While there is a wide array of different precious stones to choose from, women just seem to prefer diamonds when they receive jewelry. Whether the jewelry is to mark a special time in life, such as a marriage, or just to make a fashion statement, diamonds have remained popular throughout the years. Although the left hand has been the most popular place to wear diamond jewelry for many years now, it certainly seems as though the right hand is about to catch up. As more and more women postpone marriage in favor of establishing their careers or traveling, the wait for an engagement ring has certainly lengthened.

While it seems that there is certainly a segment of the female population that is in no rush to head to the altar anytime soon, that certainly does not seem to be holding them back when it comes to sporting diamond rings. The only difference is that now women are donning diamonds on their right hands rather than their left hands.

Essentially, the rings that many independent minded women are wearing today are of the same style and design as engagement rings but make no mistake, the statement that is being made is markedly different. Women of this century are much more career oriented, independent, asserting and self-sufficient than their counterparts of just a generation ago. In the increasingly popular modern trend, the right hand represents all of these qualities just as the left hand as represented marriage and family and commitment for a number of years.

There is also one other significant difference. While engagement rings that are worn on the left hand have traditionally been presented by a husband or a fiancé, the rings that women wear today on their right hands do not signify relationships of any similarity. In fact, both married and unmarried women are now donning such rings on their right hands. In this way women are able to make more than one statement about the complexities of modern life and their place in it as a modern, independent woman. It is not at all unknown for a single woman to wear such a ring on her right hand as well as a woman who is in deeply committed marriage to also wear the same ring.

There are some differences in right hand rings from traditional engagement rings. Typically, the diamonds that are used in these modern rings are smaller than the diamonds that are used in engagement rings. In addition, while solitaire diamonds can certainly be used, many such rings also feature multiple stones as well as cuts that are different from engagement rings or even designs with an open space. As a result, it is impossible to mistake a diamond ring on the right hand for a traditional engagement ring.

One diamond design that is particularly popular at the moment among independent minded women is the four leaf clover design. This beautiful and unique ring design features diamonds in the actual design and has become quite popular as a result of the number of celebrities that have donned them recently. A similar design, comprised of flower petals designed of diamonds, is also growing increasingly popular as well.

While all of this is certainly not to say that engagement rings have gone by the wayside, there is no mistaking the fact that times have certainly changed when it comes to women’s jewelry. No longer are women waiting around for a man to buy jewelry for them. The days are gone when a woman must wait for the right man to come along and present them with a stunning diamond ring. Today’s modern and completely self-sufficient woman is just as likely to go out and purchase her own diamond ring as she is to accept a diamond ring from a suitor.

Women have become increasingly conscious of what they want in jewelry and are not afraid to go out and buy it. This has even translated into the sales of engagement rings. While at one time a woman was happy to be surprised by whatever engagement ring was presented to her when the question was finally popped, that is no longer the case. Today a larger percentage of women seem to prefer going along on the shopping trip to the jewelry store to make sure they receive exactly the style and design they want when it comes to receiving an engagement ring.

Exactly what these trends will mean to the jewelry industry remains to be seen, but one thing is certain and it is that today’s modern woman is definitely going to have an impact on the future of diamond jewelry design.