Bridal trend report

Engagement Ring Trends for 2026

By Marc Merritt, GIA Diamond Program Graduate · MM Fine Jewelry and Gems Inc. · Updated October 10, 2026

What couples are actually buying this year, drawn from The Knot’s 2026 study and the trade press, with our own take on what works for daily wear, and pieces you can order from us or make the start of a custom design.

Pictures marked design concept are our own renderings of the look described, drawn up so you can see it clearly; we make each one to order, in your size, metal and stone. Pictures marked from our collection are pieces we have made or have in stock.

1. Yellow gold is back at the center of the ring

The biggest shift of the last five years is color of metal, not shape of stone. The Knot’s 2026 engagement study found 39% of couples chose a yellow gold ring, more than double the share of five years earlier, while white metals (35% white gold, 13% platinum) still hold the majority but are falling ^{1, 3}. The reason designers give is simple: people want the ring to sit easily with the gold jewelry they already wear every day ¹. We agree, with one caution: yellow gold flatters warmer diamond colors (G to J) and makes a very white stone look even whiter by contrast, so you can often choose a lower color grade and put the savings into size or cut.

Oval diamond on a yellow gold band with a platinum head and hidden halo — Design concept — we can make this for youTwo-tone oval with a hidden haloYellow gold shank, platinum head so the diamond reads white, and a hidden halo under the stone for sparkle from the side. 3 ct shown.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

Marquise diamond solitaire on a substantial yellow gold band — Design concept — we can make this for youMarquise on a substantial gold bandThe marquise is one of the fastest-rising shapes; a heavier domed band keeps it from looking top-heavy. 2 ct shown.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

2. Bezels and thick bands: the “weighty elegance” look

Bezel and burnish settings, where a rim of metal frames the stone instead of prongs, are the setting story of 2026. Trade reporting ties them to the wider taste for chunky gold chains and big hoops, and to practicality: a bezel protects the girdle and never snags ¹. The same reporting expects thicker bands and cigar-band shanks to continue ¹, and the consumer press has moved from last year’s multi-stone cigar bands to a single large stone on a weighty band ². A bezel does hide a little of the stone’s edge, so we cut the metal wall as thin as the stone allows and keep the profile low.

Cushion diamond flush-set in a wide polished yellow gold band — Design concept — we can make this for youCushion in a wide gold bandA single 2.5 ct cushion sunk flush into a polished cigar-style band. Nothing to catch, nothing to bend.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

Oval diamond set east-west in a slim yellow gold bezel — Design concept — we can make this for youEast-west oval in a slim bezelThe stone turned sideways across the finger, in a thin bezel. Modern, low, and surprisingly comfortable. 2 ct shown.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

3. Round and oval are neck and neck; marquise, emerald and elongated cushion are climbing

In The Knot’s study, round (26%) and oval (25%) are nearly tied for the top shape, with emerald, pear, marquise and princess at 8% each and cushion and radiant at 6% ¹. The shapes gaining fastest are emerald, marquise and the elongated cushion, and jewelers are also seeing the “moval,” a soft blend of oval and marquise ¹. Elongated shapes look larger per carat than a round of the same weight because they spread across the finger; the trade-off is a possible bow-tie shadow in ovals, marquises and pears, which is why we only buy those shapes after seeing the video or the stone.

4. Lab-grown is now the majority, and the budget has changed with it

Lab-grown center stones made up 61% of engagement ring purchases among couples married in 2025, up 239% since 2020, and 40% of couples said a lab-grown stone was specifically what they wanted ³. Average spend fell to $4,600 while the average center stone grew to 1.9 carats ^{1, 3}; one industry analyst’s retail data showed natural-diamond ring sales down 4% in 2025 while lab-grown ring sales rose 31% ¹. The Knot’s editor attributes the shift to “economic pragmatism”: a larger or finer stone for the same money ¹. Our position is the one on our diamond page: natural or lab-grown is your decision, both come with a GIA or IGI report, and we will show you the price of each side by side so the choice is an informed one.

2 carat Hearts on Fire round diamond solitaire in platinum with a hidden halo — From our collection2 ct round solitaire, platinum, hidden haloA classic we made: Tiffany-style six-prong platinum mount with a hidden halo. The same mount suits a natural or lab-grown round.Order something like this Use it in a custom designSee the piece →

2.5 carat GIA round diamond with pear-shaped blue sapphire sides in platinum — From our collection2.5 ct GIA round with pear sapphiresOur three-stone in platinum: a 2.50 ct F VS1 natural round with pear-shaped sapphires. Also made with a lab diamond of your size and shape.Order something like this Use it in a custom designSee the piece →

5. Color at the center

Colored center stones get more press than data: the trade reports continued talk of gemstone engagement rings without a measurable jump ¹, while among non-diamond centers sapphire (23%) and moissanite (20%) lead ³. The consumer press points to recent celebrity rings in pink, green and brown as the spark ². Our advice: sapphire, ruby and spinel are hard enough for daily wear; emerald is beautiful but needs a protective setting and gentler treatment. We stock and source all of them, natural and lab-grown.

Emerald-cut green emerald with tapered baguette diamonds in platinum — Design concept — we can make this for youEmerald with tapered baguettesA step-cut emerald between two tapered baguette diamonds, in platinum. Shown with a 1.5 ct center.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

Toi-et-moi ring with a pear sapphire and a pear diamond in yellow gold — Design concept — we can make this for youToi-et-moi: sapphire and diamondTwo stones for two people, a style that dates to the 1700s and is back on celebrity hands ². Pear sapphire and pear diamond on a bypass band.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

6. Vintage, revived

Antique cuts and antique-looking rings are being bought and copied in a way we have not seen in years. The trade credits a highly photographed vintage-style old-mine-cut ring for the “Taylor Swift effect,” along with Gen Z’s taste for secondhand and one-of-a-kind pieces and 2025 tariffs pushing shoppers toward estate jewelry ⁴; the consumer press calls the look “heirlooms reimagined” and recommends carrying the vintage detail into the band with engraving or unusual stone settings ². Old mine and old European cuts have a softer, candle-lit sparkle than modern brilliants. We can source genuine antique stones, or set a modern stone in a hand-engraved mount for the same feeling.

Old mine cushion-cut diamond in a yellow gold bezel with hand-engraved shoulders — Design concept — we can make this for youOld mine cushion, engraved shouldersAn antique old-mine cushion in a low gold bezel with scrollwork on the shoulders. Antique stone or a modern cushion, as you prefer.Order something like this Use it in a custom design

Custom platinum wedding band with hand engraving — From our collectionHand-engraved platinum bandOur custom platinum band with hand engraving, made to match an engagement ring or to stand alone. Usually ready in three to four weeks.Order something like this Use it in a custom designSee the piece →

7. Choose it together

Seventy-nine percent of couples say the recipient had a hand in choosing the ring and a quarter shopped together ¹. That is how we prefer to work: a consultation, in Rockville Centre or online, with loose stones and sample mounts to try, and a written quote before anything is made.

How to order, or make it yours

Every “Order something like this” button starts a note to us with the piece already filled in. Tell us your size, metal and budget and we will quote it; most made-to-order pieces are ready in three to five weeks. “Use it in a custom design” does the same, but opens a design conversation instead: bring us a stone you own, a family piece to rework, or just the idea, and we will sketch it with you. Natural or lab-grown, your choice, always with the laboratory report.

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Sources

Michelle Graff, “Engagement Ring Trends 2026: What’s In, and Why,” National Jeweler, March 5, 2026 (citing The Knot’s 2026 Jewelry and Engagement Study, Edahn Golan Diamond Research & Data, Sherry Smith/The Edge Retail Academy, and designers Lorraine West and Marion Fasel).
Alyssa Lapid and Ashirah Curry, “2026’s Engagement Ring Trends Are Cosigned by Taylor Swift & Dua Lipa,” Bustle, February 6, 2026.
Victoria Gomelsky, “Lab-Grown Diamonds Take Command of the Engagement Ring Market,” JCK, 2026 (The Knot Real Weddings Study 2026, couples married in 2025).
Karen Dybis, “Estate, Antique, Vintage: Why These Jewels Will Take Over in 2026,” JCK.

Trend reporting is cited from the trade and consumer press named above; opinions on what works, and what we would make, are our own.