The 5 Most Popular Features in Custom Engagement Rings

While there’s nothing wrong with purchasing a piece of jewelry directly out of the case at a jewelry store, more people are opting for custom ring designs these days. Whether you’re shopping for an engagement ring, an anniversary gift, or just treating yourself to a new cocktail ring, there are a lot of jewelry designers offering to create something completely custom for you. This allows you to create something exactly as you want it–with thought and emotion behind it.

As a jeweler specializing in custom design, Mark Schneider has crafted countless custom designs. Let’s take a look at the five most commonly requested custom engagement ring features. Hopefully you'll discover something that will inspire your own custom ring design.

1. Unique Center Stones

While mined diamonds are certainly the most popular choice for engagement rings, there are many alternative gemstone options. The centerpiece of your ring doesn’t have to be a sparkling diamond. Here are the other most requested center stones:

Colored Gemstones: More people are moving away from the traditional diamond center stone and towards a unique colored gemstone that better represents their personality and the story of their relationship. There are endless options, but some of the most popular ones are sapphires, emeralds, rubies, tourmaline, and morganite. You may want to consider the gemstone representing the month that you met your partner, or the month that you plan to marry. Each gemstone has a meaning and a story that is worth considering as your center stone. 

Lab Grown Diamonds: For those who still prefer a diamond, but are looking for a more affordable and eco-friendly option, lab grown diamonds are a great choice. Lab-grown diamonds are identical to mined diamonds in both appearance and chemical composition. In fact, distinguishing between the two requires highly specialized and expensive equipment.  

Heirloom Stones: For both budget and sentimental reasons, many people are choosing to incorporate heirloom stones into their custom designs–such as a stone that belonged to a parent or grandparent. Designing a custom piece of jewelry around a family stone brings even more meaning to this new design, creating a new piece to be passed down to future generations.

2. Engraving

Engraving is a thoughtful and affordable way to personalize a special piece of jewelry, adding a meaningful message that makes it even more memorable for the recipient.

Hidden Messages: Many custom designs have hidden messages engraved on the inside of the ring band, so it’s only visible when the wearer takes it off. Some people choose to engrave a special quote, their wedding date, or an inside joke that would be meaningful only to the recipient.

Ornate Patterns: Engraving isn’t limited to the inside of the ring—it can also include patterns, symbols, or designs etched onto the band or even the side profile, adding a unique and personal touch. This is more popular in vintage style settings, but can be done with any ring design. 

3. Custom Ring Settings

Traditionally, rings featured a center stone in a classic 4-prong setting—but today, there are many more options to suit your style. You can choose from bezel, semi-bezel, 4-prong, 6-prong, or even 8-prong settings, each offering a distinct look and level of security for your stone. Here are a few of the most commonly requested custom settings.

Low Profile Settings

For those with an active lifestyle or job, a center stone set low to the finger is ideal. If you’re an avid hiker or you work in the medical field, it’s not uncommon to request a low profile setting, although we wouldn’t necessarily recommend wearing your ring in either of those settings. 

Custom Prongs

Instead of the traditional round prong, many people request split-prongs or claw prongs to make their ring even more unique. 

Tension Settings

This one is a little bit taboo because yes, tension settings look very cool, but they are also very dangerous for your stone. One big knock and that stone is lost for good. So while we wouldn’t recommend a tension setting, there are some settings that can look very similar, but are much safer. For example, the Blissful ring appears to be tension set but it is actually channel set, which holds the stone safely and still has the look of being suspended. 

4. Mixed Metals

There was certainly a time when yellow gold was the only viable option for an engagement ring. That's not the case anymore. Today you have the option of choosing white, yellow, rose, or even green gold. There is also platinum or palladium.

However, many people are now choosing to mix their metals in order to get a completely unique look. This could involve casting different parts of the ring in separate metal colors—such as white and yellow gold—and then carefully soldering them together for a seamless, two-tone design. This could also mean making an engagement ring in white gold and the matching band in rose gold. The thing with metal colors is that it’s completely up to personal discretion for which ones you prefer together, so the options are endless. 

5. Unique Side Stones

Many ring designs don’t even include side stones. When they do, you most often see diamonds.

Yet, there are so many other side stone options. Here are some of the most common custom side stone requests.

Birthstones

Many people choose to set birthstones as side stones in their rings. These can be your own birthstone, or those of your parents, children, or even close friends–basically, any birthstone for someone close to you who you want to be reminded of each time you look at your ring.  

Asymmetrical Stones

Instead of setting the same stone or a pattern of stones, some people choose to have an asymmetrical look by having one type of stone set on one side, and another on the other side. 

Different Shapes

Diamonds come in many different shapes, so there’s no reason to limit yourself to round side stones. Choosing a princess, pear, baguette, or even asscher can give your ring a special, unconventional look. 

Final Thoughts

When it comes to custom rings, the options are limitless, which can be very exciting.

Whether you have your eye on an unusual center stone or birthstones for your side stones, your stone choice is just one way to customize your ring.

You can also choose to mix your metal colors, hide a special engraving, or have your center stone set in an unusual setting. Each of these individual choices will make your ring special and unique to you. It doesn’t matter if this is an engagement ring or a ring you are planning to wear to your best friend’s 40th birthday party–customize away!