David King Assesses the Top Bridal Trends of 2015

1. Ovals Aren’t Just for Race Car Drivers

Every motor enthusiast can tell you about their love for an oval track and screaming engines full of adrenaline, but brides might be the biggest fans of ovals these days as recent sales and demand have overwhelmed the bridal diamond industry. Fancy-shape diamonds have trended into popular favor over the last few years as brides seek unique styles and a bigger overall look for their budgets. For quite some time brides have gravitated towards elongated cushions, radiants, and emerald-cuts, which are still in high demand, yet we’ve seen a shift towards the oval diamond as the hottest trending diamond shape.
So why the sudden interest in oval diamonds? In our opinion it has to do with the tremendous amount of face-up, surface area and their beautiful curves. Imagine taking a round diamond and stretching it to the elongated size that you really desire. Some brilliance is sacrificed when compared to a round diamond, but it still has the feel of the round curves with the added bonus of a much greater surface area. A one-carat oval diamond can visually appear 20% larger then a one-carat round diamond while still costing 20% less just because of the shape. Round diamonds are the most expensive diamond cut and they consistently have the highest demand, as nearly 85% of engagement rings feature a round stone.
The KING Verdict: We still love our exotic cars but we really love fancy-shape oval diamonds!!! And if you’re up for something different, consider setting an oval sideways, or as we call it “east-west,” for a truly unique bridal style.

2. Double Trouble All Around

No, this is not a cheesy spin on a bubble gum commercial. Instead, we’re focusing on the growing popularity of the double-halo engagement ring. While the single-halo trend revolutionized the diamond bridal industry over the last ten years, the double-halo style started appearing in designer collections and leading bridal magazines just a few years ago. Since that time, it has evolved with the popularity of diamond halo jewelry overall.
As the halo style grew in favor with brides over the years, the price of diamonds increased dramatically. This ultimately led to the birth of the double-halo as couples, based on their determined budget and desired look, faced the dilemma of either purchasing a larger diamond of lesser quality or a smaller diamond with better specifications. For brides that desired a finer diamond and a larger look at a price they could afford, the double-halo became a natural and brilliant solution. Today, double halo engagement rings are available in a range of styles, from modern to vintage, which complement either round or fancy-shape diamonds, regardless of size.
The KING Verdict: Two thumbs up for the double halo!! This trending style has allowed shoppers to focus more on diamond quality and cut, instead of just the size. The result has been a multitude of happy brides with whiter and brighter center diamonds, which look huge and are also affordable. Pro-Tip: try on a platinum engagement ring with a rose gold double halo set with diamonds. The two-tone coloring will really set your ring apart and the contrast between the halo and the shank will look beautiful.

3. Winter Roses Continue to Bloom

It may be getting a bit chillier outside as we prepare for our holiday festivities, but the warmth of rose gold continues to keep our brides cozy and obsessed. From Pinterest to the Knot, bridal media has focused heavily on rose gold jewelry designs over the last two years, resulting in a greater demand from brides and a plethora of new styles to choose from today. The rose color hue is still trending across our industry and it’s only getting hotter as time goes by. Rose gold seems to have overtaken yellow gold in the bridal world and we don’t see that trend ending anytime soon. From leading Swiss watch brands like Rolex and Cartier, to jewelry designers such as Roberto Coin and Mikimoto, we continue to see the growth and popularity of rose gold spread across all fashion types including designer handbags and shoes.
The KING Verdict: Traditionally we prefer the whiteness of platinum or white gold for colorless diamonds as it makes them shine the brightest, but rose gold has really grown on us over the years. Keep in mind that the rose color will cast a pinkish hue into the center diamond, so you might consider setting the center diamond into a white metal basket within the rose gold mounting to keep your diamond shining brightly.

4. The Split is a Hit

We have always loved a great banana split, admired a fancy dance split, and desperately prayed for a Kanye-Kim split, but all the recent hype revolves around brides who are falling in love with split-shank diamond engagement rings. By definition, a split shank ring is where the upper portion of the band (also known as a shank) splits into two or three separate bands that help support larger center stones. Bridal designers have lovingly and creatively embraced the split design into a diverse offering of beautiful engagement rings. Most split-shank rings are modern and brilliant in style, providing an elegant appearance with an open depth. They’re perfect for the popular (yet delicate) micropave rings that brides really love.
The KING Verdict: LOVE! A well designed split-shank ring can be gorgeous if done subtly with the proper proportions. We particularly love split-shank engagement rings with elongated fancy-shape diamonds such as ovals and cushions, round diamonds larger than 1.50 carats, or with 1 carat or larger diamonds set in a double-halo mounting.

5. It Still Takes Two to Tango

This engagement season, several leading diamond brands and bridal designers launched a new diamond engagement ring concept with unique two-stone diamond ring collections. News of the two diamond campaign has dominated recent media with Forevermark, a subsidiary of the DeBeers Group, leading the way with the release of the Ever Us(TM) Two-Stone Diamond Ring. Through an aggressive national television campaign augmented with print and digital media advertisements, Forevermark communicates the message behind this trending new style: “One diamond for your best friend. One diamond for your true love.” While two-stone rings and jewelry predominately feature round brilliant-cut diamonds set in a bypass style, designs are also available with different stone arrangements in a range of sizes and metal colors.
The KING Verdict: While we’re still not sold on this new engagement ring concept, we’ll ultimately let the future brides be the final judge.
So what do you think? Did your favorite bridal trend of 2015 make our list? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for the latest news on trending jewelry and watches.