Helzberg Engagement & Ring Survey Shows Preference for Custom Design

By Karen Dybis | October 02, 2025

Even before that famous so-called English teacher got engaged to the “gym teacher,” couples told the Helzberg 2025 Engagement & Ring Shopping Survey that they wanted a private, well-planned proposal that shows well on social media.

Taylor Swift’s love life aside, the Helzberg survey also revealed that custom engagement rings (such as Swift’s) are growing in importance among Gen Z shoppers, and that couples still value quality above everything else when it comes that all-important diamond.

According to the survey, 76% of respondents said they would invest more for a customized ring. This preference was higher among Gen Z, as 34% in that age group strongly agree versus 28% of millennials. And 47% of all respondents rate the ability to customize as very important. When it comes to product priorities, 96% said ring quality is important, and 79% said very important.

But price is still a key factor, according to the study. The average ring purchaser in the Helzberg survey had a maximum budget of $4,000; the mean was $6,423. Some 81% of respondents said they are likely to consider a natural diamond, and 71% said they would consider a lab-grown diamond.

“Couples want intimacy without uncertainty: a private, personal proposal supported by shared planning, clear education, and a ring that feels uniquely theirs,” Brad Hampton, CEO of Helzberg, said in a statement about the survey’s findings, which were released on Sept. 30.

“Gen Z is rewriting the playbook with social discovery and communicating their hopes and expectations with their partners. Their digital journey plays a major role, but they also still crave real conversations with a trusted jeweler,” Hampton said.

The Helzberg 2025 Engagement & Ring Shopping Survey was conducted online from July 24 to Aug. 13 among 1,000 U.S. adults between the ages of 20 and 40 who are engaged, in a serious relationship where marriage has been discussed, or married with an engagement in the last two years. The sample is nationally representative by age, gender, and region, Helzberg said.

In the survey, 83% of respondents said they’d prefer a private proposal, and 88% described a proposal as “the ultimate romantic gesture.” While 88% of those being proposed to said they’d like to share their ring preferences with their partner before getting engaged, 59% wanted zero involvement in the proposal itself. Gen Z proposers were more likely than millennials to want their partner involved in the planning.

As for ring shopping, 68% said browsing and research should begin at least three months before the proposal. About three in five respondents plan to consult a jeweler and purchase in person, and 83% said the ability to shop in-store was important. More than half of those surveyed (56%) said they wanted to be able to buy online.

The survey showed 79% of Gen Z and 63% of millennials use social media to educate themselves about engagement rings, and 78% and 65%, respectively, use it for inspiration.

By platform, the breakdown for educating themselves was YouTube (37% of Gen Z, 28% millennials), TikTok (32% and 13%, respectively), Instagram (31%, 22%), and X (8% and 4%). For inspiration, 38% of Gen Z and 28% of millennials use Pinterest; 37% and 29% use Instagram; 33% and 16%, TikTok; and 8% and 4% use X.

Three-quarters of respondents in the Helzberg survey have been in their relationship for two or more years, and 61% waited at least one year to discuss marriage. Two-thirds of respondents dated one to three years before getting engaged.

Top: Taylor Swift’s engagement ring (close-up), as seen on @taylorswift