The biggest engagement ring trends of 2018

From cushion cut to classic solitaire and princess style – picking the ultimate engagement ring can seem like a minefield for brides on the hunt for the perfect diamond.

And with celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Baldwin giving us all ring envy with their massive sparklers this year, it’s even harder to decide on what exactly you want.

To make it easier, award winning jewellery designer and gemmologist, Matthew Ely, let us in on the top trends he saw in 2018.

A hint of colour

According to Matthew, it’s out with traditional designs and in with the unusual for this year’s brides.

“I think rose gold and yellow is where a lot of the trend is going and has been for a while,” Matthew told Yahoo Lifestyle.

“Rings that are completely in yellow or completely in rose gold.”

Brides who are concerned about the longevity of that design should rest easy, as according to Matthew, if you tire of the trend, you can always ‘remake’ a portion of the ring.

“So, you’d leave the band rose gold but just remake the middle section in white gold or platinum and then put it back together again,” he said.

“That’s a way of reinvigorating it into something else if the rose gold or the all yellow goes off trend. It’s not as big a commitment as people might think.”

Modern over classic

While we might all love dazzling halo and round cut engagement rings, Matthew is interestingly finding that brides are opting for alternative shapes this year.

“We’re finding that we sell less round classic diamonds than we do any other shape,” Matthew said.

“Probably the reason for that is that a lot of people come to us for the unusual, like adding in that extra bit of character to make theirs more unique than the next person.”

Matthew is seeing this happen through people going for oval-shaped diamonds, or a halo ring with alternative diamonds around them.

“We’re adding those elements underneath that personalise it even further because as interesting as you want to make your engagement ring, you want to make it timeless and apiece that you actually are in love with forever,” he said.

Flashing the cash

Matthew’s business is booming, with people ‘spending more’ than ever on engagement ring.

“With bigger diamonds comes a bigger spend and then making them look that more interesting people are spending more details on the hidden details as well,” he said.

“If they want that it does cost a little bit more to achieve.

“That individual look that’s really celebrated just for the couple rather than for the whole world to see.”

While some may feel it’s an unnecessary spend, Matthew claims there is a demand for a touch of individuality with engagement rings.

Royal influence

Who could forget the moment when Meghan Markle appeared in the grounds of Kensington Palace and the showed off her stunning sparkling diamond from Prince Harry?

While it might have seemed like there would be an influx of people desperate to get their hands on the emerald-cut ring design, which is flanked by two brilliant-cut diamonds, it appears brides are more interested in the ring she wore for her reception.

Pictures emerged of Meghan getting into a sports car with Prince Harry as they made their way to their Frogmore House reception on May 19th.

And while we may have all been swooning over her halterneck Stella Mccartney gown, diamond lovers couldn’t help but notice the new Duchess of Sussex was wearing the Asprey emerald-cut aquamarine ring, once owned by Princess Diana.

“I would have sold more aquamarines in the last few months than I would have otherwise,” Matthew said.

“It is both an engagement and a dress ring trend so people are looking to that as an option.”

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