Popular styles in the wedding jewelry category don’t usually change fast or frequently—trends that show staying power tend to build over time—but the latest in evolving consumer tastes still garners our attention each year. That’s what a panel of bridal-sector experts—Engagement 101 editor-in-chief Severine Ferrari, Sky Diamond Jewelers owner Isreal Morales, and Your Personal Jeweler founder and designer Trish Carruth—gathered to discuss May 31 on the Showcase Stage at JCK Las Vegas.
Throughout the conversation, which was moderated by Jewelers of America’s Amanda Gizzi, one theme reigned supreme: personalization. “There’s not just one type of engagement ring,” said Ferrari, whose fellow panelists echoed the sentiment. Special details such as hidden birthstones or zodiac signs can tell a couple’s love story, as do custom creations, like the ring designed by Carruth that earned her the win in the 2022 Black in Jewelry Coalition’s Together by Design contest (the ring nodded to the Brooklyn Bridge, where the soon-to-be-married couple shared their first kiss).
Less-conventional stone shapes are on the rise for engagement and other rings, as JCK attendees may have noticed, encountering more elongated center stones—oval, pear, marquise, kite, shield—than ever at this year’s show. Could the halo’s popularity finally be fading? “Out of the last 20 engagement rings we sold, maybe two were halo” said Morales. “So we’re definitely taking a sharp left toward solitaires.”
Bold gold still (mostly) dominates the conversation. “Yellow has been so hot. I feel like 90% of my brides are going yellow,” said Carruth. But don’t discount two-tone: A yellow gold setting with platinum prongs ensures that a diamond gets the best possible stage to shine. White gold and platinum are still ones to watch, especially in certain cities; Gizzi noted that New York currently is experiencing a “cooldown” period, as demand for platinum and white gold is rising.
Of course, no conversation about wedding jewelry is complete without addressing the contentious topic of lab-grown diamonds. “Eight of 10 rings we’re selling today are lab-grown,” Morales said. Ferrari touched on what could be driving consumers to go the lab-grown route: “It’s hard to convince somebody to get a smaller stone with lower quality by telling them it has value,” she said.
The panel agreed that it’s the retailer’s responsibility to make it clear that a lab-grown diamond very well may not be worth its sticker price down the road—as the ever-falling prices of lab-growns have demonstrated. The focus should be on sentimentality and design, not intrinsic value. For that, and for those whose budgets permit, the way to go is obvious. “The return to natural is right around the corner,” said Gizzi.
Top: Severine Ferrari, Trish Carruth, and Isreal Morales during the JCK Talks program on “Unveiling the Latest Trends in Wedding Jewelry” (photo by Camilla Sjodin)
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