Classic Vs Modern Engagement Ring Styles: A Perth Perspective

There is no right answer to the classic versus modern engagement ring question. Both approaches make beautiful rings. Both have been in and out of fashion since engagement rings became the norm in the nineteenth century.

What matters is which style fits your partner, your hand, and the life the ring will live through.

This engagement ring guide walks through what we actually mean by classic and modern engagement ring styles, how each looks on the hand, which settings and diamond shapes sit in each camp, and where the two worlds are starting to blend in the Perth market.

We have been designing engagement rings at our Mt Hawthorn studio for over two decades, and the balance has shifted noticeably across that time.

What counted as modern in 2007, when Stelios Palioudakis took the reins of the studio, now reads as restrained classic.

What feels modern today, clean bezel settings, hidden halo designs, kite-cut and hexagonal centre stones, will likely be the classic of 2040. Style is a moving target, and the right engagement ring depends on where your partner sits on that line today.

What Makes A Classic Engagement Ring Style

A classic engagement ring style leans on shapes, settings and proportions that have been used consistently for the past fifty to one hundred years.

The hallmarks of a classic setting:

• A round brilliant diamond as the centre stone. The most commonly cut diamond shape for engagement rings since the 1950s, and still the most requested in our Mt Hawthorn showroom.
• A traditional prong setting. Four or six claws holding a single diamond, raised high enough to catch light from every angle.
• White gold or platinum metal. A neutral backdrop that keeps attention on the centre stone.
• A cathedral setting for added elevation. The metal arches rise from the band to frame the centre diamond, giving the ring a formal silhouette.
• A matched wedding band. A plain or diamond-set wedding ring designed to sit flush against the engagement ring in the same metal.

Classic does not mean boring, a well proportioned solitaire in 18-carat white gold with a 1.0 carat round brilliant centre diamond is one of the most wearable rings we make. The reason clients keep returning to the classic setting is structural: it sits at the intersection of elegance, practicality, and long-term style.

What Makes A Modern Engagement Ring Style

A modern engagement ring style breaks from the classic template in one or more deliberate ways. Sometimes the change is subtle, a bezel-set stone instead of prongs, a thinner band, a lower profile. Sometimes the change is dramatic, an asymmetric design, a coloured gemstone, a kite-cut or hexagonal centre diamond.

What makes a ring read as modern:

• Clean lines and minimal metalwork. Modern rings strip away filigree, milgrain, and decorative detail in favour of simpler architecture.
• Low-profile settings. Bezel settings and half-bezel settings sit the stone closer to the finger, producing a sleeker everyday silhouette.
• Unique shapes. Kite, hexagon, trillion, elongated cushion, rose cut and old mine cut stones appear more often in modern work.
• East-west mounts. The stone runs horizontally across the finger rather than pointing up it. Increasingly popular with our younger clients.
• Hidden halos. A ring of smaller diamonds set underneath the main stone, invisible from above but visible from the side. Adds sparkle without adding visual weight.
• Coloured gemstones as centre stones. Sapphires, spinel, tourmaline, morganite, and salt-and-pepper diamonds all appear in place of traditional white diamonds, and often reflect a more personal style than a conventional white stone.

Modern engagement ring designs photograph differently from classic ones. A classic solitaire looks best face-on. A modern bezel or east-west design reveals itself from every angle. Worth considering if the way the ring photographs matters to your partner.

How Perth Couples Are Mixing Both

The most requested engagement ring style in our Mt Hawthorn showroom over the past three years has not been purely classic or purely modern. It has been a hybrid. Clients want the durability and daily wearability of a classic setting with one or two modern elements that make the ring feel like theirs rather than something off a template.

Common hybrids we are seeing:

• A round brilliant diamond in a bezel setting rather than prongs. Classic stone, modern twist.
• A classic solitaire on a thinner, almost invisible band. Traditional silhouette, contemporary proportions.
• A three stone design with an elongated cushion centre and baguette side stones. Art deco bones, modern lines.
• A hidden halo under a classic round brilliant. Visually classic face-on, surprisingly modern from the side.
• Yellow gold engagement rings with a modern flush-set centre stone. Warm traditional metal, cool clean architecture.

The underlying change we have seen across Perth: clients are less interested in ticking a category and more interested in designing a ring that fits their actual aesthetic. This is a healthy shift. A good engagement ring does not need to belong to a trend.

Setting Styles Through The Classic-Modern Lens

The engagement ring setting is where classic and modern differ most clearly. A short guide to the main settings and where they sit on the spectrum.

Solitaire setting. The most classic option. A single diamond held by prongs or a bezel. Works with almost every diamond shape. The most requested setting across the solitaire engagement rings we build every year.

Halo settings. A ring of small diamonds surrounding the centre stone. Reads as classic in traditional halo designs, more modern when the halo is doubled, floating, or hidden. Halo settings make a smaller centre stone read visually larger and boost the total carat weight of the ring.

Double halo. Two concentric rings of accent stones around the centre diamond. Heavier in the hand, more sparkle, and strongly associated with the statement rings of the 2010s.

Three stone setting. A centre diamond with two side stones, often symbolising past, present and future. Classic three stone rings use round brilliants of graduating size. Modern three stone rings pair an elongated centre with baguette or trillion side stones.

Bezel setting. A metal rim surrounds the centre stone instead of prongs. Modern, low-profile, and practical for active lifestyles. Half-bezel variations give a slightly softer look.

Cathedral setting. The band arches upward to cradle the centre stone. Classic, elegant, and slightly more formal. Pairs well with round brilliant and oval stones.

Pavé setting. Small diamonds set along the band using tiny beads of metal to hold them in place. Adds extra sparkle without a dedicated halo. Reads as classic in narrow pave, modern in wider bands.

Channel set stones. Accent diamonds set between two rails of metal running along the band. A cleaner alternative to pave, with strong structural integrity and fewer points of snag.

Bead setting. A vintage technique where small diamonds are held by tiny beads of metal raised from the surface of the band. Reads as strongly classic and often appears in vintage rings and art deco designs that feature filigree and milgrain.

Diamond Shapes And Style

Shape plays as much of a role as setting in whether a ring reads classic or modern.

Classic shapes include the round brilliant cut, cushion, and oval. Round brilliant is the most requested shape for engagement rings globally, and the one most couples default to when picturing a classic ring. Cushion cuts lean vintage. Oval cuts lean contemporary.

Modern shapes include kite, hexagon, trillion, elongated cushion, rose cut, old mine cut, and salt-and-pepper diamonds. These have existed for centuries but have returned to fashion over the past decade, often paired with minimalist settings that highlight the stone’s geometry.

Emerald cut diamonds sit between both worlds. Classic in their stepped facet pattern, modern in the clean lines they produce when set in a simple band. An emerald cut solitaire in platinum or 18-carat white gold reads as timeless regardless of where trends move.

Carat weight affects this too. A larger centre stone tends to read more classic by virtue of its presence on the finger. Smaller stones, particularly when set in unusual shapes, feel more modern.

Metal Choices And Style

The precious metal you choose also shapes how classic or modern the finished ring reads.

• Platinum. Classic. Hard-wearing, heavier in the hand, maintains a white finish for life.
• 18-carat white gold. Classic or modern depending on the design. The standard choice across most of our engagement ring designs.
• 18-carat yellow gold. Was almost entirely out of fashion for engagement rings in the 2000s. Has returned strongly over the past five years, often with a distinctly modern reading when paired with clean-line settings. Gold engagement rings now sit at roughly one third of our new commissions.
• 18-carat rose gold. Feels modern because it is a relatively recent popular choice for engagement rings. Pairs well with vintage-inspired halo and morganite centre stone designs.
• Mixed metal bands. Two colours of gold in a single ring. Modern, increasingly requested.

Pure gold at 24-carat is too soft for a ring worn daily. 18-carat is the durability sweet spot for any engagement ring.

A Recent Build That Blended Both

A couple from Swanbourne came to us last year wanting what the bride described as “the ring my grandmother would have loved, made for now.” She already wore minimalist jewellery: thin stackable bands, a single fine gold chain, a plain pair of studs. Her partner assumed, reasonably, that she would want a classic solitaire to match.

What we landed on was a hybrid that worked for both their instincts. An elongated cushion cut centre stone, 1.4 carats, G colour and VS1 clarity. A low bezel setting in 18-carat brushed white gold, so the stone sat close to the finger and caught light without dominating her hand. A hidden halo of smaller diamonds underneath, invisible from above but visible when she turned her hand. A simple 2mm band, no filigree, no additional accent stones.

The result photographed as classic from the usual ring-selfie angle, and as distinctly modern from any side view. The bride told us later it was the first piece of fine jewellery she had ever worn daily without removing it for work. The ring we made fit her actual aesthetic rather than what either of them had initially assumed she wanted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Engagement Ring Style Is Most Popular In Australia?

Classic solitaire settings with round brilliant centre stones remain the most popular engagement ring style in Australia, at roughly 40 percent of the market by volume. Halo settings sit in second place, followed by three stone and bezel designs. In our Mt Hawthorn showroom, bespoke work skews more toward hybrid and modern engagement ring designs than the national average.

Does Modern Mean More Expensive?

Not necessarily. Modern engagement ring styles often use simpler settings with less decorative metalwork, which can bring the ring in at or below the price of an equivalent classic design. The cost is usually driven by the chosen centre stone and the metal, not whether the ring reads classic or modern.

Can A Classic Ring Be Made To Feel More Modern Over Time?

Yes. We regularly reset classic engagement rings into more contemporary settings for clients ten, fifteen, or twenty years after the original proposal. A centre stone can move into a bezel setting, a hidden halo can be added, or the metal band can be replaced in a different colour. The stone stays the same, the style updates.

What Suits A Partner Who Wears Almost No Jewellery?

A low-profile bezel setting with a single diamond. Clean lines, nothing to catch on clothing, nothing that announces itself across a room. Partners who do not already wear jewellery often find a classic high-set solitaire unexpectedly intrusive in daily wear.

What If Our Styles Disagree?

Design together. Custom engagement rings exist for this exact reason. Our team will help you identify the elements each of you values most and design a ring that makes both of you happy. In our experience, disagreement at the start of a design often produces the best rings at the end, because the process forces clarity.

Do You Design Rings With Coloured Gemstones?

Yes. Sapphires in every colour, emeralds, rubies, tsavorite, spinel, tourmaline, morganite, and other gemstones all appear in our bespoke work. A classic engagement ring with a blue sapphire centre reads very differently from the same design with a white diamond, and we help couples choose based on wearability, personal taste, and long-term satisfaction.

Is A Wedding Band Designed At The Same Time As The Engagement Ring?

For most couples, yes. We design the engagement ring and matching wedding band together so the two sit flush against each other on the finger. If the engagement ring has already been made, we shape the wedding band to follow its curves, diamonds and profile.

Come And See The Differences In Person

Classic versus modern is easier to decide with rings in hand than on a screen. Come in to our Mt Hawthorn studio and we will show you the full range of engagement rings side by side, from traditional solitaire engagement rings through to contemporary bezel and hidden halo designs. You can try on different engagement ring styles, compare diamond shapes on your partner’s hand, and see how each metal band catches the light.

If you are not in Perth, we run the same consultation over video and can post reference pieces for sizing and feel.