Home Style Why Engagement Rings Aren’t All About Diamonds

Why Engagement Rings Aren’t All About Diamonds

For many years, the standard in engagement rings has always involved diamonds and very rarely stones of color.  But the recent trend is that women don’t always want engagement rings that are all about diamonds and are instead leaning towards colored gemstones.  So how does a guy go about choosing one of these colored engagement rings?

The main stones

Almost any gemstone can be an engagement ring but for something special, certain stones stand out from the rest.  Colored diamonds are a popular way to have the color and to still have the traditional diamond presence in the ring.  The more intense the color, the better quality the stone with shades such as canary yellow, pink and even black now being available.

Sapphire is traditionally seen as a deep, rich blue gemstone but is another that comes in various colors.  A number of famous sapphire engagement rings have been seen recently including Kate Middleton’s when she got engaged to Prince William – the ring once belonged to his mother, Princess Diana.

Emerald and ruby are classed as the other two more precious gemstones and each only comes in one main color – green and red.  Emerald has impressive history and was said to be the favorite gemstone of Queen Cleopatra in Ancient Egypt.  Inclusions (little imperfections) are common in the stone.  The ruby is a red stone, sometime with a hint of pink and their association with the color of love make them an excellent stone for an engagement ring.

The quality of stone

The stone itself will be graded by four different standards, known as the four Cs – color, clarity, cut and carat.  Carat is the weight of the stone while clarity looks at any inclusions within it.  For most people, the color becomes more important as the size of the diamond increases because larger diamonds show more color. The cut looks at the shape of the stone and the facets in it that give it the sparkle.  A good jeweler will help you understand these and make an informed choice.

Choosing a style

As well as the stone itself, the other thing to consider is the style of the ring.  If you know the style of jewelry that your would-be fiancée likes, then this is quite easy but if not, a little peek into her jewelry box might give you ideas.

Susannah Lovis is an example of a high-quality jeweler who offers a range of classic and antique engagement rings for sale, many of which have colored stones.  There are also rings with both the colored stone and diamonds to add extra sparkle to the piece.  Art Deco styles can also be very popular while specialist cuts of stone such as emerald cut (roughly square) can emphasis the colors of the stone.