A Century Of Love – Evolution Of Engagement Rings June 4, 2021 – Posted in: Blog
Whether it’s a family heirloom or a brand-new ring you design with your fiancé, the style of your engagement ring is important—after all, it is the one piece of jewellery you will wear for the rest of your life and hopefully, uniquely yours. There are thousands of styles out there, with a multitude of choices when it comes to the cut and shape of the stone, the metal of the band, as well as the type of setting.
Like wedding dresses and any other type of jewellery, popular engagement ring styles have varied greatly over the years. Just think about your mom or aunt’s engagement ring, it’s likely very different from yours. Because we never say no to looking at jewels, take a look back with us at the past 100 years of engagement ring trends and see which decade’s signature look speaks most to you.
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The engagement ring has evolved over generations. Some things changed dramatically but some things stayed the same, like the love of diamonds.
The 1920s
The 1920s are known for the distinct Art Deco design style that dictated trends in everything from architecture to cars and jewellery, and engagement rings were no exception. The unique style is one of the most quintessential antique couple ring designs of the last century and is still very desirable today.
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Art Deco rings are characterized by their sharp lines and geometric designs made up of multiple little diamonds rather than centring around one larger stone.
Engagement rings typically featured geometrically shaped diamonds. Platinum and white metals continued to dominate jewellery fashion throughout this decade. White gold became especially popular throughout the 1920s; however, engagement couple rings were not as associated with diamonds as they are today. Instead engagement rings often featured colourful gemstones such as sapphires, emeralds and rubies.
The 1930s
Art Deco continues to be the most popular design style in the 1930s, with geometric, multi-stone rings remaining on-trend. During the Great Depression, big, bling jewellery took a backseat for most Americans, save for the ultra-rich. Ring styles simplified some during the ’30s, with a greater tendency to see one larger stone at the centre of rings instead of the multitude of diamonds that were so common in the ‘20s.
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Moreover, the demand for diamond engagement rings increased during the 1930s and the association between diamonds and love became increasingly solidified in the public consciousness.
The 1940s
The 1940s saw a slow turn away from the sharp lines of the Art Deco era toward floral-inspired rings and even more of a focus on a solitary stone instead of multiple little stones in a ring. World War II also affected engagement ring designs, as platinum became scarce, yellow and rose gold became more widely used in all types of jewellery.
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The 1940s is famously associated with the golden age of Hollywood. Femme Fatales and strong women dominated the silver screen during this era. Bold engagement couple rings stood out as the most popular styles of the time. Engagement rings featured romantic designs, including flowers and bows.
This is also the decade when engagement rings will begin to be more exclusively associated with diamonds, as the tagline “a diamond is forever” became ingrained in the public consciousness. The durability and preciousness of diamonds came to represent the serious commitment a man was making when proposing with a diamond in hand, as well as the longevity of a marriage that stone promised.
Also Read: 7 Romantic Places To Propose In 2021
The 1950s
1950s engagement rings frequently used side stones in addition to dramatic centre diamonds.
When you picture your typical engagement ring, you probably picture a 1950s style. As WWII ended soldiers returned home, eager to get married and start a family. With the end of war rationing, demand for platinum surged, however yellow and rose gold remained popular options for engagement couple rings.
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Couples increasingly yearned for large, attention-grabbing diamonds. Three stone options, with baguette accents, became increasingly popular during the decade. Solitaire settings also surged in popularity throughout this decade. Demand for fancy shapes including marquise-cut and pear-shaped diamonds also skyrocketed.
The 1960s
In the 1960s, a classic engagement ring look became widely accepted and remains a popular style. However, the more adventurous and style-savvy among us start sporting engagement ring styles no one has seen before. Many of those trendsetters were Hollywood starlets, whose lives became a great deal more documented than ever before, and the public was keen to emulate them. Think of Elizabeth Taylor’s massive diamonds and Jackie Kennedy’s stunning emerald and diamond engagement ring. Coloured gemstones in engagement rings have become very popular.
Jackie Kennedy’s engagement ring from JFK.
Photo Credits: Popsugar.com
The 1970s
New diamond cuts became trendy in the 1970s, including princess and emerald-cut diamonds. These more modern diamond shapes were accompanied by new setting styles and the popularization of coordinating wedding couple bands to create a complete matching set. The 1970s saw a general interest in creating new, modern and innovative styles. This demand for all things new continued into engagement rings.
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The 1980s
It’s probably no surprise that yellow gold engagement rings had a big moment in the ‘80s. Engagement ring styles understandably follow the fashion trends of the decade, and the 1980s were no exception. Fancy-cut diamonds become even more popular, with unique pear-shaped diamonds getting a lot of attention.
Photo Credits: www.diamondrocks.co.uk
Demand for sapphires reached new heights following Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s engagement in 1981. Princess Diana actually selected the stone herself from a selection of royal jewellery. Because she opted against traditional diamonds, the princess’s 12-carat Ceylon sapphire engagement ring was deemed controversial at the time
Also Read: Nothing Says I Love You Better Than Matching Couple Pendant
The 1990s
Engagement couple rings in the 90s were increasingly diverse in style and design—after all, we did have the previous century of popular ring styles to serve as inspiration. Couples had more options than just what their local jewellery shop offered now, meaning every woman’s ring could truly be uniquely hers.
Photo Credits: Instagram @_The_Mrs_Box
The 2000s
In the new millennium, engagement rings took a turn from the traditional, with platinum and white gold rings becoming super popular again. Plus, classic solitaire rings were more common, as well as three-stone rings, with a large round or square centre stone, flanked by two smaller or similar-sized stones. The three-stone design became popular in part because of the symbolism behind the design: the three stones are said to represent a couple’s past, present, and future together
The 2010s
In recent years, the most popular engagement ring style has undoubtedly been a cushion-cut diamond in a halo setting. Whether round, oval, or square, a halo of little diamonds surrounding a larger solitary stone gives the illusion of one larger stone. There has also been a trend toward rings having thinner bands, both set with diamonds or not, similarly creating the appearance of a larger stone. Princess Diana’s sapphire with diamond ring influenced engagement ring trends yet again when Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his mother’s ring in 2010.
AuGrav (Au-Gold, Grav-To Etch, to Engrave) Strongly believes that any Jewel should be a natural extension of yourself. It could be as simple as your Names, your Fingerprints, your Voice Waves, or anything that describes your Persona. To create a piece that will be worn by only 1 out of 7 billion people on earth, Get In Touch with us. Our Jewelry experts have all ears to listen to your story and suggest creating a masterpiece.
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