Expensive gems and metals have been highly desired by social elites around the world for millenia, establishing themselves as essential aspects of royalty, nobility, engagement to marry, and status. This tradition continues well into the modern age, but now, in recent decades, some traditions surrounding fine jewelry and the social customs tied to them are opening to change.
The Next Generation
The Millenial generation, those aged around 23-36, are old enough to seriously consider marrying and buying decorative jewelry like their parents before them. And like many generations before them, today’s young men are buying diamonds and gold engagement rings for their girlfriends, but with new twists.
Many of the world’s diamonds originate from diamond mines across sub-Saharan Africa,/conflict-diamond-facts”/>Brilliant Earth, where the have been mined for years. Now, however, Millenials often express interest in conflict-free diamonds, including those that are lab-grown. Engagement rings with these synthetic diamonds give customers flexibility in the diamond’s design. According to Brilliant Earth, advanced equipment imitates the natural, deep-earth processes that create diamonds in the Earth’s crust, but being in a controlled environment, these diamonds can be crafted in a variety of colors, and being made of arranged carbon atoms, these diamonds have similar properties as natural ones, and are priced competitively. This option of custom jewelry design allows jewelers to branch out beyond the staple clear diamond for any prospective buyer.
Engagement Styles With Fine Jewelry
Ever since Prince Max of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, diamonds have been the gem of choice for engagement rings. Around one third of men purchasing a diamond ring may spend $1,000 or more, and three quarts of American brides receive rings of this type. The engagement ring itself is only one ingredient to marriage proposal, however, and men and women have differing ideas on how to handle the rest. Proposing before an excited crowd is one proposal style men are aware of, but by contrast, only about 3% of women show interest in such a move. Also, an engagement length of 12-18 months is preferred by nearly half of women, but only a quarter of men think the same way. Wedding jewelry alone does not make for a good engagement; if the ring is handled with style and taste in a personalized engagement, then the diamond can truly shine.