By The Associated Press

No matter what they say about September, 2001, bringing on an era of restraint and sacrifice, wedding couples are not scrimping on the engagement and wedding jewelry.

Diamond engagement ring sales were up more than 19 percent over average in September and 17 percent more in October, according to a survey of U.S. retail jewelers by the industry groups Jewelers of America and the Diamond Information Center.

What's more, couples are becoming more adventuresome in their choices, with unusual modern designs, such as diamond bands and engagement rings with flexible settings -- the rings bend and have movable link settings. And they're choosing traditional types that have been refreshed with new looks, according to the industry.

More of the choices echo the looks of the traditional anniversary band. "New styles of rings that feature diamonds in distinct bezel settings surrounding the band are growing in popularity," says Shaye Strager, a jewelry stylist and trends forecaster.

* Examples of the new flexible rings are found in Piero Milano's Mili collection, with diamonds set in textured, flowerlike 18K white gold settings.

* Gold wedding bands richly embellished with diamonds and colored stones in period-look designs are offered by Cathy Carmendy. One of her designs features raised fleurettes and squares studded with gems.

* A band entirely surrounded with diamonds is offered by Michael B. The matching engagement ring has a princess-cut center stone.

* The Lucida diamond ring, introduced by Tiffany & Co. just two years ago, already has become a classic, and this season there is a three-stone version. The distinction of the stone is that it has a high step-cut crown and wide pronounced corners. Light is carried through its brilliant-style pavilion.

* The Royal Asscher cut is a new version of the traditional emerald shape with a greater number of facets (74), a higher crown setting and steeper pavilion. This is an exclusive from M. Fabrikant & Sons.

* The Rand Diamond has a distinctive symmetrical faceting and comes with a "birth certificate" from the manufacturer. That enables the buyer to know where the diamond originated and its journey through the manufacturing and retail processes. Rand guarantees its diamonds are "conflict free," meaning they were not involved in secret trading to finance terrorism. In the U.S., the diamonds are distributed by Codiam, Inc.