Cluster rings and bold gemstones challenge the classic solitaire

At the counter, buyers are asking for cluster settings, dome-like bands, east-west stones and color that feels more personal than pristine, and the classic solitaire is suddenly one option among many rather than the unquestioned default.

What changed before the proposal even happens

The biggest shift is not only aesthetic, it is behavioral. The Knot’s 2024 Jewelry & Engagement Study found that 77% of proposees had some involvement in ring selection, which means the old one-person, surprise-only model has given way to a more collaborative purchase. The same study found that 57% of couples began discussing engagement more than a year before the proposal, and 83% of proposers prepared ahead of time, so the ring is now being chosen with a plan, not grabbed in haste.

The solitaire is still there, but it has to share the case

The round diamond remains the most familiar shape in the room, but the numbers show it is no longer running away with the category. In The Knot’s 2024 Jewelry & Engagement Study, round center stones made up 28% of engagement ring designs in 2024, yet round diamonds have fallen 21% since 2015. Ovals, by contrast, climbed to 25% of designs from just 2% in 2015, a dramatic swing that says buyers are open to length, softness and a less expected silhouette.

Even so, the market is not abandoning the classic center-stone look. In The Knot’s study, 51% of engagement rings in 2024 were described as having a clear diamond center stone with side stones and or accents.

Why cluster rings feel so current

Cluster rings are winning attention because they do what a simple solitaire cannot: they look unmistakably personal. They appeal to the bride who does not want her ring to look like her friend’s ring, and Melanie Casey has noted that they are often unique or one-of-a-kind, especially when gemstones are worked into the design.

They also ask for real craftsmanship. Cluster settings can look chaotic if the stones are not placed with precision, so the best versions have a deliberate rhythm, not a crowded surface. When colored stones are added, the effect becomes richer and more painterly, with each gem pulling a little more visual weight than a single center stone ever could.

East-west settings turn the familiar sideways

East-west rings have the same kind of quiet subversion. Instead of setting an elongated stone vertically, the jeweler rotates it horizontally, which immediately makes a familiar shape feel fresher. The style traces back to the 1920s Art Deco movement and has been a significant trend since 2020, especially among late millennials and early Gen Z buyers who want to nod to tradition without looking locked into it.

Zendaya’s engagement ring helped push the east-west look back into the pop-culture conversation in 2025.

Color is taking more space on the hand

Colored gemstones are the other clear challenge to the old solitaire hierarchy. In The Knot’s 2024 Jewelry & Engagement Study, diamonds still account for 83% of engagement-ring center stones, while 17% of buyers choose something else, and that smaller slice is increasingly visible. Blake Lively’s pink diamond ring and Kate Middleton’s sapphire ring have both helped normalize the idea that an engagement ring can be defined by color as much as by carat weight.

The Knot’s broader 2025 trend picture includes maximalist multi-stone rings, bold color, vintage cuts, blackened gold, architectural designs and thoughtful toi-et-moi settings. Dome bands sit comfortably in that same lane, adding a smooth, sculptural weight that feels more designed than default.

The diamond market is adapting, not retreating

The broader jewelry business still shows plenty of life in the classic category. The Natural Diamond Council and Tenoris analyzed 2,500 specialty jewelers and more than four million jewelry transactions, and found that natural diamond jewelry sales at U.S. specialty jewelers rose 2.1% in 2025, while average prices rose 10% year over year. In the same analysis, round brilliants still accounted for 62% of diamond engagement unit sales in the United States.

In the same analysis, marquise engagement rings grew 12% year over year, a move linked in part to high-profile celebrity engagements.