Diamond engagement rings have always been the primary choice, but different shapes and styles of diamonds and bands have gone in and out of style. A round diamond set in a Solitaire mounting is always a safe choice, but over the past century there have been some daring styles of engagement rings. A video from Mode.com shows all the top style from every decade. We will also give you a breakdown of what all the styles are.
- 1890-1900: The always popular solitaire diamond ring which at the time included an old European-cut diamond in a six prong 14K Yellow Gold mounting
- 1900-1920: Edwardian Period style with openwork filigree patterns along with diamonds in Platinum
- 1920s: The openwork mounting continues to take the show because of the reflection of geometry of the Art Deco period.
- 1930s: 18K white gold filigree mountings with a round old European cut diamond become popular
- 1940s: Yellow gold became popular again with rose gold also being popular and in 1945 the “War Bride Ring” was the ring every service man gave due to rationing of precious metals. It included a round brilliant-cut diamond set in 14K white or yellow gold.
- 1950s: white gold and platinum came back as the preferred metals with a round diamond in the center with round side stones set in the shoulders of the ring.
- 1960s: Platinum became the preferred metal, with fancy shape diamonds becoming more popular!
- 1970s: Marquise shaped diamonds set in yellow gold with channel set round diamonds on either side, and a matching wedding band with all channel set round diamonds
- 1980s: The solitaire comes back to the top with a round center stone, but a twist is added with baguettes set on each side of the center of a platinum mounting
- 1990s: The Radiant shape diamond becomes the preferred fancy shape set with triangular side stones mounted in 18K white gold
- 2000s: The Princess-cut has its turn as the center stone of choice set with round brilliant cut diamonds set on either side in platinum or white gold
- 2010-2015: Fancy colored diamonds with a Halo added around the center stone and round brilliant cut diamonds down the sides becomes popular in platinum or white gold
http://www.elle.com/fashion/accessories/news/a35012/100-years-of-engagement-rings/