On your wedding day, everything you wear from head to toe reflects your personal style. But your engagement ring is different.
It makes more than just a personal statement.
Your engagement ring reflects so much more – as a universal sign of infinite love, it’s a promise you’re making to one another to stay faithful before the big commitment of “I do.” It’s difficult to track all of today’s popular styles, but it’s important to know the difference between them so that you drop the right hints for your partner. This way, they’re sure to choose a ring you’ll love!!
Whether you need to describe the ring of your dreams to your soon-to-be fiancé, or you want to identify a particular style you’ve seen and want for your own ring, understanding what makes each style special and unique will help you narrow down your options, discover what you like most, and make a choice that tells a story.
Let’s take a look at 10 popular engagement and wedding ring shapes, names, and styles so you can decide which one is perfect for you!
1. Halo Engagement Ring
Halo-style engagement rings are growing in popularity and gaining status as “the new classic style.” Like the name implies, these rings use several smaller stones to create a halo around a center stone.
When choosing a halo ring, look at different cuts, shapes, sizes, and colors to find one that perfectly matches your style. Choose a central stone that matches your eye color, or use multiple types of gemstones to spice up your ring’s halo. There are limitless ways you can customize this style to make it truly yours.
These gorgeous rings are classy, modern, and elegant. If the other types of engagement rings don’t suit your taste, it’s impossible to go wrong with a halo ring.
2. Vintage Style Engagement Ring
Vintage rings are one of the most popular types of engagement rings you can find today. These truly classic rings come in such a variety of colors and cuts, you’ll have trouble finding two that match! If you’re looking for an engagement ring that’s unique and timeless, this style is perfect for you.
This type of engagement ring includes “vintage” in the name, but it doesn’t mean that you have to go to an antique store to find one! Today, modern designers make vintage-style rings by adding modern twists to old designs.
That said, if you really do want an antique ring, that’s an option too! You can find real vintage rings at local antique shops as well as through online retailers, like this one. Real vintage rings are the perfect option for brides who want a ring with history.
3. Channel-Set Engagement Ring
This is the perfect style for chic brides with modern tastes. A channel setting embeds diamonds between two side-by-side bands to draw attention to the center stone. Their design makes them extra sturdy, so they’re perfect for those who want to keep their ring on display. However, this style tends to attract dirt and grime quickly. If skin creams, pastes, or mud find their way between stones, this style will need immediate maintenance – otherwise, its shine will quickly fade.
When shopping for this type of engagement ring, pay close attention to the different designs and colors available. Channel-set rings get most of their character from these areas. Customize yours based on your preference for contrast between the colors of the band and gemstones.
4. Tension Engagement Ring
Know as an “artsy” option for their unique visual appeal, this style of engagement ring is perfect for any bride-to-be looking for outside-the-box alternatives to more traditional ring designs.
Tension-set engagement rings align a stone with the ring’s band in a way that leaves edges of the gemstone beautifully exposed. This type of engagement ring is beautiful, but be careful – rings like this also tend to be more fragile because they leave the stone exposed!
5. Pavé Engagement Ring
Originally from France, the pavé-set engagement style of engagement ring is designed to reveal as little band as possible. For this reason, the prong setting will almost always be as small as possible, but you can use any size of stones you desire for a pavé-set ring.
The best part about this type of engagement ring is that you can incorporate it’s style into any other design by adding stones to the band.
If you want a ring with tons of sparkle and shine, pavés are perfect for showing off how clusters of gems catch and reflect the light.
6. Solitaire Engagement Ring
Solitaire-style engagement rings are another classic option. Their simple, gorgeous designs pull all attention directly to the center stone. Looking to make a big rock look even bigger? This style is the way to go.
Solitaire-style rings are perfect for showing off large singular stones, plus they’re extremely easy to clean and maintain.
It’s also a wonderful option for those who find beauty in straightforward simplicity. If you want to spice it up a bit, consider adding pavé stones to the band to give your ring extra character.
Solitaire-set engagement rings are one of the most classic styles available. Their simple design conveys dignity, class, and refinement.
7. Swirl Engagement Ring
Swirl-style engagement rings (also known as twist engagement rings) normally include a primary stone secured with prongs and two twisting bands wrap around the stone from opposite sides to create a beautiful coil.
Swirl rings allow plenty of space for self-expression by mixing and matching colors, sizes, and shapes of gems.
Set the band with pavé stones to make a stronger statement, choose an unconventional shape for the twist in your wedding band to make your engagement ring one-in-a-million, or consider designing yours from scratch.
This type of engagement ring is the perfect starting point for brides who want to create something that’s never been seen before due to the range of available styles and options for personalization.
8. Infinity Engagement Ring
Infinity-style engagement rings are similar to swirl engagement rings, but with their own intricate design aspects.
While the swirl engagement rings twist and turn to coil around the main stone, infinity-style engagement rings twist but they don’t coil around the centerstone. This type of engagement ring often uses a band with repeating folds or patterns, adding a sense of flair without sacrificing the symmetry that gives these rings their timeless appearance.
This is the perfect type of engagement ring for anyone seeking a balance between classic and artistic design styles.
9. Cathedral Engagement Ring
If you’re the type that doesn’t like to draw too much attention, a Cathedral-style ring is the perfect style for you.
The name refers to how the ring itself looks when viewed from the side. You’ll notice that this type of engagement ring includes two bands that rise to support stones sitting on top. They kind of look like a cathedral’s arches, don’t they?
Cathedral-set engagement rings are ideal for brides who work with their hands. Because the rails offer multiple points of support for stones they’re more durable than comparable styles, like the solitaire-set rings mentioned above.
10. Three Stone Engagement Ring
Three-stone engagement rings draw inspiration from classic solitaire-set designs. The difference is that instead of focusing on just one stone, three-stone engagement rings use two additional stones to complement the centerstone.
This style of engagement ring is a great all-around option that balances classic style, easy maintenance, and customization options. Interested in a ring with symbolism? Some say the three stones represent past, present, and future. Others say friendship, love, and fidelity. Some even add religious symbolism by relating the three stones with the Holy Trinity! Choose birthstones to complement the main gem and experiment with band colors to make things pop!
Three-stone engagement rings are great because they can provide a more subdued look than classic solitaire-set engagement rings. At the same time, the extra stones means that they offer more options for personalization than you’ll find with solitaire-set rings.
Tips From the Pros
These styles are simply starting points, but are definitely worth showing your partner if you think they’re planning the perfect date night for a proposal. These days, a great designer can create nearly any custom ring you can think of. That means they can mix several elements from different styles together to create a ring just as unique as you are!
Are you struggling to pick the perfect color for your band? While silver and white gold are almost always the most popular colors regardless of which style or type of engagement ring you choose, gold is also popular. As the days go by, rose gold is even becoming a more and more popular choice! Regardless of what you choose, they all look great in photos (and while we’re on the subject – check out these tips for choosing a wedding photographer).
The bottom line is that you can do whatever you want. Whether your desire is a new model wedding ring with your name engraved or a simple design with a bezel setting it’s the ring of YOUR dreams. When it comes to styling, your imagination is the limit.
Which engagement ring settings are your favorites? Once you’ve found the perfect engagement ring, it’s time to think of how to announce your engagement and to start planning the wedding itself! Check out these 10 chic and trendy wedding theme ideas to get you started, they’re sure to provide plenty of inspiration! Then, make sure you have everything you need to prepare for the perfect wedding and find the perfect venue to host the wedding you’ve always dreamed of. No matter the number of guests, or whether you need space indoors or outdoors, Dallas Oasis offers everything you need to host the wedding of a lifetime. Contact us today to schedule a tour and start planning the first day of your new future.
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