Earlier this year a study revealed that millennial brides are ditching diamond engagement rings in favour of other stones, such as rubies and emeralds.
The survey, by Allianz Insurance, found that unconventional (and less expensive) engagement rings are popular with the current generation of brides-to-be.
But with our eyes still firmly placed on diamonds, we went to Affinity Diamonds CEO and founder Sam Rahme, creator of bespoke pieces for stars including Delta Goodrem, Kelly Rowland, Melina Vidler and Erika Jayne, to see whether he’d seen the above millennial trend translate in store.
Rahme confirms our suspicious that diamonds are still – very much – a girl’s best friend.
“Diamonds are the hardest substance in the world, they’re durable, you can wear them every day and they won’t scratch,” he says.
“Where as a semi-precious stone is more likely to get damaged and scratched – which is why it’s more suited to an evening piece to wear on a night out. Diamonds will always be in fashion.”
While a classic diamond may always be the best choice, Rahme does note that brides are starting to experiment with the shapes of their stones.
“In the past couple of years there’s been a large demand for oval-shaped diamonds, people are looking at shapes beyond round diamonds,” he says. “They’re looking at not only the size they can get out of them, but also uniqueness. They want to be different.”
Just a few weeks ago another (very daunting) study revealed that the cost of the average Australian wedding had skyrocketed in 2017, but something the survey didn’t take into account was how much couples are spending on an engagement ring, prior to the big day.
“The average is about $12,000 at the moment,” Sam says. Before revealing, “the price couples are willing to spend has doubled in the past ten years,” (sorry, lads!).
RELATED: This Is The Wedding Trend That Is Losing Serious Popularity
