Our most-loved engagement rings
Thick, ornamental bands and sculptural stones replacing subtlety, the modern couple opts for a statement. The symbol of love sliding a diamond onto that right-hand brings has become one of self. Shrugging off tradition has never been chicer.
(image credit: Emily Ratajkowski)
While minimalist design and next-to-nothing bands have dominated this decade’s most-seen engagement rings, a single stone and strand of gold has been sidestepped for chunkier, more masculine silhouettes and dual-diamonds reminiscent of those popular throughout the eighties and nineties. A substantial setting speaks for being seen in the everyday, providing durability, texture, and longevity. A ring like this isn’t one needing to be taken off to preform daily tasks, it’s one that’s meant to be worn across seasons, stages, and landscapes of life.
‘Toi et moi’, or ‘you and me’, denotes a two-stone engagement ring style with a rich history of romance, dating back centuries. Embodying eternal love and the unity of two souls, the toi et moi setting is most known for a rendition which graced the hand of Napoleon Bonaparte’s lover, Josephine - a pear sapphire and diamond placed side-by-side. Two cuts and colors, one piece. Such designs are now woven throughout the recent marketplace, as they offer various interpretations all tying back to the importance of an independent love, wherein two spirits willfully merge while remaining distinct individuals. Toi et moi is liberty.
The incorporation of two diamonds also plays with the concept that, traditionally, men don’t don an engagement ring and only receive a wedding band during the ceremony itself, but dual-stones allows for the representation of both partners in perhaps the most significant piece of jewelry ever given.
Similarly, a larger engagement band allows for the symbolization of masculinity in its choice for a stronger, bulkier shape traditionally ascribed to men, paired with the glistening, feminine trademark of a diamond. Such settings offer the modern couple a unique symbol of their commitment and the type of partnership sought through the covenant they’re entering into. The modern ring means, ‘Both you and I, but one’.
These are our top-eight.
(image credit: Ring Concierge)
(image credit: Jessie Thomas Jewelry)
(image credit: Maria Pesce)
(image credit: Micheal Hill Jeweler)
(image credit: Jessie Thomas Jewelry)
(image credit: Ring Concierge)
(image credit: Ali Munn)
(image credit: Dua Lipa)