Engagement ring trends for 2021

If you are thinking of proposing to your partner in the next 12 months, then this article may help you to choose a beautiful engagement ring they will love.

The most crucial thing when selecting an engagement ring is that your partner adores it, and each year offers a wide range of new trends, with something to suit everyone’s tastes.

Through working closely with thousands of happy couples each year, we not only see trends emerge but can predict what is coming for the year ahead, too.

Engagement ring trends are heavily influenced by popular culture, and you’ll see that in action from our first trend.

So, let’s take a look at the engagement ring trends for 2021.

Sapphire engagement rings

A platinum 1.63ct pear-cut sapphire and 0.42ct diamond halo engagement ring with diamond-set shoulders

The latest series of hit Netflix show, The Crown, featured Princess Diana’s iconic 12-carat sapphire engagement ring and it has captured the hearts of the nation once again — as it did back in 1981.

There is certainly no coincidence between the airing of the series and the sudden uprise in interest in sapphire engagement rings — particularly those with an oval cut stone and a diamond halo. However, all sapphire rings attract those looking for the perfect jewellery to pop the question to their beloved.

This royal blue, royal trend is set to continue throughout the year and beyond — with “The People’s Princess” once again influencing what is being worn.

‘East-west’ engagement rings

‘East-west’ engagement rings are rings where the stone is set horizontally on the band; a trend that made roots in 2019 and only seems to be growing in popularity over time.

With just the setting being different, this modern style will undoubtedly be turning heads for a long time to come; it’s a classic with a twist, meaning it appeals to a wide range of individuals.

This fresh setting is understated and stylish rather than just fashionable — securing it as a long-term option for those concerned about buying too ‘on-trend’.

East-west settings are highly versatile and can, therefore, enable both a delicate or showcase piece. This setting works with any gemstone cut, and so couples are loving east-west emerald, oval and cushion cuts for a subtle effect and east-west pear and marquise cuts for more of a statement style.

Due to the nature of this setting, the size of the gem or gems can make all the difference to the final piece.

Multi-stone engagement rings

A platinum 1.05ct round brilliant cut diamond four stone engagement ring

Three-stone engagement rings are still popular in 2021 — following on from their immediate popularity in 2017 when Prince Harry proposed to Megan Markle with a three-stone diamond ring.

This year, however, multi-stone rings, in general, are challenging the solitaire; we are seeing people coming to us with bigger budgets recently, and this is translating into customers purchasing highly decorative pieces with three or more stones that provide a true ‘wow’ factor.

Vintage-style engagement rings

Interestingly, couples looking for modern engagement rings have started opting for vintage styles — especially Art Deco rings featuring square, baguette, emerald and octogon-cut precious gemstones as the centrepiece.

Colourful gems are certainly trending for engagement rings too and vintage styles are ideal to showcase them — buyers opt for sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and any other stones that take their fancy.

Bespoke engagement rings

An 18ct yellow gold round brilliant cut diamond solitaire engagement ring

Here at Robert Gatward Jewellers, we have also seen a rise in people opting for a bespoke engagement ring; the ideas provided by them and the designs created by us.

We love making bespoke engagement rings as we can hand-select the perfect diamonds and set them exactly how our customer would like. It’s a magical process that we’ll never tire of.

If this is a service you’d be interested in, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch today.

We hope you enjoyed reading about the most popular engagement rings of 2021. If you missed our post on engagement ring trends for 2019, then you might wish to take a look now and remind yourself of what was trending two years ago; you’ll see that three-stone rings are listed.