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

[skypie]

My guess - round cut solitaire w/ plain bands.

Based on my observations in NYC

 

[flyingpig]

My guess - round cut solitaire w/ plain bands.
Based on my observations in NYC

That or even skip ER entirely, and go with something low profile and practical such half or full eternity 0.3~1.0 tcw.

 

[Tekate]

I think they like eternity style rings, stones don't have to be good either

 

[missy]

Gemstones, stacking bands, more unique rings. Alternative diamond choices. Just my guess.
This is an interesting article.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/03/pri...e-obsolete-if-millennials-have-their-way.html

The sparkle of a pricey engagement ring may be fading for young consumers.

Many millennials say they aren't willing to spend big on a ring, according to a new survey by TheCashlorette.com, a subsidiary of Bankrate. The site polled 1,001 adults in late July.

"Older millennials" (those between ages 27 and 36) were the most likely of any age group to say a buyer should spend no more than one month's salary on a ring. Thirty-one percent of older millennials said one month's salary is appropriate, and another 10 percent, less than one month. (That doesn't include 3 percent who said they wouldn't spend anything, or don't believe in engagement rings.)


To compare, 25 percent of Gen Xers and 21 percent of baby boomers think one month's salary on a ring is the right number. Another 5 percent in each group said they would spend less than that amount, and 2 percent in each said they would spend nothing.

Millennials tend to have other financial goals that compete with a ring, said Sarah Berger of TheCashlorette.

"Older millennials could still be saddled with student loan debt, and many are trying to save for a down payment on a house," she said.

This generation also tends to be less interested in expensive material possessions, she said.


PeopleImages | Getty Images
"Millennials gravitate toward spending money on experiences, and not on things," Berger said.

Recent wedding trends reflect that. The average wedding in 2016 cost $35,329, an all-time high, according to a report from wedding site The Knot. (See infographic below.) From 2009 to 2016, the average number of guests per wedding dropped to 141 from 149 — but the per-guest cost jumped to $245 from $194 over the same time period.

While millennials say they are aiming for a more affordable engagement ring, they still make up the largest consumer market for diamond jewelry globally.

Average spending on an engagement ring rose to $6,163 in 2016, about a 5 percent jump from the prior year, TheKnot found. And while global production of rough diamonds has been sharply cut in the last decade, a report from De Beers Group estimated that millennials represented nearly 45 percent of the retail value of diamond jewelry in the largest markets in 2015.

"We see, in trends, alternative stones becoming more popular," said Shelley Brown, The Knot's fashion and beauty editor, "but we still see that, far and away, even the round cut diamond is the most popular choice."

Cut to the deal
If you do go for a diamond, deciding which of the "4 C's" — cut, color, clarity and carat — to prioritize can save thousands when it comes time to buy.

Even a ring with a less-than-perfect clarity or color grade can impress your loved one if the diamond has a superior cut, which provides its signature sparkle.

For example, a 1.03 carat round-cut diamond with the highest quality cut, color and clarity currently sells for $17,940 on ethically sourced jewelry site BrilliantEarth.com. A 1.09 carat diamond with a lower color grade but the highest-grade cut and clarity sells for $9,870.

"I wouldn't sacrifice cut, but maybe clarity and color you have some flexibility with," Brown said.

Brown also says the choice of a diamond's shape can "cheat" the look of a larger stone. A round-cut diamond may be iconic, but a shallower cut with a larger table surface area (think: an oval or marquise) creates the illusion of a larger-carat rock for thousands less.

 

[ChristineRose]

I'm fairly sure it's whatever ring style is most popular with everyone else. As far as I can tell, that's round solitaire.

Some styles like inlaid wood are doubtless more popular with millennials than with older folks. But I think that they are still not all that popular overall.

 

[KingKuda]

Being part of that generation, everything I am seeing colourless halo's with questionable clarity. Everyone seems to want the biggest and whitest stone possible.

 

[Niel]

Rose gold

 

[Slickk]

I have millennials. I think bigger is better where I am located.

 

[HappyNewLife]

cushion cut, rose gold

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

In my group it's all over the map. I have the Asscher Halo, probably the most expensive and ornate of my crew (but was still well under 4k in 2007), one close friend has an inherited OEC they put in a new setting, one has a Zales sapphire, one asked for help and has a H&A in a nice graduated setting (they're both professionals but kept the ring budget at $3500), and one has an overpriced designer labradorite and some tiny diamond sides in yellow gold. Two girls at work are engaged, one round on a plain band, one round on pave.

The only trend I can see is most do seem to spend under 4k. The men are also often going for alternative metal rings.

 

[Miki Moto]

I have read articles where it says millenials are not materials and do not want possessions. Rather, they want to spend their money on experiences.

While that may be true, I know of millenials who are recently married (less than 3 years) and all of them have stones around 1ct which seems to be the size they prefer. Maybe they are ok with lower quality.

And all the millenials I know have halo rings. I found that odd, and they do not know each other.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Different cuts/style settings come and go, but a RB solitaire ring will always be in style.

 

[nala]

The only ones I know are strapped for cash and while they drool over my ring, they wear cluster halo rings purchased at department stores or mall stores. A few of the professional millenials that I do know, who are doing well for themselves, are wearing chocolate diamond solitaires in yellow gold.

 

[ecf8503]

I see a lot of halos and cluster halos

 

[Bron357]

The human desire for ornamentation is as old as humans are. Even some animal and bird species choose to decorate their abodes with “pretties”.
I agree that millennials are more “experience” focused than “materialistic” but people still appreciate the beauty of gemstones and wish to own them. Young people starting out in their adults lives have always had to balance their money carefully between wants and needs and jewellery is a want. My mother started at at 20 with a .20 carat diamond. Now 75, and some 4 diamond rings later, she rocks a 4 carat diamond. As the prosperity increased so too did the size and quality of her jewellery.
It’s watches that I “mourn for”.
Once an integral part of everyone’s wardrobe, and many were superb examples of a jewellers workmanship as many received a “special watch” for their 21st, their wedding or their retirement, now everyone has a mobile phone and watches are going, almost gone.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I see a lot of halos and cluster halos

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.

 

[mco312]

I think I mostly see halos, followed by solitaires.

 

[MonkeysInk]

Rose gold

Wait, whaaaat??? I see yellow gold everywhere and think of you when I do!

 

[Niel]

Wait, whaaaat??? I see yellow gold everywhere and think of you when I do!

Ha! Good. I’m the yellow gold personal ambassadors but I don’t know anyone under the age of 50 with a yellow gold wedding set

 

[leukolenos]

So I asked my babysitter and she tells me it’s all cushions and halos all day long.

 

[KaeKae]

Going by the younger women I've been working with the past several years, I would say white metals, round or cushion shapes. The settings do vary, from classic solitaire to halo, plain or pave shanks.

 

[Niel]

So I asked my babysitter and she tells me it’s all cushions and halos all day long.

I’d agree

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Ha! Good. I’m the yellow gold personal ambassadors but I don’t know anyone under the age of 50 with a yellow gold wedding set

I’ll be 40 in a couple months and my set is 18k YG. Just added a stacker band which is also 18k YG, and currently working on an upgraded e-ring which will also be 18k YG. I’m weird and old-fashioned! LOL!

In my area, I’m seeing lots of halos with @ 0.5 carat centers. Also quite a few RB and princess solitaires, most of which are also around the 0.5 carat range. White gold still seems to be the metal of choice, but yellow is regaining a foothold. (Thank you, Prince Harry and Megan!) I don’t see much rose gold at all, which is sad because I think it’s beautiful and very flattering on most skin tones.

 

[Starfacet]

I'm seeing more rose than yellow gold. But white metals still #1. And mostly halos.

 

[TreeScientist]

Agree with everyone above about the halos or solitaires. I'm a millennial myself. Quite a few of my friends have gotten engaged over the past few years, and I've also seen my fair share of ring pictures on Facebook, so I've developed a pretty large "sample set" by which to judge the average millennial engagement ring.

Among my American friends, it seems like most of the rings I've seen have either been halos with smaller (.25-.5 carat) center stones, or solitaries in the 0.5-0.75 carat range. And I've also notice the trend to spend no more than 1 months salary on the ring (as noted in the article posted above), so it's very rare to see a stone over 1 carat. However, most of their diamonds are of horrible quality. Most likely mall store diamonds, as practically every one I've seen in the U.S. has been a dull, lifeless rock (with the exception being two of my friends who have C&C moissanites. Those actually sparkle quite a bit ). So I highly doubt that any of my friends who bought diamonds have found Pricescope. Of course, I would never tell any of the women I know that they have a sub-par diamond. IMO the only proper response to someone showing you an engagement ring is: "Oh, it's so beautiful!"

Among my Norwegian and other European friends (I'm living in Norway now) I'd say that most millennial women have a small solitaire between .25-.5 carats. I must note though that engagement rings are a relatively recent thing here. Most of the couples in my generation do them now, but the older generations only did plain wedding bands. One thing I've noticed though is that the quality of the diamonds the average person is wearing here is MUCH higher than in the U.S. Not sure if they would be considered Pricescope quality, but they sure do have lot of fire and brilliance. I hardly ever notice engagement ring diamonds when I'm in the U.S. unless someone is explicitly showing me (due to the dull, lifeless rocks I noted above) but quite a few engagement rings have caught my eye since I've been living here in Norway despite their generally smaller size. Not sure if the average Norwegian jewelry stores just sell better quality diamonds, if the Norwegian men are better at doing their homework before purchasing, or a combination of both. I will say that when I complement a friend on an engagement ring here in Norway, it's usually a genuine complement on my part. Unlike in the U.S. where I say:

"Oh, it's so beautiful!"

but I'm really thinking:

"You could have stuck a piece of glass in that ring and it would have sparkled more."

I think the only friends in the U.S. that I've given a genuine complement to regarding their engagement rings have been the two with moissanites.

 

[leukolenos]

I’d agree

I don’t often feel old but having to ask her what was popular sure made me feel it!

Apparently rose gold and ovals qualify as being “different” and “unusual”.

My younger sister who recently got married chose an emerald cut....in a halo (surprise!)- and thinks she has something super rare and interesting.

There’s a pretty affluent private university near where we live so it’s an interesting sample population. Even in that socio-economic set the diamonds seem to be of modest size.

 

[GliderPoss]

I am technically a millennial ('84 vintage) but I mostly see (in Oz) fairly modest 0.5-1.0 carat diamond solitaires of varying quality- usually brilliant or cushion cut, set in platinum, but now more rose gold too. Sapphires are coming back into popularity as well. My own original E-ring was a ruby solitaire in YG and was considered very unusual within my social circle but not to my older aunts who loved it.

From what I've observed... "lower socioeconomic classes" tend to go for mall store cluster rings with multiple halos, whereas "wealthier classes" go for larger simple solitaires. I do think people are willing to spend less nowadays - be more thrifty with their money hence alternative styles/stones are becoming more popular.

 

[KingKuda]

I am technically a millennial ('84 vintage) but I mostly see (in Oz) fairly modest 0.5-1.0 carat diamond solitaires of varying quality- usually brilliant or cushion cut, set in platinum, but now more rose gold too. Sapphires are coming back into popularity as well. My own original E-ring was a ruby solitaire in YG and was considered very unusual within my social circle but not to my older aunts who loved it.

From what I've observed... "lower socioeconomic classes" tend to go for mall store cluster rings with multiple halos, whereas "wealthier classes" go for larger simple solitaires. I do think people are willing to spend less nowadays - be more thrifty with their money hence alternative styles/stones are becoming more popular.

I'm from Australia, born in 1990 and am noticing the opposite to be honest. It could just be the people within my social scene however I'm regularly seeing people spend well above their means in order to impress with others with their rings. I'm regularly seeing 1.5-2ct diamonds with halo's as well to make the ring look even bigger.

With social media these days being so prominent, never has a ring been such a big deal for people in their 20's.

 

[GliderPoss]

I'm from Australia, born in 1990 and am noticing the opposite to be honest. It could just be the people within my social scene however I'm regularly seeing people spend well above their means in order to impress with others with their rings. I'm regularly seeing 1.5-2ct diamonds with halo's as well to make the ring look even bigger.

With social media these days being so prominent, never has a ring been such a big deal for people in their 20's.

I agree, it's so variable depending on where you live (city vs country), your wealth, social circle, background etc.

 

[foxinsox]

Ha! Good. I’m the yellow gold personal ambassadors but I don’t know anyone under the age of 50 with a yellow gold wedding set

My twin sister has a YG wedding set and we’re... hmm 41. Ok we might be a bit closer to 50 than millennial. One of my (definitely millennial) grads at work has a YG wedding set too tho it’s a WG head on a YG band. The rings I see are a real mix - relatively few solitaires especially >1ct, quite a few pave halos and a very few three stones or eternity bands. My sister is the only one I know of with an all YG set, all the other YG rings are WG head, YG band.