Are Diamond Engagement Rings Necessary?

66% of all respondents from different generations said that they would be open to an alternate wedding ring. It appears that times are a changing and people aren’t as interested in diamonds.

One in five millennials would be open to tying the knot permanently with a tattoo ring, more than any other generation.

That’s according to a new poll of 500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers in serious relationships engaged or married, where the majority (66%) of all respondents said they would be interested in giving or receiving an engagement ring that doesn’t feature a diamond.

The survey showed that younger generations are most open to alternate rings — 74% of both Gen Z and millennials are open to it, while only half of the baby boomers agree.

Alternate rings include:

Tattoos
Metal
Emeralds
Sapphires

Nearly three in five (59%) respondents would like to be part of choosing the ring from the get-go, with millennials being the most likely generation to do so (71%).

Regardless, respondents looked on average at eight different rings before choosing the right one, with 18% looking at more than 10 rings before finding the final token of love.