Anna GionetAs Beyonce once said, if you like it…put a ring on it. We couldn’t agree more! At Shane Co., we love all things jewelry, but we definitely have a soft spot for engagement rings. Feeding into our own excitement around engagement rings, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to pore over some of our favorite style trends.
We wanted to see which engagement ring trends were especially popular across the country in recent years. And while we know that every person has their own ring style preference (heck, we even made a whole quiz about it!), we also know that popular styles tend to sweep the nation.
To get a better understanding of engagement ring trends over the past five years, we looked at third-party survey data of popular ring styles between 2015 and 2019. We analyzed popularity of carat size as well as specific styles: vintage rings, halo cut rings, pavé rings, and rings with color. Finally, we organized this data geographically to see how trends differed across state lines.
Read on to fulfill your curiosity about engagement ring trends. Don’t be surprised if all this talk about rings has you picturing your own perfect diamond!
The Most Popular Engagement Ring Style in Every State
If you feel like you’ve seen halo cut rings on all of your friends’ left hands, you’re not alone. By far, the most popular trend of the past five years has been the stunning halo setting, featuring one center gemstone or diamond in a surrounding bed of smaller diamonds.
Our data study showed that the halo setting was the leading trend in engagement ring fashion for the past five years in 41 states and Washington D.C. States spanned the map, meaning that from Pacific vista engagements in California to Central Park knee-drops in New York, halo rings were sealing the deal on engagements nationwide. Vintage rings also gained some popularity points, dominating sales in five states: Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
Analyzing Popular Ring Trends in Every State
Halo engagement rings made up between 20% and 39% of total purchases between 2015 and 2019. In other words, for these states, at least 1 in 5 proposals were being done with a halo ring.
States where halo rings were most popular included West Virginia, where they made up an impressive 39% of ring sales for the past five years, as well as Mississippi (35% halo ring sales) and Tennessee (34% halo ring sales). Popularity in these states has us dreaming about halo rings, magnolia trees, and classically Southern proposals.
We love vintage engagement rings for their character and romantic nature. Therefore, it made perfect sense that vintage styles were the most popular in historical states like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
Additionally, vintage rings made up a notable 30% of engagement rings in Rhode Island. We can only imagine the beauty of a vintage ring mirrored by the sparkling ocean for a Newport engagement. Now, all we need are some oysters…
Pavé rings are distinct for their central setting of a singular gemstone on a thin band lined with small diamonds. The pavé style saw its highest rates of popularity in Hawaii, where it dominated nearly 19% of engagement ring sales. Just picture the Hawaiian sun glistening off the studded band of a pavé ring during a beach wedding on the Big Island.
Nontraditional colored rings made up a smaller portion of U.S. sales, only covering an average of about 3.6% of sales across the country. Whether it be a splash of sapphires in the band or a central ruby, adding a colored element to an engagement ring offers an alluring twist on a beloved classic. Colored rings are also a popular style for those looking to make their engagement ring truly unique.
The Average Diamond Carat Size in Every State
Over the past five years, large diamonds have been as popular as ever. The average diamond carat size was a remarkable .92 carat. Topping off the list for big diamonds was, surprisingly, the little state of Hawaii, where the average carat size peaked at 1.2 carats. More modestly, Vermont sales indicated an average carat size of under 0.7 carat among diamond ring purchases. With a diamond this size costing people a few thousand dollars, it’s definitely worth checking out Budget Buddy, our engagement ring calculator, to get your dream ring at a reasonable price.
Now that you have all the insights on the most popular engagement rings in every state, we’d love to hear from you. What’s your favorite engagement ring style? Feel free to email social@shaneco.com or message us on social media (@shanecompany) to share your comments and send us a pic of your own ring!
Rachel Nipp
Anna Gionet