Many of us already know that the modern engagement ring was an invention of the diamond industry. (I know, shocking right?!) And even more of us know that engagement rings don’t have to look like what Tiffany’s is trying to sell us. But as we’ve discussed before, knowing the history of wedding traditions doesn’t automatically mean you can extricate yourself emotionally from wanting those traditions for yourself. So while you can absolutely get engaged without a diamond, or mutually propose to each other, or propose to your male partner, or get engaged without a ring at all, I also won’t begrudge anyone wanting a traditional diamond engagement ring with a traditional proposal. I had both, myself.
That said, if there’s one engagement-related myth I’d really like to debunk (you know, after all the gendered stuff and the “it has to be a surprise” stuff), it’s the idea that there’s any correlation between how much you and your partner love each other, and the size of your engagement ring. Partly because big stones simply aren’t practical for a lot of reasons, but also because there are too many super hot diamond engagement rings in the sub-carat category to be ignored. So today I’ve rounded up fifty of my favorite diamond engagement rings that prove size really doesn’t matter. Maybe we can reverse some of this long held industry marketing and make tiny stones the next cool thing.
Kalmia Ring by Bario Neal ($2,403–$4,514)
18k Gold Hammered Rose-Cut Diamond Ring by Kothari from New Stone Age LA ($1,100)
18k Diamond Slice Rings by Jessica Ranek from New Stone Age LA ($850)
Nestled Rose Cut Diamond Ring by WWake ($1,242)
White Diamond Mini Deco Point Ring by Jennie Kwon Designs ($430)
14k Rose Gold Trillion Diamond Ring by Vrai & Oro ($370)
Gray Diamond Sotto Voce Ring by Jennie Kwon Designs ($635)
Square White Diamond Stacker by Vrai & Oro ($255)
Farm Dell Ring by Sarah Swell from Esqueleto ($1,350)
Marquise Diamond Solitaire by Rebecca Overmann from Esqueleto ($1,455)
Atomic Ring by Erica Weiner ($1,650)
Checkerboard Ring by Erica Weiner ($1,600)
Mona Ring by Katie Diamond Jewelry ($1,750)
14k Small Pave Cross Ring by Zoë Chicco ($475)
The Radial Ring by T. Kahres from Esqueleto ($1,430)
