Walk into any jeweler, and you will see row upon row of glittering white diamonds sparkling from the center of engagement rings. Indeed, we are used to the idea that the diamond is synonymous with commitment, love, and the everlasting bond of marriage.
However, throughout history, engagement rings and wedding rings have featured other gemstones, valued for their bold and bright colors. Colored gemstones can be shaped just like diamonds to show off their sparkle and brilliance, and can also be paired with other gemstones or diamonds in a halo, or in a pave setting.
Choosing a colored gemstone for an engagement ring certainly makes a statement, and is a great choice for anyone whose special someone has unique tastes.
Blue Sapphire & Diamond Halo Engagement Ring
Needless to say,the ‘King of Gemstones’ features at the top of the list. It is called this from the word ‘Ratnaraj’ in Sanskrit, which translates to ‘Ratna’ for Gemstone and ‘Raj’ meaning king.
Connoting love, passion, and prosperity, the ruby is the most ideal gemstone for a ring, considering factors like brilliance, color, and durability. The ideal color for a ruby is called ‘pigeon blood’ and has no pink tones. Please remember that it can also be a very expensive gemstone due to its rarity, especially if you choose a high-end gemstone. Rubies look superb as a princess cut ring, in a bezel setting, as a marquise-cut ring, in a pave setting and in so many other delightful, alluring designs.
Preferred Origin: Burmese or Kenyan ruby is considered the best. It is also mined in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Mozambique.
Ruby Engagement Ring with Diamond Detail
Blue sapphire is usually what we mean when we say ‘sapphire’. The sapphire is one of the hardest gems in nature, and the blue sapphire is no exception. This durability makes it an excellent choice for an engagement ring.
Preferred Origin: Kashmiri ( those coming from Kashmir in India) Blue Sapphire is considered as the best . Burmese, Srilankan, Madagascar are considered for their exceptional quality. Montana in the US is also known for its sapphires.
Blue Sapphire and Diamond Halo Engagement Ring
All sapphires that are colored other than red (ruby) or blue ( blue sapphire) are named for their color and are an excellent choice for an engagement ring because of their extreme durability and clarity, like all sapphires. You can imagine a full spectrum of color, the rarest of which are pinks, as well as the pink and orange Padparadscha sapphire which can be quite expensive.
Color Sapphires in a Scatter Ring
Of all the green gemstones, the emerald is the epitome of color and quality, and is considered the best and the most expensive of all green gemstones. It is famously known as the favorite gemstone of Cleopatra of Egypt. Because of their many inclusions, natural emeralds are often cut into a step style, which led manufacturers to name the rectangular shape of any gem to be called ‘emerald cut’. The emerald lights up a room and is a beautiful choice for an engagement ring for anyone who loves prestige and the color green. It does require care from the wearer, and should be removed before doing activity.
Preferred Origin: Colombian Emeralds are considered the best, but they are also mined in Brazil, Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Two well-known mines in Columbia are Muzo and Coscez. Emeralds coming from Columbia are very commonly treated to enhance their color.
Emerald Engagment Ring
A shimmering pearl can make a lovely engagement ring, evoking timelessness and a feeling of eternity in its round form. A very fitting gem for a proposal of marriage! Natural pearls that are as close to perfectly round as possible are the best. Pearls are made of 10-20% water, and their lustrous outer layer is delicate. Because of the presence of water in a pearl, it should not be exposed to very dry conditions for long periods of time, or it could crack. The pearl is also prone to scratches and wear and tear, so it shouldn’t be worn during sports or gardening without protection.
Preferred Origin: South Sea Tahitian saltwater pearls are considered the best when it comes to preferred origin.
White Pearl Engagement Ring
Black Pearl Engagement Ring
How to tell if a pearl is real?:
Fake pearls made today can look remarkably real thanks to modern technology, but there are a few simple checks you can perform to determine whether a pearl is genuine or fake:
- Feel the surface. Both natural and cultured pearls should have a slightly rough surface. You can feel the surface by rubbing two pearls lightly against each other or by rubbing the pearl against your tooth (the surface of your tooth, not the edge, which could damage the pearl). Real pearls will feel gritty whereas fake pearls will have a smooth or glossy feel.
- Check for irregularities. Pearls that are too perfect in terms of shape, size, color and surface characteristics are likely fake. Real pearls have irregularities. They are not perfectly round or smooth or evenly colored. This test is easiest to perform with a strand of pearls. Real pearls on a strand of pearls shouldn’t look identical in shape, size, or color.
- Look at the drill holes. Drill holes in fake pearls can be pretty large and if you look at the holes in them under magnification, you’ll probably see chips in the lacquer or painting. In contrast, real pearls will have small drill holes and you won’t see any chipping.
- Feel their weight. Fake pearls generally weigh less than genuine pearls and you can feel that when you hold them in your hand and gently toss them up and down. With the exception of fake pearls made from glass beads, fake pearls will be much lighter than real pearls. Glass beads will be heavier. In both cases, you can feel the difference between the weights.
An opal engagement ring is a bold choice, perfect for someone with unique tastes and a penchant for color and mystery. Opals are formed from silica deposits, and appear to flicker with color when viewed from different angles. This effect is known as ‘play of color’. The flashes of color change, much like a kaleidoscope, providing a beautiful show to anyone looking. When opal is cut for jewelry, much care is taken to emphasize the play of color that is so unique to this stone, and no two opals can ever be alike.
Opals can have different background colors, and black is the more expensive. Black opals boast a galaxy in the night sky as the colors change. The stronger the play of color, the more expensive the stone is.
ORIGIN: The best opals have traditionally been supplied by Australia, which still rules the market.
Opal Cabochon set in White and Black Diamonds Claws
Amethysts were once considered a gemstone only for the Russian royalty, so much so that ‘Siberian color’ is still considered the most expensive variety, where the stone shows red and blue color flashes on a stone with deep purple color. Fortunately the rarity of amethyst has made it a semi-precious gemstone now.
One property that sets it apart from other gemstones is that it is easily available in ‘eye clean’ varieties. Its beautiful range of rich hues from dark purple to softer light purple truly have a regal look. The amethyst is the perfect stone for an engagement ring that pops and gives off a calming energy.
Preferred Origin: Siberian and South America
Art Deco Amethyst Cabochon Engagement Ring
Citrine is the yellow variety of quartz. Although it is a semi-precious stone, it is still very popular in jewelry because of its availability in ‘eye clean’ variety and the fact that it shows beautiful vivid color in the best specimens. Citrine’s yellow color ranges, with truest yellow shades to yellow tinged with browns or orange. Wearing citrine in an engagement ring is a lovely way to bring a little sunshine into your life.
Preferred Origin: Russia, Madagascar. Heat-treated citrine can be created from amethyst that was mined in other locations such as Brazil.
Emerald Cut Citrine Engagement Ring
Tourmaline is a remarkable stone to say the least. It rates very high on the Mohs scale, making a good choice for an engagement ring. It is available in many varieties, starting from semi-precious to precious varieties and in almost all the colors of rainbow and even mixtures of them. Mixed or color-zoned tourmaline is remarkable in that it contains a mix of colors that traverse the body of the gem, often step cut to enhance this characteristic and show off the color display.
Loose Mixed Tourmaline Gemstones
Here are some of the popular varieties of tourmaline:
Verdelite tourmaline: Green, semi-precious variety.
Chrome tourmaline: Intense green like that of emerald.
Rubellite tourmaline: These are of the color of ruby, hence the name. They are rare and expensive.
Indicolite tourmaline: These are the blue variety of tourmalines and are more expensive than verdelites.
Paraíba tourmaline: These are the rarest and the most expensive variety of tourmalines. Their color is often referred to as ‘electric’ and are colored by copper.
Preferred Origin: Brazil and Africa
