Should you store an array of stored models, use #to_array_type method:
class Product < ApplicationRecord
attribute :configurations, Configuration.to_array_type
endAfter that, your attribute will return an array of Configuration instances.
Heads up! The attribute is not the same as the association, in this case–it's just a hash.
assign_attributes(and similar) is going to override the whole hash, not merge it with a previous value.