Explore the most popular rings of the 2024 Wedding Season
- What's The Most Popular Engagement Ring Style Right Now?
- The Most Popular Engagement Ring Shape?
- The Most Popular Engagement Ring Metal?
- The Most Popular Engagement Ring Center Stone?
- The Most Popular Engagement Ring Setting?
What's The Most Popular Engagement Ring Style Right Now?
The popularity of engagement ring styles owes much to the influence of celebrity rings. We have seen trends such as the Toi et Moi style and less conspicuous styles like the Gypsy gain popularity, all driven by such targeted designers. However, some things change very little. Those everlasting classics never get forgotten, like the most popular ring shapes and so on.
The Most Popular Engagement Ring Shape:Round Cut
The Knot's 2023 Jewelry and Engagement Study shows that round-cut main stone engagement rings accounted for 38% of the preference, once again making it people's favorite. However, it is worth noting that this popularity has fallen by 18% compared to its 52% status in 2017.
"The round-cut diamond is consistently the most popular engagement ring shape," says Shannon Delany-Ron, CMO for online ring retailer James Allen, noting that its appearance is timeless, versatile, and provides plenty of sparkle. "A round-cut is cone-shaped to maximize light return through the top of the diamond and looks stunning in every type of setting." You can't beat a classic (yet).
Hot on the heels of our #1 stone shape is oval-cut stones, having grown 2% to 23%. To what do we owe this rise in status? Unsurprisingly, celebrity wearers have had an impact. While Blake Lively was one of the first A-listers to sport an oval engagement ring in 2012, other stars like Hailey Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Kourtney Kardashian have recently accelerated the trend.
Additionally, popular styles such as the Toi and Moi and East-West settings (the latter involves turning a stone 90 degrees for a slight variation on tradition) require more than a round stone for maximum impact. Speaking of impact: oval-cut stones are known for their ability to create the illusion of longer fingers and appear larger than their carat size thanks to their curves.
The Most Popular Engagement Ring Metal:White Gold
Thanks to its durability and relative affordability to platinum, white gold remains the most popular metal for engagement rings but follows a similar trajectory to round-cut center stones with a -29% decline (to 39%) since 2015. Still, nearly 2 in 5 engagement rings purchased in 2023 were of white gold.
With white gold rings seeing a decline, yellow gold setting are on the rise once again. Our study found that 31% of engagement rings feature a yellow gold band, which has seen a +26% increase since 2015, when our tracking began. At 14%, platinum is the third most popular engagement ring metal, while rose gold has dropped -3% to 7%. Sterling silver rounds out the top five at 10%.
The Most Popular Engagement Ring Center Stone:Diamond
Though number of engagement rings featuring clear diamonds has remained consistent at 85%, this stat was marked by a significant shift in style with side stones falling out of favor by -12% points while solitaires have risen in popularity by +10% points (since 2015). These numbers account for both natural and lab-grown diamonds, the latter of which now make up nearly half (46%) of center stones, making them nearly 4x as popular as they were pre-pandemic in 2019 (12%). Much like moissanite (though far more durable), lab-grown stones meet the needs of eco-minded consumers and those who are seeking more stone for their dollar.
For increasingly budget-conscious consumers, moissanite has emerged as a popular choice particularly among those looking for large, clear stones. While only 1 in 10 of our respondents are opting for non-diamond precious stones, 3 in 10 are choosing moissanite. These findings represent a 10% increase since 2019 (no doubt a sign of These Times) and the stone is proving popular among Gen Z couples (40%) and those willing to purchase their engagement rings online (38%).
The Most Popular Engagement Ring Setting:Prong Setting
In regard to additional setting details, simple designs are most common. We found that 35% of engagement rings feature a prong setting, showing zero fluctuation over the previous year. Little surprise as minimalism remains one of the biggest trends in the bridal sphere, spurred by the emergence of more sustainably-minded couples. Hot tip: the larger the stone, the more prongs the setting should have with four being the accepted minimum.
Coming in the second most popular spot at 20% is the halo setting. A halo is a great way to make a stone appear larger (particulary when smaller stones are the same variety as the main event). Another variation on this style is hidden halo, which can give the illusion of a brighter ring thanks to the added illumination from all angles.
In addition to the above engagement rings, more and more styles are being accepted by people. For example, Art Deco style, Celtic style, etc.
