As romantic as a midnight rendezvous in a secret garden on a moonlit night, these swoon-worthy rings are brimming with sweetness and light. Pair any one of these precious pretties with poetry and prosecco for a perfect proposal.

Our hands have the power to destroy and create, and in this industry, perhaps that’s the most powerful idea of all: how precise, talented hands have given us such incredible bejeweled gifts. And of course, many jewelers concern themselves with hands when they create, be it an engagement ring or a bracelet.

"Picking a ring can be overwhelming," says designer Jenny Norman. "Between navigating the myriad of options while balancing personal expectations, there’s so much to consider when finding the perfect one. Still, if I could give one piece of advice it would be to focus on finding something that is meaningful instead of worrying about hitting a specific carat figure or dollar amount. This symbol should capture something special about your unique relationship. It’s a way to tell your story for generations to come - go on, get creative with it!

“As impromptu as our ceremony turned out, it felt so us and so perfect. The funny thing is, Josh and I joked about eloping even before we got engaged. And after the emotional roller coaster that COVID-19 brought, it became clearer than ever that this day was always about us and our love for one another. To me, less is more—and this reaffirmed that the big wedding was never for us. We were right where we were supposed to be.”

“We challenged eight designers to each create a totally unique solitaire diamond ring, which really put them to the test,” says Cason. “It’s hard to make something really cool and amazing around just one stone, but we choose the right designers to do it.”

Jewelry retailers hoping to capitalize on the well-documented popularity of hexagonal diamonds may want to pay attention to something happening today over at Gem Breakfast. Called the #sexyhexyproject, it’s an online pop-up and social media campaign that corrals seven one-of-a-kind rings, all featuring hexagonal center diamonds in designs by independent, under-the-radar artisans.