Engagement Ring Trend for Brown and Gray Stones – WWD

The engagement ring craze is happening, followed by a new and unexpected trend in diamond selection.

According to industry research group The Wedding Report – which is expected to bring about 2.47 million weddings by 2022 – which will mark a four-decade high – many brides find it difficult to find a ring. Engagement seems unique and personal.

And so comes the latest trend in engagement rings: disc diamonds. Brown, gray, champagne or salt and pepper stone – colors that characterize one’s kitchen sink during meal preparation – are gaining increasing traction.

The stones are becoming popular for a number of reasons. They have a more accessible price tag, meaning couples can get a higher carat weight that fits their budget. They are unique and often possess flaws that can feel more personal than perfect stones, and in some cases, shoppers say the earthy tones make them feel closer to the source story. natural origin of diamond.

Large-scale jewelers specializing in bridal jewelry such as Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile are noticing a growing interest in dishwash diamonds, which they attribute to the pursuit of greater individuality. in an engagement ring.

While simple diamond solitaire rings with a white diamond as the centerpiece will always be the bread and butter of the catalog, “there are more acceptable options now. Customers are choosing what suits their needs and what they love,” said Beth Gerstein, co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Earth. She added that the trend has been steady since around the middle of the pandemic.

Brown and gray diamonds are actually part of the fancy color category, much like a pink or yellow stone. However, salt and pepper diamonds are named for deposits of minerals and soil embedded in rocks, also known as inclusions. Although the heavily included stones were once rejected by the jewelry industry and used in industrial applications, such as drill bits, they are also gaining popularity – especially with jewelers. independents as Prounis, Eva Fehren and Polly Wales.

“This is definitely part of a broader diamond trend and diamond jewelry becoming more personal and creative. Jewelry is the expression of your personality and goodness, unlike other products. There is also a greater sense of nature, so the fact that diamonds come from the earth and are made over billions of years these inclusions means that no two diamonds are alike and they may yield greater benefits. People who are buying diamonds with inclusions or imperfections often appreciate that what comes from the earth is not born perfect,” said Natural Diamond Council CEO David Kellie.

NDC, as it is known, runs an annual show for emerging designers led by Lorraine Schwartz. This year Schwartz mentored young designers to work with browns, tans and diamond inclusions and they ended up being the focal point of designer Marvin Linares’ collection for this initiative. .

“You can take a fairly large stone or a unique cut that you wouldn’t normally be the same size and cut with a very white stone,” says Blue Nile sales manager Katie Zimmerman.

Both Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile operate website features that allow shoppers to design custom engagement rings. Both companies see greater demand for dishwashing liquid diamonds and are now actively working to find more stones in that category.

“That [fancy colored stone] In the past, customers were more interested in a brilliant yellow, blue or pink diamond but now it has a much wider color range… we are adding more and more to our selection, we noticed a lot of interest in them,” says Gerstein.

Zimmerman says a recent custom engagement ring that comes to mind is “a heart-shaped diamond that we sold, it was a fancy brown heart inserted into the engagement ring setting with Classic feel. It’s four carats, and the VS1 clarity with a darker brown color sells for around $30,000. In a white diamond, that stone can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000. So, at Blue Nile, we are actively sourcing for more suppliers [of these stones]. Many suppliers have core competencies and many focus on real white diamonds, so [it is a challenge]. ”

The diamonds in the dishes are also ushering in a significantly larger change in engagement ring choices: switching to yellow and rose gold color settings. While platinum and white gold settings have been the de facto choice of brides-to-be for the past two decades, some are opting for warmer metallic tones today to complement their colored diamond options. unique.

“You can use different metals to enhance the color of the stone, so you will see more yellow or rose gold because of the contrast,” says Zimmerman.

Gerstein added: “With more champagne and brown diamonds, the warm color is unique – it looks great with that yellow or rose gold tone. “[Shoppers] is showing a lot of popularity there; We definitely see an increase. ”