone appear larger, or if you just REALLY love a lot of sparkle. Two rows of smaller diamonds surrounding the center, when crafted well, can make the main diamond look nearly double the size.
Double-Edge Halo Engagement Ring Styles
A double-edge halo is a style of halo where diamonds are seen from the top view and a halo from the side view. Consider this style if you want to make see diamonds from every angle when looking at the side profile of the ring.
Hidden Halo
A hidden halo is when the halo is not visible from the top view of the ring, but can be seen from the side.
This is a gorgeous enhancement to a simple style.
Pavé and Micro Pavé Engagement Ring Styles
A pavé engagement ring is a modern and glamorous style. It features small diamonds set closely together.
A well-made micro pavé style is another sign of meticulous craftsmanship, often featuring diamonds that are 1.2mm or less. The tiny diamonds are set extremely close together to where the space between the individual diamonds is barely perceptible.
Vintage Engagement Ring Styles
A vintage ring is typically considered to be a piece of jewelry that is between 20 and 100 years old. Vintage rings are often valued for their unique designs and styles that reflect the fashion trends and cultural influences of their era.
A vintage engagement ring can be unique and romantic. New custom rings can be created to look vintage so that they carry your own personal story instead of someone else's, although some people like idea of building upon someone else’s story within a ring. Especially if it’s an heirloom ring.
A vintage engagement ring can be unique and romantic.
New custom rings can be created to look vintage so that they carry your own personal story instead of someone else's, although some people like idea of building upon someone else’s story within a ring. Especially if it’s an heirloom ring.
It features antique-inspired designs, such as milgrain details, filigree and ornate details. You can sometimes find art deco-inspired elements in vintage-inspired rings or vintage styles, from the 1920's, 1930's or earlier. This style is ideal for those looking for a new ring from the old world.
Vintage-style rings are so unique, they are perfect for the woman that wants to set herself apart from the crowd with a one-of-a-kind design. It's the perfect ring setting to get custom-made. Learn more about creating a vintage engagement ring here.
Antique Engagement Ring Styles
An antique ring is typically defined as a piece of jewelry that is at least 100 years old, or more. These rings are often considered valuable due to their rarity, historical significance, and craftsmanship. Similar to vintage rings, new custom rings can be created to look antique so that they carry your own personal story instead of someone else's.
Antique-style engagement rings are a great option for those looking for something unique and timeless. These rings feature exquisite details, such as milgrain edges, and ornate settings.
The diamonds used in antique-style engagement rings are often round or cushion cut, adding to the old-world vibe of the ring.
These rings are ideal for those who are looking for a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.
If you're considering an antique-style ring, consider getting one custom-made by an experienced ring designer so it carries only your love story. You can truly create something gorgeous that will be cherished and passed on to future generations.
Overall, the main difference between antique and vintage rings is their age, with antique rings being older and typically more valuable due to their rarity and historical significance, while vintage rings are often valued for their unique style and design.
You can book a consultation here if you would like to explore your options!
Three-Stone Ring Styles
A three stone engagement ring is a classic and eye-catching style. It features a center diamond surrounded by two or more medium-sized accent diamonds.
Diamonds can be used as side stones, or matching gemstones create a beautiful contrast.
This type of three stone setting is perfect for those looking for a timeless and eye-catching engagement ring. It captures the classic simplicity of a solitaire setting, with a little more sparkle and flair.
Simple Engagement Ring Styles
Simple never goes out of style. Simple styles are a good choice to showcase a good quality diamond. Examples of simple styles are solitaire rings and bezel-set rings. You can read all about bezel-style rings here. They are simple and practical.
This would also look stunning with an emerald cut or princess cut diamond.
Modern Engagement Ring Styles
Micro pavé and halo ring styles are the most popular styles today, but if you’re looking for a sleek, modern, minimalistic look, your best bet is a style with a bezel setting or a solitaire setting.
The diamond in the photo above is a modern, rectangle cushion cut halo.
Unique Engagement Ring Styles
If you're looking for a unique ring style, consider vintage or antique-style rings. If that's not your taste, you can take a classic or popular style and work with a custom ring designer like Vanessa Nicole to add unique elements and embellishments.
Popular Engagement Ring Setting Materials
The most popular engagement ring setting materials include white gold, rose gold, yellow gold and platinum.
Some factors you may want to consider when selecting the material are color preference, metal hardness, and grade of diamond color. If you're deciding between gold and platinum, here are the differences between the two.
Gold
Gold is the most popular metal for engagement rings. It's available in white, yellow and rose. Gold is slightly softer than platinum but more affordable. It's more susceptible to scratching and denting and may need more care maintenance over the years.
If it’s white gold, it will need to be rhodium plated about every 6-12 months to keep it looking super white.
Platinum
Platinum is a more durable metal, but also more expensive. It is softer than white gold so it can bend easier. The difference in color between white gold and platinum is very subtle although Platinum has a slightly gray/white hue.
What style of engagement ring is most popular?
Halo and pavé engagement ring styles are very popular today. Oval cut diamonds in halo settings, double halo, and pavé rings are gorgeous, so it's no wonder they are very popular. You can also opt for a custom oval engagement ring setting to ensure you get exactly what you want with great craftsmanship.
There are many variations of a three-stone ring style that suit larger fingers. A popular style is a center stone with baguette diamonds on the side. However, solitaire rings are a classic style that is timeless and can be embellished with a channel setting or pavé diamonds on the band.
Tips for Finding the Perfect Engagement Ring
Searching for the perfect engagement ring can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to help make the process of selecting an engagement ring easier:
Set a budget
Before you start shopping for an engagement ring, consider setting a budget. This will help you narrow down your options and find the perfect ring within your price range. Many factors go into the quality and size of a diamond, so your budget will help prioritize these quality factors.
For a custom ring designer such as Vanessa Nicole, knowing your max budget is what allows her to know what options to look for since she won't consider reviewing diamonds on your behalf that are over the budget. If $25K is the max for your ring, great! She’ll show you diamond options that will put the ring below and up to that amount. If it's $100K or more, that works just as well. You dictate what the ring will cost and they simply show you options that fit within the ring budget.
It's always a balance between your ideal budget & getting the size/quality you want, so collaborate with your designer as a team to be able to source the best diamond options at the best price in order to strike the perfect balance for your needs.
Learn about the 4 C’s
When searching for an engagement ring, start by learning about the 4 C’s (cut, color, clarity, and the carat weight). This will help you understand how diamonds are priced and why two seemingly identical diamonds of the same size can have radically different price tags. Read our Diamond Buying Guides to learn more.
How to choose an Engagement Ring Style
When selecting a diamond for your engagement ring, start with the stone shape. It's the star of the ring.
If she doesn't have a favorite diamond shape in mind, here are some factors to consider when selecting a diamond shape and the overall style of the ring:
Personality and overall style.
Finger proportions.
Lifestyle.
What is her style? Is she chic, trendy, feminine, classic, or conservative? Find a ring style that matches her fashion and taste.
Is she petite with small fingers or are her fingers and hands and body frame larger? For larger fingers, consider a three-stone ring, or a halo style that can span the width of her finger. You'll want the ring to be proportionate to her hand.
Does she have an active lifestyle? Select a diamond shape without strong angles that can be chipped or scuffed or a setting that can get caught or snagged. A bezel setting is a good choice for someone with an active lifestyle.
Most women have a few diamond shapes in mind and may be trying to decide between two or three different options. Considering these factors will help you lean toward a specific diamond shape and overall ring style.
Watch this video which explains how to select the best diamond shape:
Consider Creating A Custom Engagement Ring
Creating a ring of your own with Vanessa Nicole will ensure you get the perfect ring she will be delighted to wear for the rest of her life. A Master Diamond Setter, Vanessa has helped thousands of couples create the ring of their dreams. She has a 100% happiness "she'll love it" guarantee. Her work is impeccable, and the five star reviews and raving testimonials are proof that you will be in great hands.
If you're ready for some expert-guided help, you can get in touch with Vanessa here.
Engagement Ring Styles Chart
Browse our in-depth guides to learn more about specific engagement ring styles:
