What style of e-ring do you think is most popular with millenials?

[Rhea]

It's a huge age span. Wikipedia cites 2 sources which say those born 1977 to 1994 or 1995 are millennials.

The older millennials that I identify with (1978 to 1982) are no where near similar to the younger millennials in my mind. We graduated, got engaged, got married and started jobs before the 2007 financial crisis (27 at start of crisis). Most of my friends wear 0.5 - 1.5 large solitaires with some accent diamonds or a halo.

The younger women I work with who are roughly the same back-ground as me have mostly smaller diamonds maybe 0.25 - 0.50 in simple settings but are equally likely to have a coloured stone solitaire with a couple of diamond accents or to wear an eternity ring. I think they still want something big and sparkly but their outlook and future prospects don't appear as bright as we thought ours was so they spend less money on rings and elope. Gone are the days of friends and co-workers talking about their £25k weddings, now it's a pretty £1k ring and an afternoon at the registry office with 20 guests.

 

[Matthews1127]

My nephews are Millennials (1985 & 1987). My youngest nephew bought his wife a 3 stone, Oval & round diamond engagement ring. I’d say the total carat weight would be between 1-1.5ct. She also has a thin diamond band.
They are very active, and outdoorsy, so they wear silicone bands most often, but she does wear her wedding set on special occasions.
Her Engagement Ring:

 

[KingKuda]

Bigger is definitely better with millennials. I've seen some disgusting comments on Instagram and the like when someone posts a small engagement ring.

 

[Rhea]

Bigger is definitely better with millennials. I've seen some disgusting comments on Instagram and the like when someone posts a small engagement ring.

That's true! I saw a particularly nasty one once. I wonder if the people who post those comments have ever had to pay for anything themselves or if they're just trolling. I hope karma gets them.

 

[KingKuda]

That's true! I saw a particularly nasty one once. I wonder if the people who post those comments have ever had to pay for anything themselves or if they're just trolling. I hope karma gets them.

I genuinely feel for the poor couple when someone comes and posts something negative. I saw one the other day where someone had tagged their friend in and said something along the lines of 'if someone proposed to me with something the size of this I'd dump them on the spot'. Just a really heartless comment that isn't necessary.

The development of social media and jewellers who are using it is going to increase the amounts people think they need to spend on a ring. My SO naively said she didn't want me spending a lot and that she just wanted something cheap and simple that was as white as possible and about 1.5ct. She is by no means greedy, she just has no idea how much diamonds cost but sees them every day on social media so assumes that it's the norm now to have a big ring.

 

[Rhea]

I saw your pear thread. I think you're right, people just don't know what things cost. I'm still hoping that karma gets them purely for being that mean to others. Bigger is better, but I think a lot of millennials are getting that size with alternative stones. One of my friends loves morganite. But I think if they could afford a diamond in the size they want she'd get that. She loves the size more than the type of stone.

 

[Gussie]

I have been following this thread with nothing to add until now. People who post heartless, mean comments about other's jewelry should just rot. Social media can be a handy tool but only if people remember that people are real and words hurt. Another reason I love ps - very seldom do I see a mean or even snarky comment!

 

[soxfan]

Yes, I see young women with halos here, usually with smaller centers. I see simple solitaires as well. My own 22 year old dreams of a halo as she is expecting a small diamond. Plus, she follows Caysie on IG and wants everything she posts! I see a good many millenial e-rings because they get posted on my daughter's social media quite often! The older daughter has an ideal cut round solitaire and her best friends have similar rings, but one has a princess cut.

Astrid is only 12 and has claimed my antique pear ring as her engagement ring. Done. Easy peasy....

 

[PierreBear]

Interesting thread. Can someone share a photo of the "cushion with halo" as I haven't seen this within my circle of millennial friends.

I've seen bezel setting with stones that aren't diamonds, which I thought was still very beautiful. I also see round brilliants but there were all set in 4 prongs (similar to my own) instead of the 6 prong Tiffany style. The later my friends get married the larger the stone seems to be though (30s instead of 20s etc...).

Agree with the comments that I've seen athletic friends wear the silicon bands when they work out. Comes in some fun colors for both male and female!

 

[doberman]

I have millenials and they have friends. It seems like halos are pretty common. With the trend of recycling I see that family heirlooms are popular too. This is what my son will be using since he's an impoverished med student.

 

[prbaglady]

I'm an older millennial (peer group is early to mid-30s) and I'm in NYC, where I see plenty of 1.5-2ct solitaires, mostly rounds and cushions, often with pave on the band (at least among the professional set). Those with smaller diamonds (1 ct or so) tend to put them in halos but they are actually not that common. I have noticed that ovals have been really popular lately. I have seen 4 acquaintances get engaged in the last few years with ovals. People appreciate the spread that an oval can give them and that they seem more unique. I don't see a lot of "mall quality" diamonds either--few super ideals, but generally you see a lot of well cut, sparkly stones.

Another trend that has been picking up lately among my peers is for vintage engagement rings and OECs. I would say that half of my recently engaged friends have vintage rings! They like that they are "conflict free" and that they have a history.

White gold and platinum still rule, but rose and yellow gold have been picking up!!!!

 

[daneshpastry]

I 2nd (and 3rd and so on) the halo trend. I *hate* halo settings unless the stones in the halo are spectacular on their own - all I see are subpar centre stones with garbage surrounding stones to make the illusion of something larger.

 

[missy]

Interesting thread. Can someone share a photo of the "cushion with halo" as I haven't seen this within my circle of millennial friends.

I've seen bezel setting with stones that aren't diamonds, which I thought was still very beautiful. I also see round brilliants but there were all set in 4 prongs (similar to my own) instead of the 6 prong Tiffany style. The later my friends get married the larger the stone seems to be though (30s instead of 20s etc...).

Agree with the comments that I've seen athletic friends wear the silicon bands when they work out. Comes in some fun colors for both male and female!

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...rue-antique-cushion-halo-by-leon-mege.231303/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/halo-setting-with-cushion-cut-diamond.238103/

 

[AprilBaby]

I see lots of halos and a trend starting for gemstone rings in an oval shape with diamond halo.

 

[PrismBaby]

Millennial myself, 1992. Based in Long Island, New York which is basically the suburbs of NYC.. I am seeing a huge trend of white and rose gold, delicate pave, halos and baskets with 1ct to 1.5ct rounds/ovals/cushions. I actually do not mind this trend as long as it's done right.. it's a very classic set up IMHO. However, I'll always be team solitaire.

 

[bludiva]

I have millenials and they have friends. It seems like halos are pretty common. With the trend of recycling I see that family heirlooms are popular too. This is what my son will be using since he's an impoverished med student.

family heirlooms never go out of style very nice of you to provide one for your son.

 

[doberman]

family heirlooms never go out of style very nice of you to provide one for your son.

Well I adore his girlfriend, they've been together since college, so we know her well. Her family is wonderful too. And this ring, a solitaire, was the one she loved best and it's certainly very engagement looking. According to my son she really likes the fact that it's a family ring. The color of the diamond looks terrific on her dark skin, better than it did on my pale hide. My son told me later that she worried she was depriving me of the ring. His answer: "She's not Gollum, don't worry".

 

[rockysalamander]

I'm in the Boston area and I see a lot of white metal, ~1 carat diamonds, and pave in various configurations. Blue, oval/cushion sapphires are also holding a place in the rings I see thanks to the royals. There are a smattering of ovals and antique rings and moissanite. The buzzwords seem to be "unique" and "special" and "delicate". Diamond quality is maybe a bit better than other work-places as many have sent their boyfriends my way for help in selecting the stones.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

This is a great read!

I wonder if certain millennial sub-groups have preferences for halo or gemstones or fancy shapes based on any commonalities? Can the trends be delineated further by birth-year, or is it regional or perhaps socio-economics that drives the preferences?

 

[MeowMeow]

My husband is a millennial. I am too but our taste couldn't be more different in jewellery lmao. His runs towards halos and tons of diamonds whereas I like plain metals and solitaires.

 

[fellys]

Where I’m located, halos aren’t that popular. Typical e-rings are 0.5-0.75 ct solitaires in white gold. Nowadays, I see people going for better cut stones in custom settings with more focus on the uniqueness/meaning behind their solitaire setting. I also have friends going for colored stones like sapphires..

Though it's not common here, I personally love the idea of a family heirloom but didn't manage to persuade family to let me have one. LOL

 

[alittlelight]

In my area (suburbs of a large city) --
Some of the rings I have seen lately as my kids enter that phase where they and all their friends are getting married -- lots of solitaires on pave bands that are right around a carat. Some girls with much larger solitaires (close to 2 ct.) Halo only seems popular with stones under 1 carat. Yellow gold making a comeback! I have seen ovals and east-west ovals, cushions, pears, radiants, even a rotated, bypass princess. I do not see colored gemstones at all.
I always smile at work because the rings break down by decade -- married in the 80s? Marquis. Married in the 90's? Princess. Married in the 00's? Halo. Now more solitaire with sparkly bands.

 

[alittlelight]

Also meant to add that except for some of the older Princesses, the stones seem nice and sparkly! People here seem to know what to look for in a stone, though I doubt any are ideal cuts.

 

[iluvshinythings]

I have millenials and they have friends. It seems like halos are pretty common. With the trend of recycling I see that family heirlooms are popular too. This is what my son will be using since he's an impoverished med student.

I'll be honest. I totally justify some of my ring purchases by saying that I'll pass them down to my grandsons. Right now my daughter picked one of my rings to wear as her wedding ring (a pretty .75 ct, G tranny) and both of my grandsons have a couple each to choose from. (They're 3 and 9 and I'm aware of how ridiculous this all is) I'd love to have a family ring to wear though.

 

[iluvshinythings]

In my area the Neil Lane type ring with a smallish center (usually a cushion or emerald) with a halo or two and tons of embellishment is popular. More than one I can think of has a cluster - but they do look nicer than the clusters of olden times, like the 80's, when I first married.

Only one of my daughter's friends (all late 20's - mid 30's) has a solitaire and it's a gorgeous 2 ct emerald.

I've also seen quite a few sapphires and other gemstone e-rings with vintage type settings.

 

[girlyglam]

I'm a millennial (1984), and the types of rings that seem popular really seem dependent on where they live and when they got engaged. I'd say the overarching commonalities are white gold and diamonds, despite what I've read about colored gemstones and rose and yellow gold rising in popularity. I think everyone I know has white gold and diamond as the main stone in their rings. Rounds seem to be the most popular shape among my peer group, and I actually think I see more non-halo rings than halos (although don't get me wrong - halos are definitely out there). Peers I have that are living in big city areas AND have gotten engaged in their 30's (or possibly late 20's) tend to have what I'd guess are 1.5-2ct stones. Peers I have that are living in more suburban areas and/or got engaged in their early-mid 20's tend to have what I'd guess are 0.5-1.25ct stones. I've also seen a quad setting here and there from the suburban, engaged in their 20's peer group.

For me, I have an oval alexandrite in a halo with a marquise/scalloped shank. The non-diamond center, oval shape, and the shank make it different from anything I've seen anyone in my peer group wear or anything I've seen in real life. However, from things I've read, my ring is the embodiment of trendy (halo, oval, colored gemstone, etc.). Ironic since I never set out to have, nor did I particularly want, a trendy ring - I just wanted a ring that was "me", and I'm far from trendy!

 

[bludiva]

I'm a millennial (1984), and the types of rings that seem popular really seem dependent on where they live and when they got engaged. I'd say the overarching commonalities are white gold and diamonds, despite what I've read about colored gemstones and rose and yellow gold rising in popularity. I think everyone I know has white gold and diamond as the main stone in their rings. Rounds seem to be the most popular shape among my peer group, and I actually think I see more non-halo rings than halos (although don't get me wrong - halos are definitely out there). Peers I have that are living in big city areas AND have gotten engaged in their 30's (or possibly late 20's) tend to have what I'd guess are 1.5-2ct stones. Peers I have that are living in more suburban areas and/or got engaged in their early-mid 20's tend to have what I'd guess are 0.5-1.25ct stones. I've also seen a quad setting here and there from the suburban, engaged in their 20's peer group.

For me, I have an oval alexandrite in a halo with a marquise/scalloped shank. The non-diamond center, oval shape, and the shank make it different from anything I've seen anyone in my peer group wear or anything I've seen in real life. However, from things I've read, my ring is the embodiment of trendy (halo, oval, colored gemstone, etc.). Ironic since I never set out to have, nor did I particularly want, a trendy ring - I just wanted a ring that was "me", and I'm far from trendy!

That's a lovely ring. Maybe not being trendy is the next big trend ;P

I'm at the tail end of Gen X and I don't see anyone younger (or older come to think of it) that doesn't have a white stone. The revival of gemstone e-rings is overdue.

 

[alene]

Interesting thread! My sample is pretty specific, I work in a hospital in NYC and the younger women I see getting engaged are mostly professionals ( MDs, nurses, psychologists, social workers), or students in those areas, which may skew things a bit. I see a pretty large variety of setttings, solitaires, halos, ornate deco rings, a good bit of rose gold along with white metals. I’ve seen a couple of color stone rings, mainly with some sort that of pale pink stones ( not sure what exactly), but mostly diamonds. Size-wise most are a at least a carat, but very few if any are larger than 2. Actually, a few do get bigger than 2 carats, but tend to leave those at home, so we don’t get to see that much. Shape-wise, it’s mainly rounds and cushions.

 

[lambskin]

Halo rings.

 

[Fancygems]

All i see are rounds (solitaire and halo) I have seen only one cushion, Asscher, emerald cut in person EVER and no ovals. I also do not see any colored stone erings.