Yellow Gold Engagement Rings

Yellow gold engagement rings are both bold and elegant. Regarded as a traditional option for engagement rings and bridal jewellery, yellow gold has also seen a rise in popularity amongst contemporary design. From ultra-modern to vintage inspired rings, the metal is versatile in nature, adapting to each design to provide exquisite, unique character. The golden tones of 18k yellow gold ensure a warming and flattering finish.

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That’s why we have diamond and design experts on hand, who are here to guide you through every step - from understanding what carat, color, cut and clarity mean, to designing the perfect ring.

Yellow Gold Engagement Rings

What Is Yellow Gold?

Although naturally yellow in its purest form, the 18k yellow gold we use to create our engagement rings is an alloy composed of gold and strong metals used to desaturate the intensity of the colour, such as zinc and silver. In its pure form, gold is not only too soft to create wearable fine jewellery, its vivid yellow colour is typically seen as too lurid - instead, 18k yellow gold is a buttery, warm tone.

How to create the perfect yellow gold engagement ring

Diamonds look exceptionally classic when set in yellow gold rings, but there’s no need for your ring to feel outdated. For a contemporary yellow gold ring, choose simplicity: a solitaire ring setting with an oval diamond or trilogy rings with round diamonds are clean and refined. That said, unique designs involving coloured gemstones such as emeralds, or multi-stone rings are a sure fire way to create an eye catching yellow gold engagement ring - try a rubover setting for something that little bit different.

Need some help finding your dream ring? Get in touch to meet with our design experts - we can't wait to hear from you.

Should I choose a yellow gold engagement ring?

  • The warm tones of 18K yellow gold are incredibly flattering for all skin tones. Those with dark skin, olive skin or yellow undertones find yellow gold particularly flattering
  • If platinum seems too ‘safe’ of an option, yellow gold is a great alternative for creating a ring you’re less likely to see others wearing: it’s more unique
  • Yellow gold works for both minimalist and classic designs
  • Coloured gemstones never look out of place in yellow gold engagement rings - the contrasting colours make for an eye-catching aesthetic

Meet your personal jewellery consultant

Let our expert team of professional gemmologists, goldsmiths and designers guide you through the process of creating a truly personal piece of jewellery.

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We design and craft our jewellery in-house, so you can buy your ring directly from the people who made it.

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Aftercare

With a little care, your ring will last a lifetime and beyond. Enjoy a lifetime of free annual checks, cleaning and polishing services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yellow Gold Engagement Rings

About Yellow Gold

Does yellow gold cost more than other precious metals?

No, yellow gold costs the same as platinum, rose gold and white gold. Gold used to retail at a slightly lower price than platinum, however, the price gap has closed in recent years, and you'll now find that platinum and gold rings cost the same.

What's the different between 18K yellow gold and 24K yellow gold?

18K gold is 75% pure gold, 15% copper and 10% silver. 24K yellow gold is the pure gold found in nature.

24K gold is a relatively soft metal, compared to metals like platinum and silver, and isn't suitable for creating long-lasting jewellery that can withstand everyday wear. 24K gold is also very bright and garish in colour - to make gold both stronger and better looking, other metals are added to create the 18K yellow gold alloy. 18K yellow gold is a stronger metal with a less-lurid, buttery-yellow tone.

Learn more with our ring metals guide.

Is yellow gold popular for engagement rings?

With a long history as the go-to metal choice amongst jewellery makers worldwide, yellow gold was once considered the most commonly chosen option for engagement rings. Adored by ancient civilisations, from the Aztecs to the Egyptians and right through to 20th Century European design, it was only in the 1990s that yellow gold was knocked off its pedestal, replaced by the minimalist aesthetic of platinum and white gold.

Although the popularity of yellow gold took a couple of decades to recover, the late 2010s saw a resurgence in yellow gold engagement rings, now favoured for its uniqueness, exotic charm and warming properties.

Famed for its contemporary yet romantic design, Meghan Markle’s yellow gold engagement ring encouraged a new wave of engagement ring buyers to seek the metal for their own designs, and since 2017 we’ve noted a distinct rise in popularity for yellow gold engagement rings at the Queensmith showroom within the historic Hatton Garden Jewellery Stores district.

What are the best centre stones for yellow gold diamond rings?

One major benefit of a yellow gold setting is the ability to compromise slightly on the colour grade of your centre diamond. While white, silver tones require an equally bright and icy diamond to avoid any disparity in colour, yellow gold rings provide an allowance for the slightly yellower stones that are less costly than their D-colour counterparts. We’d still recommend choosing a diamond within the colourless range D-G, but you may want to consider the lower end of the scale.

If a fancy coloured yellow diamond is what you’re after, find an intense yellow that will match the vivid hues of the yellow gold ring. Pairing a fancy yellow diamond and yellow gold engagement ring is a sure fire way to create a look that is seamless and eye catching, yet refined.

Alternatively, richly coloured gemstones like sapphires, rubies and emerald are a great choice for yellow gold rings, as the yellow tone encourage the blues, reds and greens to 'pop'.

Celebrities With Yellow Gold Rings

Emily Ratajkowski’s engagement ring

A contemporary take on the ‘toi et moi’ style engagement ring, Em Rata’s ring features one large pear diamond around 3ct, nestled next to a similarly large princess cut diamond closer to 2ct. The styling is simple yet extremely unique, complete with a yellow gold band that’s a perfect match for her warm skin tone. Worn next to a thick yellow gold wedding ring, Emily Ratajkowski’s engagement ring is estimated to have cost around $60,000 to $75,000.

Jasmine Tooke’s oval diamond & yellow gold ring

A firm favourite at Queensmith, super model Jasmine Tooke’s engagement ring features a large oval diamond estimated at around 7ct in size, and to have cost $250,000. Tooke’s ring is the perfect picture of simplicity working wonders: the oval solitaire ring is striped-back in design, and set on a thin yellow gold band

Hailey Baldwin Bieber’s solitaire engagement ring

Justin Bieber proposed to Hailey Baldwin with a sizeable oval diamond solitaire ring, thought to be around 6-7 carats and costing around $500,000. The huge diamond required a simple setting, and sits on a refined, plain yellow gold band.

Margot Robbie's yellow gold pear diamond ring

For a celebrity engagement ring, Margot Robbie’s pear shaped, yellow gold ring is notably demure. The design is simple and classic - a pear diamond with a scallop set diamond band. Worn alongside her diamond set wedding ring, a slightly lesser width, Robbie’s bridal set makes the perfect stacking rings.

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