The average cost of an engagement ring rose 9% in 2025 to $7,364, according to the latest Natural Diamond Council (NDC) trend report.

The top-selling diamond shape for an engagement ring was round, which represented 62% of units sold, followed by oval at 14%, the NDC reported last week. The average stone size was 1.16 carats and the most common clarity was SI1. Overall, diamond engagement rings, including loose stones and semi-mounts, accounted for 38% of natural-diamond jewelry sales by volume in 2025.

The natural-diamond jewelry report examined the key trends that shaped US natural-diamond demand in 2025, including consumer preferences for cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. It also explored trends in jewelry-purchasing and design. The NDC based the survey on information from diamond and jewelry analytics company Tenoris, which compiled data from more than 4 million jewelry transactions at 2,500 specialty jewelers across the US.

During 2025, consumers gravitated toward a variety of diamond styles for their engagement rings, influenced in part by celebrity engagement trends. These included Selena Gomez’s marquise-cut natural diamond on a yellow gold eternity band and Taylor Swift’s antique elongated cushion-cut diamond on a hand-engraved yellow gold band.

Overall, tennis bracelets, wedding bands and pendants recorded the strongest growth in units sold last year. In terms of price, bracelets took first place at an average of $3,600, up 15% from 2024. The average price of rings, which accounted for 39% of market share by volume, rose 11% to $2,537. Necklaces grew 40% to an average of $2,366, earrings increased 17% to $2,068, and pendants climbed 17% to $1,126.

Sales volume for natural-diamond center stones weighing between 1.50 and 1.59 carats gained 15% versus the previous year, and 2- to 2.24-carat diamonds advanced 10%. While the 1- to 1.04-carat category had the highest share of the market, it saw a 7% drop in sales volume.

Meanwhile, the NDC forecast that Gen Z — consumers born between 1997 to 2012 — was expected to remain the fastest-growing segment of diamond buyers in 2026. Generational trends provide insight into new attitudes, with younger adults often leading cultural and behavioral change, the NDC pointed out. Notably, younger consumers are driving growth in self-purchased diamonds. The NDC cited a 2024 Ipsos survey for De Beers that found that over 40% of women’s natural-diamond jewelry sales by value were self-purchases.

Men’s diamond jewelry is likely to continue gaining momentum, the report revealed. Although ownership remains slightly lower than among women, increased visibility from figures like Timothée Chalamet and Colman Domingo at the Golden Globes could encourage more men to make their first diamond purchase in 2026, the NDC commented.

Courtesy : Rapaport