2026 Engagement Ring Trends: Yellow Gold, East-West, Custom & more

The Return of Yellow Gold

Gone are the days of widespread opting for white gold settings. After the medical minimalism of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re reaching for something that feels sunny and alive in yellow gold. 

We’d be remiss not to mention the impact of Taylor Swift’s chunky antique inspired yellow gold engagement ring. Countless clients have come to us with a picture of her ring as inspiration. We love how impactful and storied the style feels.

With that, chunky sculptural gold has been all over Fashion Week runways, and it’s ending up on many ring fingers, too—so naturally, we’ve followed suit with the Brasília Collection, which features substantial yellow gold settings like bombé rings and bypass styles. You’re welcome.

Marquise Cut Resurgence

Ah, the Selena Gomez effect. The marquise cut ebbs and flows in popularity, but it’s back on everyone’s minds since the star’s engagement to Benny Blanco.

We love the marquise cut diamond. It’s such a striking, eye-catching shape, and get this: Since it’s a “top-heavy” diamond cut (meaning it carries its weight towards the crown of the diamond), it appears very large on the finger, so you can get a “big rock” look with lesser carat weight compared to other diamond shapes.

One thing to watch out for with marquise cut rings: Because they have sharp, pointy edges, they can be vulnerable to chipping amid life’s bumps and snags. So our designers recommend you reach for a setting that protects your precious stone, either with a bezel or prong setting with v-tip prongs.

East-West Settings

Art Deco is back, baby. East-West settings have boomed in popularity thanks to Zendaya’s engagement ring.

Since the Art Deco revival of the 60s, it’s been difficult to find a jeweler who offers this creative direction, but now, we’re leaning in (you can customize many Frank Darling settings by turning your elongated diamond 90 degrees!). 

This style suits elongated cuts (oval, marquise, emerald, cushion) and can give otherwise ordinary settings a subtly subversive vibe. Needless to say, the east-west setting would be very Cool Girl of you!

Bezel Settings

Zoë Kravitz’s engagement ring has been the bling heard ‘round the world. Part of its appeal is its bezel, a smooth metal frame that wraps around the stone’s perimeter, holding it low and flush against the finger—no prongs, no lift, no fuss.

It’s not her first time in a bezel, either. Her Tatum-era ring from Jessica McCormack used a blackened white gold bezel for a moodier feel.

As jewelry nerds, the bezel setting is music to our ears. We love it for its top-tier protection of your stone, plus the way it gives you both a geometric, architectural look and the appearance of a larger center stone. 

We’re also head over heels with the half-bezel, which gives you the protection of a bezel with an even more unique look, plus a little extra space for your diamond to shine.

Vintage & Antique Inspired Cuts

Since the Swift-Kelce engagement, we’ve seen a boom in requests for antique inspired cuts, especially old mine diamonds. Old mine cut diamonds were originally hand-cut, so they have chunky, perfectly imperfect facets (58, to be exact) and a plush shape that pairs swimmingly with most ring settings.

Another reemerging antique cut is the old European cut. This style is the direct predecessor of today’s modern round brilliant. We love their old world charm, though do note that they don’t appear as large as round brilliant diamonds of the same carat weight due to their intricate faceting pattern, which requires a more bottom-heavy profile.

Then there’s the rose cut diamond. Rose cuts are shallow, glassy beauties with simple, chunky triangular facets on top. Because they’re not “brilliant cut” like most of the diamonds you’ll see on the market, they have striking fire, subtle flash, and an ethereal glow.

If you want the charm of an antique cut in a lab diamond, we have great news: Most of the antique cut diamonds we have in our inventory are lab grown diamonds, though we do also offer recycled diamonds and natural diamonds (all conflict-free and ethically sourced).

Lab grown diamonds will run you significantly less in cost than a natural diamond, so rest assured, the antique-ish diamond of your dreams is likely within reach.

Personalization

Of all the data we’ve looked at (and we’ve looked at a lot), the biggest recent spike in terms surrounding engagement rings has been custom engagement rings.

Internal birthstones, hidden halos, tweaks to pre-set styles, even internal engraving that speaks to your relationship.

People want their forever pieces to be uniquely theirs—and we love giving that to all of our clients.

At Frank Darling, we offer endless customization to our clients.

When you book a showroom appointment (virtual options, too!), you’ll be able to try on hundreds of styles.

From there, you can either make tweaks to pre-existing collection styles, or you can make something entirely original.

You dream it, we make it.