(IDEX Online) - According to The Knot 2019 Jewelry & Engagement Study, 45 percent of engagement rings include custom-designed elements.
The majority (86 percent) purchase a new ring; 45 percent incorporate customized details into the ring, whether by custom-designing it in its entirety (31 percent) or taking an existing ring design and adding personal touches (51 percent).
The survey also found that couples are shifting their focus when shopping for rings, prioritizing the overall cost and quality of the ring rather than its total size and ultimately relying on local jewelry retailers (40 percent) and national jewelry chains (30 percent) to purchase their ring.
Diamonds are still the center stone of choice, with 83 percent of couples opting to go traditional. For alternatives, the most popular stones are moissanite (19 percent, up from 10 percent in 2017), sapphire (18 percent), morganite (12 percent) and aquamarine (6 percent).
No matter which stone type they choose, more than half of proposees said it was important for the stone to be ethically sourced (nearly 1 in 4 report receiving a stone that was ethically sourced) and 15 percent of proposees said they prefer a lab-grown stone.
The most popular center stone choice is princess or square cut (14 percent), oval (14 percent), cushion (9 percent) and pear/teardrop (5 percent).
While most (96 percent) couples continue to exchange rings at the start of their engagement, some couples are going the less traditional route, including watches, bracelets, gifting a vacation or even a down payment on a house with the "ring money."
Couples are also changing how they shop for an engagement ring. Seven out of 10 proposees report being at least somewhat involved throughout the shopping experience, and nearly a quarter report having shopped or looked at rings together with their partner. Additionally, nearly one in 10 report being present when the ring is selected or purchased.
Budgeting for the proposal can also be a joint effort, as 20 percent of couples report discussing the budget for the engagement ring together.