ispeakingifs : So I didn’t vote in the poll because I never really had a “dream ring” in mind. I got engaged before online shopping was a thing. (Yes, I am O.L.D. … but young in spirit — ha, ha!) So, the only way to see different ring settings and styles was through magazine and television ads or by going to the local mall to browse the cases in various jewelry stores. Needless to say, my exposure to ring styles and jewelry brands and center stone types was super limited at that time!
I always thought I would get a solitaire. Not because it was a style I particularly liked above every other style (although I do love a good solitaire!), but because that was the style people in my social circle had. It was what most of the older women I knew had. It was what most of my friends had. So, in my mind, solitaire = “engagement ring”. BUT … I wanted a heart-shaped stone. I also wanted a white metal.

When we went ring shopping, my husband (boyfriend at the time) didn’t like the solitaires we saw. He preferred a setting with side stones. And he had researched (on his own — so sweet!) diamond shapes beforehand, so he had his mind set on a round center stone. He felt it was the most stable shape and would be less prone to getting damaged. Also, no one at the time carried white gold. We couldn’t even special order it! And platinum was out of our budget.
So I ended up with yellow gold 5 stone setting with a central round stone. It was nothing like what I had imagined I would get, but I loved it. And I was thrilled to be getting engaged. I still love my engagement ring, although I made a minor change to the setting a few years ago. I still wear it from time to time, particularly in hot weather when I prefer a smaller, lighter ring.

As I have gotten older, my tastes have changed a lot. I have moved away from wanting only white metals to loving every type of metal, from platinum to rose gold. I am more open to pretty much any stone shape and, actually, might prefer other shapes to round. And I have realized I like a setting that is intricate and has a lot of metal work on it. So, if I ever had a “dream setting”, my 20th anniversary ring probably comes the closest. It is a super detailed custom solitaire setting in 14K rose gold. And it has a colored gemstone — something I never would have thought I would love in my younger years, when I was less experienced about what was out there in terms of jewelry.
But I still want a beautiful, heart-shaped ring, either solitaire or some type of non-solitaire setting. Not sure yet whether I want it to be diamond or a colored gemstone (although probably colored gemstone at this point), but one day … she will be mine! Mwuahahahahahahaha!
EDIT TO ADD: Sorry for the long post! Yikes!