Fine jewelry retail chain and manufacturer Shane Co. wanted to see which engagement ring trends were especially popular in certain areas of the country.
So, the retailer analyzed survey data of ring sales between 2015 and 2019, studying sales volume by carat size as well as by specific styles, grouping styles into these buckets: vintage-style rings, halo rings, pavé rings, and rings with colored stones. Lastly, the company organized the data geographically to see how trends differed state to state.
The reader should know that this is not a comprehensive study of ring style popularity in the United States. But because Shane Co., the biggest privately owned independent jeweler in the country, has 20 locations that fan out across America, from California to Georgia, the results of its report merit a close look.
And here’s what the data found:
++ The halo setting is still the most popular engagement ring style in the nation. It comprised between 20% and 39% of total purchases between 2015 and 2019 at Shane Co. Ultimately, one in five proposals during the four-year period were done with a halo ring.
++ States where halo rings were most popular include West Virginia, where they made up 39% of ring sales; Mississippi (35% halo ring sales); and Tennessee (34% halo ring sales).
++ Vintage-style rings were most popular in five states, all of which are rich in American history: Rhode Island, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Vintage rings made up a notable 30% of engagement rings in Rhode Island.
++ Pavé rings—Shane Co.’s term for settings with a single gemstone on a thin band lined with small diamonds—were most popular in Hawaii, where they comprised 19% of engagement ring sales.
++ Nontraditional colored rings averaged only around 3.6% of sales across the country.
Here’s every state’s most popular ring style, according to the retailer’s data:
Top: Diamond halo engagement ring in 14k rose gold by Shane Co. (center stone not included), $3,145. All images courtesy of Shane Co.
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