Beneath the glitter and glitz, shopping for an engagement ring is a serious task. After all, you’re choosing one piece of jewelry you’ll (hopefully) wear for the rest of your life. Not to mention the fact that an engagement ring will also hold a deep, symbolic meaning. When it comes to choosing an engagement ring, you want to get it right, but the options may feel overwhelming. Should you pick a lab-grown diamond? What about moissanite? Should you jump ship and go for a gemstone? (Sapphires are popular right now.) Gemstones aside, what type of metal band and setting will you choose? Pavé? Bezel? Cathedral? Solitaire? And then there’s the voice in the back of your mind wondering what everyone else is wearing. To make the decision process a little easier, we chatted with three jewelry experts about popular engagement rings to consider. But above all, they emphasized that at the end of the day, it’s not about the trendiest engagement ring ideas—it’s about what you want. Even it if seems crazy.
“We’ve seen customers put together multiple page documents as a definitive guide to what they want in a ring,” shares Janie Marshall, head of brand at Clean Origin. “Don’t be scared to be open about your preferences, and share what they are—saying things like, ‘I don’t like the tall diamond solitaire setting,’ or ‘I want a diamond that looks big’ can help point everyone in the right direction and ensure that you end up with a ring that you love for a lifetime.”
Jean Dousset, founder and CEO of his eponymous brand, echoes Marshall’s advice. “The style of the ring and shape of the diamond has to be [your] decision—only [your] decision. Your partner who isn’t wearing the ring shouldn’t influence what it ultimately looks like. They need to be supportive of [your] choices.” Dousset continues by encouraging the wearer not to second-guess themselves. “The ring that keeps circling through your mind as you explore all these different design options is your ring. Because of the magnitude of the choice, people tend to torture themselves by second-guessing their original preference. If there is a style or shape that consistently cycles through your decision-making process, that’s where you should focus.”
With all that said, here are the top engagement ring trends for 2023—all of which make us want to say “I do!”