RAPAPORT... Consumers in the state of Hawaii purchase the largest diamond engagement rings in the US, with an average size of 1.20 carats, according to research by jeweler Shane Co.
New Yorkers also believe size matters, with customers’ engagement rings averaging 1.10 carats — the second-highest nationally. They are followed by New Hampshire at 1.06 carats, Florida at 1.04 carats, and both Washington, DC, and Mississippi at 1.02 carats. Vermont comes last, with an average size of 0.68 carats. The average size nationwide weighs in at 0.92 carats.
Overall, the halo setting is the most popular choice for Americans: 41 states plus Washington, DC, picked it as their favorite. Consumers chose the style for at least one in every five proposals. Five states favor vintage, while people in Connecticut, Maine and Washington state prefer a more classic design. Delaware is the only state that departs from the dominant trends, choosing split-shank as its most popular style.
Only 3.6% of customers across the US buy rings that include colored stones. The largest number of such purchases is in New Mexico, where this category makes up 12% of sales. Shoppers in West Virginia and New Hampshire opt for the more traditional route; Shane Co. found no sales of engagement rings with colored stones in those states.
Shane Co., which claims to be the biggest privately owned jeweler in the US, based the research on its ring sales over a five-year period, from 2015 to 2019.
Image: A cushion-cut halo engagement ring. (Shane Co./Instagram)
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