Engagement Ring Trends From the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and Today
Just as fashion trends come and go every year, the most trendy styles of engagement rings have changed every decade over the past century. While some of the more elaborate styles have come and gone, some of the more classic designs have proven to be timeless.
From trendy to classic, engagement ring styles – like all styles – continue to change and evolve over time. Since that isn’t stopping anytime soon, you need to keep up with the latest trends!
Let’s take a look at how engagement ring trends have changed over the past few decades and how they differ from the engagement rings we’re seeing everywhere today. You might be surprised at how much engagement ring trends have changed over the years and what styles are making their way back!
THE 1980’S
We couldn’t possibly talk about engagement ring trends from the 1980’s without mentioning the most famous engagement ring of that time period – the late Princess Diana’s breathtaking sapphire and diamond ring. As soon as pictures of that stunner hit the media, women across the world began clamoring for sapphire engagement rings surrounded by diamonds. Little did Diana know that her ring could cause such a stir that a whole new engagement ring trend would be born.
If you still have your mother’s engagement ring, you might find the design resembling Princess Diana’s. It’s elegant, big, and captivating, exuding class and authentic beauty. But not everyone wants to wear the same old ring design from the 1980s. So, you can either sell or redesign it. Vintage rings with large gems often have a large retail value so if you’re thinking about upgrading your selection, selling your ring is a good option. That is, of course, if you don’t want to hold on to it for sentimental value.
THE 1990s
Engagement rings of the 90s got a simplistic upgrade. Yellow gold fell out of popularity by a wide margin and simple, classic white gold and platinum engagement rings became the IT choice for those getting engaged. Timeless solitaire rings took center stage as the bulky, gaudy rings of the 70’s faded.
The 90s engagement ring is slowly making a comeback with its simple setting (and not to mention cheaper price tags!). It may also be so because the kids of the 90s are taking inspiration from their parents’ engagement rings. Hey, we can’t blame them for it.
THE 2000s
One of my favorite engagement ring trends of all time is the halo! Regardless of the diamond shape, surrounding your diamond with lots of tiny diamonds just makes your engagement ring look a whole lot fancier. This is one of my favorite engagement ring styles and if I ever get to upgrade my own engagement ring, a halo engagement ring will probably be my first choice. Surrounding your diamond with a circle of small light-catching diamonds quickly adds elegance and sparkle to your ring’s main diamond which can often make it appear larger and more extravagant looking.
THE 2010s
With the royal engagement of Kate Middleton and Prince William, colored stones reemerged as both a huge trend for engagement rings as the main focal point as well as accents to engagement rings. From 2010 to around 2018, we also saw a huge trend towards pavé-encrusted bands and cushion-cut engagement rings. In 2019, when Jennifer Lopez got engaged to Alex Rodriguez, suddenly giant emerald-cut engagement rings soared in popularity again.
That said, the 2010s saw different styles of engagement rings get popular. Kim Kardashian’s infamous 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries in 2011 had the same giant emerald-cut ring style as J.Lo’s. But three years later with her engagement to Kanye West, she had a 15-carat cushion-cut diamond ring with a pavé-encrusted band that’s synonymous with the decade.
That doesn’t mean to say simpler rings completely went out of style during the ‘10s, as seen in Meghan Markle’s stunner of an engagement ring in 2017. The three-stone diamond ring was set on a slim gold band, exuding a luxurious elegance.
TODAY
For the past few years, we’ve seen a huge increase in the popularity of rose gold. This new metal has paved the way for a whole new trend of mixed metal designs and mismatched stackable rings. We have to say, out of all the engagement ring trends over the last few decades, we hope that rose gold doesn’t go away any time soon because it’s the hottest way to make a big fashion statement that is both feminine and sexy.
We hope you found this post informative in your quest to pick the perfect engagement ring! Let us know your favorite engagement ring style in the comment below!