It seems that big engagement rings are out

The gorgeous .82-carat diamond that Jason Crystal gave her was flanked by six purple sapphires, symbolic of the couple’s alma mater, Northwestern, where they met as members of the marching band. Etched along the outside of the platinum band were tulips and daisies sketched by Crystal, a 31-year-old sound designer; on the inside was a cat’s face, a nod to their beloved pet, Caprica.
“I didn’t want an off-the-shelf engagement ring,” Marzewski says of her unusual bling, designed by Fitzgerald Jewelry in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
She’s not alone. Many others are steering clear of the diamond solitaire for which women have traditionally lusted.
Bloomberg reported last month that De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond producer, was forced to cut prices as much as 9 per cent amid a sharp decline in sales.
Anja Winikka, director of wedding site the Knot, says 2% fewer couples are opting for clear diamond solitaire rings in 2015 than in 2013. Even so, people are spending more — about $8,654 per ring, up from $7,494 two years ago. But the money’s not going on a fat piece of ice.
“Right now, what’s hot is coloured stones, filigree and a lot of interesting texture and detailing,” says Winikka, who herself wears a yellow-sapphire engagement ring. Today’s most popular gemstones include sapphires — blue, yellow and orange — and pink morganite.
Winikka says the celebrities driving the trend include Kate Middleton, who wears Princess Diana’s blue sapphire with diamond halo; Jennifer Aniston, who sports a gold-and-diamond band; and Scarlett Johansson, who has an antique Art Deco ring.
Diamond solitaires weren’t equated with everlasting love until De Beers’ starting advertising them as such in the 1930s. And internet-savvy millennials are catching on, says Ira Weissman, founder of website the Diamond Pro.
Instead of splurging on a big, multicarat rock, couples are opting for engravings and other accents to customise their rings.
“[Couples] really want to express their own tastes and their own styles,” says Wendy Brandes, who’s designed more than a hundred engagement rings from her Upper East Side apartment.
One of those rings — an 18-karat white-gold band topped with a .04-carat diamond encased in a white-sapphire dome — belongs to Lori Kadezabek, 37, of Hoboken, New Jersey, whose now-husband, Brian Riolo, helped design it.
 “I’m so thankful that [Brian] put in the time to do something so awesome and special, and that he was down for the non-traditional,” Kadezabek says.
Not surprisingly, social media has a hand in things, too, with many women posting “ring selfies” on Instagram immediately following the proposal. Sites such as Pinterest can help brides-to-be research designs in advance — and send links to their boyfriends.
That’s how Brooklyn’s Stephanie Fields, a social-media strategist, found Williamsburg-based jewellery designer Caitlin Mociun.
“I knew I had to have her style,” says the 30-year-old, who pinned a link to Mociun’s asymmetric rings. Fields’ now-husband, Nick, 29, popped the question with a ring boasting a cluster of small, colourful gems featuring a pear-shaped 1.26-carat champagne diamond, all flanked by champagne pavé diamonds.
Meanwhile, Marzewski is thinking of the purple sapphires in her engagement ring as she looks for a dress at Kleinfeld’s Bridal for her May 28 wedding. She says she’s considering the colour lilac or even a floral pattern, but not everyone’s on board:
“When I told my mum I was thinking about not having a white wedding dress, she nearly cried.”