Engagement Ring Trend Report: The Trends to Look Out for in 2027

For the first time, the oval engagement ring is our most popular engagement ring shape. 35% of our clients chose an oval in 2026, ahead of round at 32%.

The shift has been building for several years. In 2022, round diamonds made up 59% of our engagement rings and ovals just 21.5%. Last year the oval's rise appeared to be levelling off, but in 2026 it climbed again and took the top spot.

Why the oval? Its elongated outline flatters the finger, its brilliance comes close to a round, and it often looks larger carat for carat. Paired with this year's larger diamonds, it gives a ring real presence on the hand.

High-profile oval engagement rings have added to its appeal, as our round-up of celebrity oval engagement rings shows. To see how the shape looks in different settings, browse oval engagement rings.

The shift goes beyond ovals. More than half of our clients (57%) chose an elongated diamond: oval, pear, emerald, elongated cushion or marquise.

• Pear: Up to 7%, almost double its 2024 share, and our shape to watch for 2027. Explore our pear engagement rings.
  
  
• Elongated cushion: A softer, vintage-inspired choice, which has grown in popularity since Taylor Swift's engagement. Elongated cushion engagement rings now make up three-quarters of our cushion sales.
  
  
• Emerald: Still a favourite with couples who love clean lines and the long, mirror-like flashes of a step cut. Browse our emerald engagement rings.
  
  
• Radiant and marquise: Holding steady at 4% and 3% of sales. Shop our radiant and marquise engagement rings.

Engagement ring diamonds are getting bigger. The average diamond our clients chose in 2026 weighed 1.77ct, and 85% of couples chose 1ct or more.

The diamond solitaire engagement ring is our most popular ring style by a clear margin. More than half of our clients (52%) chose one in 2026, up from 40% last year. That's a 30% rise in twelve months.

The carat data does a great job of explaining why. In the same year our average lab grown diamond reached 1.92ct, couples chose a clean, simple setting that keeps the focus on the diamond.

Simple doesn't have to mean plain, though. Nearly half of the clients who chose our bestselling solitaire, the Bardot, added hidden diamonds beneath the centre stone, a personal detail visible only from the side.

Trilogy engagement rings rose to 20%, making them our second most popular style. When the centre stone gets bigger, two smaller side stones give it balance, so a large diamond doesn't look lonely on the hand.

Diamond band engagement ring designs went the other way, falling from 34% to 19% as couples moved towards cleaner settings. Halo, multi-stone and toi et moi rings are still niche choices, together making up fewer than one in ten of our engagement rings.

Yellow gold is still the most popular engagement ring metal, chosen by 61% of our clients in 2026.

Engagement ring inspiration no longer starts in a jeweller’s window. Two in five UK adults (40%) say social media has influenced what they think an engagement ring should look like, at least a little. For younger generations, it’s the norm: half of 25–34-year-olds (50%) and 48% of 18–24-year-olds say what they see online has shaped their expectations, compared with just 8% of over-55s.

However, that influence can come with pressure. 42% of UK adults feel at least some pressure to have an engagement ring that impresses other people, and nearly one in four feel real pressure. It’s highest among 25–34-year-olds, at 44%, compared with just 9% of over-55s.

However, when we asked people what matters most, status came close to last.

Price and design matter most. When we asked UK adults to pick the three things that matter most when choosing an engagement ring, price (29%) and overall design (27%) came out almost level, with sentimental meaning (23%) a close third.

Status symbols ranked near the bottom. Just 12% prioritised diamond size and 10% the brand. For most people, it’s what a ring means that counts, not how it looks to others.

Priorities shift with age. Over-55s care most about design (33%) and sentimental meaning (26%), while price matters most to 45–54-year-olds (35%). Diamond quality peaks among 25–34-year-olds (26%), and brand matters more than three times as much to 18–24-year-olds as to over-55s (18% vs 5%).

Women are more likely to prioritise design (32% vs 23%) and sentimental meaning (28% vs 17%), while men focus more on diamond quality (25% vs 16%).

The average engagement ring spend at Queensmith was £4,995 in 2026, down 13% from £5,750 in 2025.

Alongside bigger diamonds and more colour, that may seem surprising, but couples aren't settling for less. They're getting more from their budget. Engagement ring spending used to rise every year; in 2025 it held steady, and this year it fell. As lab grown diamonds have become more widely available, the cost of a beautiful diamond has come down with them.

You no longer need to stretch your budget to get a ring you love, so the money goes on the details that matter most to you.

For more insight, take a look at our guide on how much you should spend on an engagement ring.

The outdated rule (which actually originated as a marketing ploy) said an engagement ring should cost three months’ salary, a quarter of your annual income. Most people in the UK no longer follow it.

In our survey of 2,000 UK adults, nearly half (48%) would spend under £2,000, and fewer than one in 200 would spend £6,000 or more. Based on their answers, the new rule is closer to 5% of annual salary, one-fifth of the old guideline. And 14% reject the idea of a set budget altogether.

That’s lower than the £4,995 our clients spent on average in 2026. The survey asked what people would expect to spend, while our figure reflects rings couples actually designed and ordered with us.

• Where you live makes a difference. Londoners would spend the most, an average of £2,325, 84% more than people in the North East (£1,267). Wales (£1,468) and Yorkshire (£1,530) also sit at the lower end. Among cities, Liverpool comes out on top at £2,510, ahead of London, while Plymouth (£1,207) and Sheffield (£1,256) are the most budget-conscious.

• Age plays a part too. 25–34-year-olds would spend the most, £2,081 on average, while over-55s would spend the least (£1,444). Younger buyers are also nearly three times as likely to budget £2,000–£3,999 (20% vs 7%).

• So does income. Budgets range from £950 for those earning under £15,000 to £3,203 for those earning £55,000 or more, and more than one in five higher earners would spend £4,000–£5,999.

Whatever your budget, the most important thing is a ring that feels right for you. Lab grown diamonds mean you can get far more for your money than ever before.

Lab grown diamonds are most popular with younger buyers. In our survey, 25–34-year-olds were five times as likely as over-55s to choose a lab grown diamond (21% vs 4%).

It isn’t a budget decision. Lab grown was a more popular choice among people earning £35,000 or more (13–16%) than among the lowest earners (6%).

Among those who would choose lab grown, the environment was the most common single reason, given by 31%. Value mattered even more once price and size are counted together. 46% gave a lower price or the bigger diamond it allows as their reason. And nearly one in five said they’d choose lab grown simply for how it looks.

Lab grown diamonds are now chosen on their own merits, for their value, their size and their modern appeal. Explore our lab grown diamond engagement rings to browse our ring styles.

July was our busiest month for engagement ring orders in 2026, overtaking November, which had held the top spot for the previous two years. Summer proposals are on the rise, with couples choosing their rings ahead of holidays abroad, beach proposals and long weekends away.

November came second, as couples planned festive proposals. This statistic fits with our marriage proposal report, which found December is the most popular month to propose.

Planning a summer proposal? We'd recommend starting your search in spring, especially if you'd like a custom engagement ring.

The surprise engagement ring may be on its way out. Only one in five UK adults (20%) told us they’d want their engagement ring to be a complete surprise However, that doesn’t mean people want to choose it alone. Just 5% would pick the ring themselves. The person proposing still gets their moment, except with a little guidance.

How much input people want depends on their age. Younger people want to steer the decision without taking it over. 30% of 18–24-year-olds would drop hints and let their partner choose, compared with 8% of over-55s, and 20% of 25–34-year-olds would specify the design themselves, four times the 5% of over-55s. Older generations prefer to decide together. 23% of over-55s would choose the ring as a couple, compared with just 4% of 25–34-year-olds.

One finding stood out, however. Women are more likely than men to want a complete surprise (22% vs 17%), while men are more likely to prefer dropping hints (20% vs 15%).

Couples spent an average of £2,633 on their wedding rings in 2026. Increasingly, couples decide together where that budget matters most, and often that means choosing the right ring to sit beside the engagement ring.

How well an engagement ring sits with a wedding ring matters more to women than men. 22% of women named having a wedfit engagement ring as one of their top three priorities, compared with 13% of men.

Not every engagement ring trend lasts. Here's what we saw fading in 2026, and what couples are choosing instead. However, we want to be clear – these aren't rules. If one of these styles is the ring you love, it's still a beautiful choice.