Whether you know exactly what you’re looking for or you’re still browsing for the perfect design, there are many style options to choose from for your engagement ring. From timeless styles to modern designs, knowing what’s out there can help you find what you’re looking for, no matter the jeweler you choose to visit. Here’s an overview to help you get a better idea of how you can style your engagement ring.
Why You Need To Know About Engagement Ring Styles
When shopping for your engagement ring, knowing a little bit about the various designs and different ring styles can be just as important as the ring itself. This is because when you walk into a jewelry store, you can have hundreds of designs in front of you, and having an idea of what you’re looking for will help you start the discussion with your jeweler.
When shopping for your engagement ring, you’ll need to know what settings, band designs, and types of metals you want to look at so you’re better equipped to talk styles and price with a jeweler. Additionally, having that extra bit of insight when looking for the perfect ring can help you narrow down your choices to the ones that will stay within your budget.
What To Look For When Styling Your Engagement Ring
To start, there are several factors you’ll need to consider when looking at different engagement ring styles. The cut and color of your gem, your band design, the type of setting, and the type of metal you want to use are all important things to look for when shopping for an engagement ring.
For example, if you have your gemstone cut and shaped in advance, the cut of your diamond can help you narrow down your choices of settings. For a princess-cut diamond solitaire, you might opt for a pronged setting on a simple gold band. For a more embellished band, you could choose to have your stone cut to accentuate the design.
Classic and Timeless
You can start your shopping trip by looking at some classic and timeless designs that have an elegant style. The most common and enduring style is the round-cut diamond solitaire in a pronged setting on a simple band. The round cut solitaire has been a classic engagement ring design since the 18th century when Vincenzio Perruzzi developed this gorgeous look.
Another option for an elegant style is to have your gem set in a halo, which is a ring of tiny diamonds that surrounds the center gem. The halo setting rose to popularity during the Victorian Era, so this style is as timeless as the diamond solitaire and should remain so for many more years to come.
Embellished Styles
Consider accenting your style with filigree or a pave band, where the band of your ring is set with tiny diamonds. You can also opt for more embellished designs like a cluster setting or a three-stone engagement ring style where your center diamond sits between two smaller stones on either side of it. Baroque-style bands with filigrees like swirls and twists can accentuate your center stone. The trademark with these styles is the elaborate and decorative accents you can customize to fit your preferences.
The type of cut you choose for your diamond can also reflect a more embellished design. One such cut is the briolette cut, an intricate design similar to an elongated teardrop. It’s a style that many jewelry experts believe originated in 12th-century India when the famous French trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier brought the design back to Europe with him. Since then, the briolette has graced engagement ring designs over many centuries and has evolved to become a popular choice of cut when shopping for fancy styles.
Vintage and Antique
In addition to the engagement ring styles that trace their origins back to antiquity, there are many more antique and vintage designs that you can choose from and customize. If you’re looking for something with a 1920s style, you can opt for an Art Deco design like a colored diamond rather than clear stones.
In fact, proposing with a colored gem was the tradition before white diamonds became popular. Antique cuts like the marquise, antique cushion, and Asscher cuts are as vintage as it gets, with the marquise cut dating back to a design that King Louis XV of France commissioned as a tribute to his mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson. The Asscher brothers of Holland developed the Asscher cut in 1902, and it became a highly popular style through the 1920s and 1930s. The antique cushion is another vintage square cut that can fit the unique look you’re shopping for.
If you’re opting for a more modern cut but still like the look of vintage bands, consider a cathedral style band where the shank and shoulders of your setting curve up to support the stone, resembling the arched supports of a Renaissance cathedral. This band style has been a popular vintage choice and something to consider if you want to add delicate accents to your ring.
Sleek and Modern
Even with the multitude of vintage, antique, and classic styles, more modernized and simplistic designs and setting types are increasing in popularity. Bezel, tension, and flush settings are modern options if you’re looking for something fresh and contemporary. In a bezel, the diamond sits in a cup-like setting, offering a sturdier design that is less likely to loosen over time. Flush settings set your gem into the band so that it sits flush with the surface of the ring, and tension settings suspend your gem between the bands ends, lending an avant-garde look to the overall ring design.
The style you choose comes down to your personal preference, but these elements can serve as a starting point. If you’re still unsure which styles to choose from, stop by Hustedt Jewelers of Bloomington and talk to one of our jewelry specialists who can help you find the perfect design for your engagement ring or wedding band.