There’s no doubt that one of our favorite subjects to cover here on Who What Wear is engagement rings—from bands for every budget to celebrity stunners and of-the-moment shapes and settings fashion girls love.
Today we’re honing in on some of the biggest engagement ring trends in each region of the country. While there are definitely some overarching ring trends we're seeing right now (think ovals, colored stones, and rose-gold settings), there are certain style nuances from city to city and coast to coast that distinguish fashion-girl ring preferences around the country. To get further insight, we tapped into Katie Zimmerman, chief merchandising officer at Blue Nile, the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry. Blue Nile recently revealed new data on how states and cities across the country stack up when it comes to the most popular shapes, settings, carat weight, metals, and more (based on the past 12 months of online orders).
Nationally, round-cut is the most popular shape (with two-thirds of all sales), along with platinum as the top metal (nearly half of all orders) and solitaire as the top setting (more than one-third of all orders).
Ahead, Zimmerman shares deeper insight into the most popular engagement ring trends by region along with some fun facts and tips. Shop our striking engagement ring picks to get you inspired.
North
"A classic six-prong solitaire is the most popular setting nationwide, but when you start to look at city-specific trends, you can see how the fashion and style of women influence the top sellers. Vintage looks are gaining popularity across the engagement category, and Philadelphia’s ode to the vintage-inspired trend is our Heirloom Petite Milgrain setting style.”
Shop more vintage-inspired rings:
Midwest
"Fancy-shape diamonds continue to gain popularity, especially elongated shapes like ovals and emerald diamonds. Ovals are the perfect mix of a classic trend, integrating the soft edges of a traditional round shape on the elongated shaped stone, so it’s no surprise they are the most popular in the Midwest (Chicago specifically).”
Shop more oval rings:
South
"Although platinum settings are considered the ‘little black dress’ in engagement, rose may be the new black. Rose-gold continues to be our number one search term in diamond engagement rings on BlueNile.com—and it’s no surprise when we see celebrities like Blake Lively sporting the engagement ring style. Our rose-gold engagement ring orders have more than doubled in the past three years with Atlanta leading the charge.”
Shop more rose-gold rings:
West
"The West Coast really likes its unique and distinctive diamonds, especially in L.A. Hollywood style and glamour isn’t lost in the City of Angels with their love of the vintage-inspired marquise diamond.”
Shop more unique rings:
Up next, 20 stunning engagement rings for every budget.
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