Engagement rings (of a kind) have been around since the beginnings of humanity. Cavemen would plait blades of grass and stems to tie around the wrists of their partner, thinking to cast her under his control. So although this isn’t exactly a romantic gesture, it’s still a ‘til death do us part’.
The traditional engagement ring came about thousands of years later when the people of Ancient Egypt made it into a symbol of romance. Similar to those in the stone ages, they braided reeds. But the Egyptians exchanged them between husband and wife and wore them on the same ring finger we use today. This particular finger was selected due to the fact that the vein in this finger runs straight to the heart – known as ‘the vein of love’.
Centuries passed and then, in the 1400s, a trend emerged among the upper classes to present their partners with jewel set rings. And, in the 1700s, inscribed rings became popular. But no century is as famed for its romance, and therefore its rings, as the era of Queen Victoria (1800s). Rings in Victorian times were exquisite and used a plethora of different stones and metals. They were also very decorative and were twisted into many different shapes such as flower designs.
In 1867, diamonds were discovered in South Africa and thus became much more available across the globe. And from the 1930s onwards, diamond engagement rings became the regular symbol of everlasting love. The 1950s saw a surge in the popularity of platinum rings and multi-stone rings. This was partly because there was a ban on using platinum in jewellery during the war – which was subsequently lifted once the war had ended. It was also, to some extent, due to Audrey Hepburn’s platinum, diamond studded eternity engagement ring. Even in the jewellery world, the elfin beauty was always setting trends.

And we have a number of different platinum rings and eternity rings available - if Audrey is your style icon.

Emeralds came bursting into fashion in the 1960s, because of Jackie Kennedy’s emerald and diamond engagement ring. People were completely obsessed with this piece of jewellery. Emeralds are, of course, still popular today – the precious green stone is a perfect choice for an engagement ring –in any glittering shade from pale green to the deepest forest. We have an array of emerald rings here at William May, in many different styles and set in a range of metals that you can find here.

But the era of the most famous engagement ring is the 1980s because of Princess Diana’s renowned sapphire and diamond band. Both sapphire rings and flower design rings became the craze at the time and are still a fabulous choice to this day. After all, who doesn’t want a ring fit for a princess?

To buy the ring for your own fairy-tale, take a look at the sapphire and diamond rings we have to offer here.

From the 2000s to present day, the Solitaire Diamond Ring and the Halo Diamond Ring have been the most popular choices. But even though we’re still prone to latching onto trends these days, the variety of popular styles is wider than ever.

Kate Middleton and Prince William brought back the legend of the sapphire and diamond ring with their engagement. But no specific style has surged above others in the recent decade. We believe that this is due to couples wanting to be more unique and selecting something that has a personal reference to their relationship, rather than following the latest trends. Like Prince Harry's choice for Meghan Markle for example - a yellow gold diamond trilogy ring made up from two diamonds from his Mother's jewellery collection and a diamond sourced from Botswana, which is somewhere special to both of them.

From what we’ve seen over the recent years, we can imagine that the styles that are well-liked today will continue that way for quite some time. Yellow gold is making a comeback that is fixed to stay, rose gold is set to gain more popularity this year as well as trilogy rings due to the royal engagement but also because the design possibilities are endless - a combination of different shapes, sizes and gemstones can be used to create something personal to the wearer.

So, if you’ve decided on a style, we’re sure to have a design that you love. And if you’re not sure what kind of engagement ring you’re looking for, feel free to browse our selection until you find it. You’ll know it when you see it. You can find your perfect ring here