7 Reasons Your Engagement Ring Doesn’t Have to Be Traditional

There is nothing wrong with a classic diamond solitaire.

Diamonds are durable, beautiful and incredibly well suited to jewellery that is worn every day. There is a reason the traditional engagement ring has remained popular for generations.

But it isn’t compulsory.

If you’ve spent hours looking at engagement rings and everything is beginning to feel strangely similar, it might be worth looking beyond the traditional options.

Here are seven reasons your engagement ring doesn’t have to follow the usual rules.

1. It should reflect the person wearing it

An engagement ring is one of the few pieces of jewellery someone may wear every day for decades.

It seems slightly strange, then, to choose one based entirely on what an engagement ring is expected to look like.

Look at the jewellery they already wear.

Do they choose yellow gold or white metals? Delicate jewellery or heavier pieces? Clean shapes or organic forms? Colourful gemstones or something more understated?

I find this far more useful than asking what engagement ring style somebody likes.

Learn about our Bespoke Process here

The best engagement rings tend to feel like a natural extension of the person wearing them.

Not a piece of jewellery they’ve suddenly started wearing because they got engaged.

2. Diamond isn’t your only option

Diamond is an exceptional material for an engagement ring.

It is incredibly hard, available in a huge range of shapes and works with almost any style of setting.

But it isn’t the only gemstone worth considering.

Sapphires naturally occur in an enormous range of colours. Deep blue is the obvious one, but green, yellow and pink coloured sapphires can create completely different rings.

Rubies and spinels can also be excellent choices. Some tourmalines may be suitable depending on the design and how the ring will be worn.

The important point is that not every beautiful gemstone makes a good engagement ring.

I regularly see rings designed around a lovely stone with very little consideration for the fact it is expected to survive decades of daily wear.

Stone choice matters.

If you’re looking at an unusual gemstone, speak to somebody who understands how the finished ring will actually be worn.

3. Alternative doesn’t have to mean impractical

One of my biggest frustrations with unusual jewellery is seeing design prioritised completely over wearability.

An engagement ring still has a job to do.

It needs to survive being worn.

A ring can be asymmetric, textured, sculptural or set with an unusual gemstone while still being designed sensibly for everyday life.

The gemstone matters. The setting matters. The height of the ring matters. How exposed the stone is matters.

Even how a future wedding ring will sit alongside it is worth considering before the engagement ring is made.

Good bespoke design isn’t about ignoring practical considerations.

It is about working creatively within them.

4. You can spend your budget on what you actually care about

Traditional engagement ring shopping can become very focused on numbers.

Carat weight. Colour. Clarity. Certification.

Those things have their place, particularly when buying diamonds, but they aren’t the only measures of a good engagement ring.

Perhaps you would rather have a beautifully coloured natural sapphire.

Perhaps you prefer the warmth and character of a diamond with a little colour.

Perhaps a smaller gemstone in a heavier, more substantial handmade setting feels far more like the person wearing it.

There is no rule saying the largest possible diamond is the best use of your budget.

A bespoke ring gives you more freedom to decide where the value is for you.

5. The most personal details don’t need to be obvious

Some of my favourite details in bespoke jewellery are the ones most people will never notice.

A hidden gemstone beneath the main setting.

An inherited diamond incorporated into a new ring.

A particular texture.

A small design detail connected to a place, memory or shared story.

These things don’t need a lengthy explanation every time somebody notices the ring.

Their importance comes from the wearer knowing they are there.

An engagement ring can carry personal meaning without needing to announce it.

6. Personal design often ages better than trend-led design

This might sound contradictory.

Surely a classic engagement ring is less likely to date than an unusual one?

Not necessarily.

There is a difference between designing around someone’s personal taste and designing around a current trend.

Jewellery trends move just like clothing, interiors and everything else. When one particular ring style suddenly appears everywhere, there is a reasonable chance it will eventually become associated with a very specific period.

A genuinely personal ring has a different type of longevity.

The question I prefer to ask isn’t:

“Will this still be fashionable in ten years?”

It is:

“Will this still feel like the person it was made for?”

That tends to lead to much better design decisions.

7. Your engagement ring doesn’t have to look like an engagement ring

This is probably the simplest reason.

There are no engagement ring police.

You don’t need a white diamond.

You don’t need a solitaire.

You don’t need a delicate band.

You don’t need to choose platinum.

You don’t even need to begin the process knowing exactly what style of ring you want.

If you know the person you’re proposing to would look at a traditional engagement ring and say, “That’s just not me,” that is already useful information.

A bespoke engagement ring can begin with a gemstone, an inherited piece of jewellery, a photograph, a vague idea or simply a conversation about the person who will eventually wear it.

The aim isn’t to make something unusual for the sake of being different.

It is to make the right ring for one person.

Looking for something different?

I’m Tom McDanielson, the goldsmith behind The Middle Green.

I design and make bespoke engagement rings from my Wiltshire workshop, working directly with clients from the first conversation through to the finished ring.

You don’t need a finished design before getting in touch. A few ideas, photographs or a description of the person I’m designing for is usually enough to begin.

Explore my alternative engagement rings, unique engagement rings and unusual engagement rings, or start a conversation about your own ring.