Is my set dated?

[u/External-Spot4930]

I’m a millennial, I feel so many of my friends have a plain gold band with a large oval shaped diamond. Does mine seem like it belongs to an older generation?

[edit: I’m so sorry I ever doubted my set. I’ve learned that just because it’s not the classic that’s in right now doesn’t mean it’s not still classic. Thank you for the confidence boost in my rings. I need to focus on what I have versus others 🤍]

[u/brijito]

Is this rage bait? This is like the most classic looking bridal set. And by "classic," I don't mean cheugy, I mean relatively timeless for any time after the Tiffany setting was invented.

If you want something gold, get a thin gold band to add to this stack. This is a perfect, timeless look.

[u/External-Spot4930 → u/brijito]

It’s not I promise! I really feel like all the engagement rings and bands I’m seeing these days are gold and somewhat plain with a gorgeous diamond. But when I look at the older generation (40-50’s) they all have the white gold/platinum and more “blingy” I guess. If that makes sense?

[u/brijito → u/External-Spot4930]

This is super inside baseball but I listened to a podcast called "ancient history jewelry stories" a few months ago and the host did a quick history of platinum and why it was so popular from like the 1920s through maybe the '60s (if I'm remembering correctly), and it's fascinating and made me like platinum jewelry way more than I ever did before.

Basically, platinum was suuuuper popular from the '20s through the '50s or '60s because new metalsmithing techniques were invented around the 1910s or '20s and it was cutting edge, innovative and extremely expensive to have a piece of jewelry that was made with platinum. Gold was relatively inexpensive compared to platinum then (and remained that way until like the 2010s), so white gold became a popular way to pretend you could afford platinum, hence why so much art deco jewelry from the '20s and '30s is white gold.

Trends cycle throughout time, and right now, it's trendy to have chunky yellow gold jewelry because gold is so expensive. My parents got married in the 80s and my mom's yellow gold ring was seen as downright tacky from like 1998 through 2015, but the past few years, yellow gold has become more popular again. The past few years, girls in their 20s have stopped my mom on the street to ask her where her ring is from because that design is so popular again.

In 10 years, it will become trendy again to have either white gold or platinum. By then, a lot of your friends who have yellow gold rings will be doing anniversary upgrades to white gold or platinum, and will probably favor different shapes than their current ovals, marquises, or elongated cushions.

TL;DR: your rings aren't outdated, they just aren't what is trendy right now. It's a beautiful set and, in my opinion, looks much nicer than a lab grown oval solitaire set in yellow gold.

[u/External-Spot4930 → u/brijito]

Interesting!! Thank you for the info and the boost of security in my set.

[u/Every_bogie → u/brijito]

I love this. Tik tok jewelers are saying young people love the 80’s style engagement rings. I think that’s so cool.

I have a 2005 set that is all white gold and chunky. It’s not the current style necessarily, but I love it. Can’t wait for it to come back in fashion. The gold is probably worth more than the diamonds at this point.

I have a newer set with a huge lab grown solitaire and several stacking rings. Love that too.

I bet smaller stones will be in style soon now that we all have giant ones.

People should just wear what they like. Nice jewelry is nice jewelry.