The In-Crowd: Today's Most Popular Engagement Ring Styles
If you’re like me, you had the fortuitous opportunity to work at a jewelry store at some point in your life. In college, I worked at Andre’s Fine Jewelers. During my time there, I got to spend hours poring over brilliantly designed works of art. I accumulated a vast array of knowledge during my tenure. And I put it to good use: I devoted many hours to designing my own engagement ring. Well, I sat in the back and told the owner/designer what I wanted and he made it happen. What resulted is something that can only be described as perfection. If I had to break it down and categorize the style, I would say it’s a three-stone ring. I have a bezel set oval diamond flanked by bezel set princess cut diamonds. For more info on diamond settings, check out this blog.
Without the benefit of a jewelry education learned in the industry trenches, it can be a little confusing to know what style engagement ring you want or don’t want. Today I’ll cover a few of the most popular styles. Now, most rings will fall into one of these categories, but because of the infinite variations possible in jewelry, that doesn’t mean that someone else will have your exact ring. Like I said, my ring is a three-stone ring, but no one else has anything like it. I’ve worn this ring every day for the last ten years and to this day, people still stop me and compliment its uniqueness. If you want the same accolades, seek out a skilled custom jeweler (metro-Detroiters, go to Andre’s Fine Jewelers). Hopefully this blog will give you some ideas of what you might want.
We’ll start with the three-stone ladies’ engagement ring, because it’s what sits on my left hand. A three-stone ring is pretty straightforward, although there are several interpretations and variants. Three-stone rings have a center stone flanked by one diamond on each side. These side stones are generally smaller, with the sum of the side stones equaling the carat weight of the center stone. But that is not always the case. Some women prefer all three stones to be the same size. And some (like me) prefer the side stones to be significantly smaller than the center stone. That is all a matter of personal preference.
The meaning behind a three-stone ring is most often understood to represent the past, present, and future life of the couple. This places the “present” in the center, usually represented by the largest stone. However, that endearment doesn’t jibe with all couples. Alternate meanings attribute the three stones, from left to right, to friendship, love, and fidelity. Whichever meanings speak to you, the end result is the same: three-stone rings are a beautiful way to think about the whole of your relationship with your spouse.
If you plan on buying a wedding band online (and why wouldn’t you?), it’s important that you choose a three-stone ring that is straight across the gallery (the gallery is the part of the ring that houses the center stone) sides. This will allow you have choose just about any wedding band without having to worry about it fitting up against the sides of your ring.
The cathedral mount is a lovely variation of a simple solitaire (although some rings do also have small side stones set into the shank and shoulders). In a cathedral mount, jewelers take inspiration from the pointed round window and entryway decorations in old world cathedrals. When applied to jewelry, the center stone is set up high (usually higher than with standard height solitaire mountings) in a head, which is usually prong set. Then, below the shoulders (the part of the band immediately on either side of the center stone head mounting), metal arms gracefully wrap up the sides of the head and gently embrace the center stone. This type of setting really makes a statement, and it can help smaller stones look larger because it pushes them up into prominence. Furthermore, finding a ladies’ wedding band to match is generally easier. Since the center stone head is set higher, it’s more likely that a wedding ring will fit flush against the engagement ring.
In the last 15 years or so, the halo mounting has come back full force. As with most things fashion and style, everything old is new again. But we get to have fun with interesting interpretations. The halo mounting has gone through several iterations to be what we most often see today, which is a larger center stone, usually a round diamond, surrounded by tiny diamonds, like a halo. In the Victorian era (1837 to 1901, to be exact), larger center stones were surrounded by smaller stones. But these halo stones were much larger than what we expect to see today. In those days, the halo was arranged to look almost like an ornate picture frame. The surrounding metal was also milgrained or filigreed to add to its opulence. After a brief falling out of style, during the Art Deco (hooray for Art Deco! If you missed the Art Deco blog, I highly recommend it. Click here to read it) period, it made a comeback. And when it came back, the jewelers of the time revamped it to look more like what we know today. The diamonds were much smaller and were set in a perfect circle, a pattern owed to the fact that Art Deco was heavily influenced by futurism and architecture. The strong symmetry and geometry prized by this time period are evident in the modern conception of the halo ring. Sadly, halo rings fell out of favor during the Depression, continuing on in obscurity until recently, when brides-to-be delighted in revitalizing the antique and vintage style captured in the halo mounting.
As with the three-stone ring, if you’re choosing a halo engagement ring, you should look for one with an elevated gallery. This will allow the wedding band of your choosing (within reason) to slip gently under the gallery, completing your wedding set. A great option to match the delicacy and vintage look of a halo ring is the Sophia Wedding Band. Sophia is a low-profile classic band featuring over a half carat of round diamonds. This wedding ring will pair perfectly with many halo styles.
It’s hard to know sometimes exactly what to choose. My problem is that I love all jewelry, and therefore can find the beauty and magic in just about anything. My hope is that today I will have given you a couple things to think about and maybe even a little direction as to what you want perched atop your finger, sparkling away.
Until we meet again,
Rebecca
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