The Ultimate Guide to Engagement Ring Settings (2024)

The history of the engagement ring is long and storied, with mythology crediting both the Egyptians and the Greeks, and reaching as far back as ancient Rome. Whether you fancy a single solitaire prong setting, popularized by Tiffany’s in the late 1800s, or a chunky gold band embellished with jewels, the engagement ring setting says just as much about a couple’s personal style as does the stone shapes themselves.

We sat down with some of the most interesting jewelers in the business to chat about what’s buzzy, what’s lasting, and what their personal favorites are. Below, Vogue’s ultimate guide to engagement ring settings.

Bezel Setting

“Bezel settings and half bezel settings are definitely the new solitaire,” declares Olivia Landau, fourth-generation jeweler and co-founder of the buzzy diamond engagement ring startup The Clear Cut. “Bezel settings offer a modern twist to a classic solitaire, and chunky gold settings are becoming very popular. People are looking to create unique engagement rings that highlight their personal style.”

No one knows this better than Brent Neale, founder of the eponymous jewelry company that offers both ready-made and made-to-order options for the cool-girl and fashion set. Beloved for her unique takes on setting interesting stones, Neale recently reset tastemaker Julia Berolzheimer’s engagement ring, which was widely shared on social media.

“Julia was a delight to work for, and she’s the perfect example of what people often seek us out for,” says Neale. “Resetting because perhaps the original setting just isn’t you anymore. The smoothness of the gold and the low set style of setting the stones [in Julia’s bezel-set ring] make them extremely comfortable. There is an easiness about them—which is how clients often describe [our pieces.]”

Baylee Zwart, founder of AZLEE, agrees. Zwart loves to incorporate a bezel setting because it perfectly outlines and defines the shape of the stone: “To me, it feels complete and beautiful without anything else added or needed,” she says.

Prong Setting

Popularized initially with the trademarked “Tiffany setting,” a prong setting is as classic as it gets. “If doing a prong setting, I do love the concept of doing the band of the engagement ring in yellow gold, with the basket and prongs in white gold or platinum, so that the stone has a floating effect and the prongs disappear,” says Zwart.

Atara Lev, Head of Design at celebrity favorite Material Good, has seen a good deal of requests for prong settings as of late. “Our clients have stepped away from settings featuring a lot of pavé work in favor of more simple designs,” Lev notes. “A fan favorite is our two-tone ring setting, with a platinum head and yellow or rose gold shank, which puts an exciting spin on the classic platinum solitaire, while still being easy to wear every day, by not being too out there. Compass set prongs have also been an extremely popular style for us.”

Three Stone Setting

A perennial favorite, the three stone setting was initially marketed by De Beers to represent the past, present, and future of a couple’s life together. A timeless classic, the three stone setting looks beautiful with many types of stone cuts, from step cut stones like emerald and asscher to a round stone with traps on the side. “Three-stone rings have been on the rise, using the most unexpected and visually interesting cuts and shapes as side stones,” says Lev.

Landau agrees, saying the three stone ring with baguettes or a well-crafted solitaire is “the most timeless setting,” in her opinion.

Horizontal

“I am seeing a lot of oval cut and emerald cut diamonds at the moment, set east-west along the width of the finger, in all types of settings,” says Maria Canel, whose custom, made-to-order luxury jewelry business is built on a lengthy spider web of word-of-mouth clients in Brooklyn and beyond.

Zwart agrees, noting that AZLEE has fielded more requests to set diamonds at an angle or horizontal than ever before. “I love this because it can make the whole ring feel a bit more chunky rather than long and lean,” she notes. It’s a setting trend that’s picking up steam.

A Classic Gold Band

“A lot of clients have been asking for a wider gold band for their engagement ring, and since the engagement ring itself is a little more chunky, they plan to not wear a wedding band with it,” says Zwart. A movement away from a traditional stone setting toward a classic gold band, with or without stones, is an option many modern couples are gravitating toward.

And on the topic of metals?”Something interesting that I’m finding is that clients are requesting we make bands in contrasting metals to their engagement rings,” says Neale. Clients are also requesting custom bands that contour to their engagement rings in mixed metals: “[we just] finished a rose gold band for a client’s yellow gold signature set,” she says.

Ultimately, the intention behind the setting—classic and timeless, personal and unique—says as much about the stone as it does about your personal style. Trends may come and go, but the heirloom quality of a well-crafted engagement ring is forever.