You’ve said “Yes!” and now you get to the fun part—picking your rings! While, it’s true, not all engaged couples shop for the engagement rings together, most definitely shop for their wedding rings together. And whether the ring is a surprise or picked with the love of both partners, it’s nice to know the ring(s) is picked with love and a special nod to the happy couple. There are a number of trends these days that lend themselves to a certain uniqueness, and our favorite is colored gemstones.
It is no secret that colored gemstone engagement and wedding rings have grown in popularity in recent years. “Vintage styling is a hot trend, as well as rose gold and hidden halos, but the consistent theme throughout all the current trends is uniqueness,” according to custom jeweler Lisa Robin of Lisa Robin Jewelry. “Every wearer wants their engagement ring to be special, so couples are shopping with open minds and being very creative with design elements like color,” she explains.
With her expertise in this area, we decided to sit down with Lisa Robin and get the details on all things trends and colored gemstones to make your shopping experience easier, and ultimately more personalized.
Casey Morganite Princess, Rose Gold
History and Trends
When shopping for engagement rings, the traditional first thought is a diamond ring, but, as Lisa Robin reminds us, that hasn’t always been the case. “Diamond engagement rings didn’t become popular until 1947 when De Beers, the diamond mining company, launched an advertising campaign. With Hollywood stars featured front and center in ads and the slogan, ‘A diamond is forever,’ diamond engagement rings skyrocketed in popularity. What was being used prior to the surge in diamond popularity? Colored gemstones. It’s not a fluke that both vintage styling and colored gemstones are both trending.”
Lisa Robin explains that other increasingly popular trends include little secret details on the ring that are not readily visible, like the peek-a-boo nature of a hidden halo, or small diamonds that are set under the center gemstone.
She notes 4 other 2022 engagement ring trends:
(1) “In general, unique halo engagement rings are bringing new silhouettes to the long-time favorite style.”
(2) “Gemstones set east-west have great appeal because they are unusual and are a nod to vintage styling.”
(3) “Pairing wedding bands open and chevron bands are extremely popular and are well-suited to flank one or both sides of an oval center gemstone, which is the shape of choice right now.”
(4) “Gender-neutral rings are coming on strong and matching engagement ring styles for same-gender couples” is something she has begun to notice.
The Meaning Behind Some Colored Gemstones
“At Lisa Robin, I feature several colored gemstones as well as some other diamond alternatives like moissanite, raw diamonds, and salt and pepper diamonds. Each of the colored gems I feature in engagement rings speaks directly to concepts of love.
“Morganite which has a soft pinkish hue is often associated with innocence, sweetness, romance, and love. Morganite is generally connected to the heart and attuned to the heart chakra and is believed to bring healing, compassion, and promise to those who wear it.
“Sapphire is perfect for an engagement ring because it is known as the stone of new love and commitment while encouraging faithfulness and loyalty. Sapphire is thought to bring peace of mind, serenity, and prosperity.
“Emerald is a life-affirming stone and provides inspiration, balance, wisdom, and patience. It is said to promote friendship, peace, harmony, and domestic bliss by enabling the wearer to both give and receive unconditional love.
“Aquamarine is a symbol of pure love. Worn to build true love rather than lust which will fade. If your relationship has been a bit rocky, look to aquamarine to mend a broken heart.”
Hadley Aquamarine, Yellow Gold
Stone Selection
“The preferred shape of a gemstone is definitely a reflection of the wearer’s personality. Those who like round diamonds are said to be traditionally romantic, conservative, elegant, straightforward, honest, bright, and no fuss. Someone who selects an emerald cut is likely to be transparent, glamorous, confident, risky, fancy, and strong. The oval gemstone is popular because it is universally flattering on the finger. An oval-cut gemstone attracts creative, bold, and innovative types.”
Round, Sophia Morganite, Yellow Gold
Emerald Cut, Casey Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Emerald Cut, Polaris Emerald, White Gold
Oval, Casey Aquamarine, Yellow Gold
Oval, Polaris Aquamarine, Rose Gold
About Lisa Robin Jewelry
At Lisa Robin Jewelry, they set out to do things differently.
Lisa combines the personal attention of a small independent jeweler with the sensitivity of a jewelry designer, which is how she started in the business, and the best-in-class diamond dealers and jewelry workshops in the country.
She noticed when she sketched out a design on the spot that matched the modern engagement shopper’s (which is not a groom, but a couple, and that often the couples were LGBTQIA+) expectations, their experience was transformed. She moved beyond what the commercial jewelry world offers because everything about selling engagement rings felt outdated, exclusionary, and impersonal.
Featuring colored gemstones was born from the popularity of social media posts. Activity on posts of colored gemstone rings has been significantly higher than on other posts. Any of her engagement rings have always been available in any gemstone and still are. The decision to show the more popular styles with colored gemstones is based on the desire to help the shopper envision the possibilities and make it easy for them to order.
All Lisa Robin engagement rings are handcrafted in her workshop to order. Many are custom-designed specifically for a couple, often incorporating family gemstones.
Lisa Robin is committed to sourcing suppliers, metals, and gemstones that are sustainable and conflict-free. Her artisanal workshop production is non-toxic with low energy consumption. For Lisa, it is important to care about people and the planet. But it is not easy, so Lisa Robin is an exception, not the rule.
Visit her online and see her work on her Instagram @lisarobinjewelry
Photos courtesy of Lisa Robin Jewelry