According to new data, a great big round shiny diamond is no longer The One when it comes to engagement rings. Instead, millennials are being distracted by other shiny things; shiny things that are a little more affordable, a little more delicate and, quite frankly, a little more fun.
Pinterest's annual wedding report came out last week and it showed a marked change in how we're doing wedding things all round. Searches were up for everything from coloured dresses to vegan food to fig cakes to lip gloss (really).
In terms of engagement rings, the report highlighted three trends that have been experiencing more searches on Pinterest. These were "moissanite gems" (searches up 294%), "art deco" (+173%) and "oval stones" (+125%). Add to this the research from last year which found that millennials are opting, in many cases, for coloured stones and it's a very real possibility that classic diamond rings have had their day.
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One woman who knows a thing or two about unconventional engagement rings is Lily Kamper, a London designer whose first line of customisable engagement rings has just launched, although she's been designing bespoke engagement rings for years, experimenting with coloured stones, unusual materials and bold structuring. Last year, she created a ring for someone who worked in materials research which featured a block of colour made up of old car paint that had dried in layers in a Detroit car factory.
Fresh from showing her new line at London Fashion Week (the QUEEN even took a shine to her work while she was there), she took a little time out to help us understand why millennials are turning to these trends in particular.
"I think art deco has always been popular," Lily explains. "The proportions are satisfying and so is the symmetry. You can see amazing antique pieces in the shops in Hatton Garden which are still so popular today."
Moissanite, for those not in the know, is a naturally occurring mineral (although most today are created in a lab) which does a very good job of pretending to be a diamond; it's hard, tough to scratch and, to the untrained eye (ie. most people), looks not too terribly different. However, you can get moissanite rings for a darn sight cheaper than diamonds.
As well as moissanite, Lily's noticed a lot of people using salt and pepper diamonds too. "They're a very unique stone with amazing patternations and colourings," she says. Also, like moissanite, the price element is crucial. "You are able to get a lot more stone for your budget while still having a diamond."
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One of Lily's new range of semi-bespoke rings features a large oval stone at its centre. And although Lily wasn't trying to follow a trend by selecting it, the design's proved popular on Insta.
Why oval stones are suddenly what everyone's after though, she isn't sure. "I suppose the elongated shape can make the fingers look longer and slimmer?" she guesses.
But who's buying these rings? Does Lily receive more visits from lone proposers or couples choosing the engagement ring together? "It's pretty evenly split for me," she says. "It's a brave decision to propose with a ring you've designed and I think for many they would rather it be a collaborative effort."
To her, though, the design process remains pretty much the same. "The thing that makes the real difference [with collaborating couples], is that we don't have to try and guess the size!"
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