Shopping for the perfect engagement ring can be an overwhelming experience, especially with all the available choices. Although a diamond engagement ring has traditionally been the most popular choice, a variety of precious gemstones can serve as a creative option to suit your style. As premier designers of fine engagement rings and wedding bands in Winnipeg, we spend our day helping clients choose the perfect stones to honour their lifelong commitment. In today’s article, we will review some of the options available regarding non-diamond engagement rings. Read on to learn more!
Key Takeaways
- While diamond engagement rings have generally been the traditional choice, many more options exist.
- When choosing the perfect gem for any jewellery designed for everyday wear, consider the stone’s durability and hardness.
- Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, Moissanites, and lab-grown diamonds are all great choices.
Why Consider A Diamond Engagement Ring
First, let’s discover why diamonds have generally been the most popular choice for engagement rings. As the hardest substance known to humans, diamonds are prized for their everlasting durability and rarity. This makes diamonds the perfect choice for any piece of jewellery you plan to wear every day for the rest of your life! Aside from their durability, diamonds have an exceptional ability to refract light, making them incredibly bright and sparkly, giving them an almost enchanting appearance when worn in jewellery.
Another reason to choose a diamond as the centre stone for your engagement ring is that diamonds can work well, no matter one’s style. This means that if you are unsure of your partner’s style preferences, diamonds are always a safe bet. Further, if you decide to upgrade your stone, you can always use the diamond from your engagement ring in a pendant or other piece of custom jewellery.
Alternative Gemstones
Let’s have a look at some of the other excellent options when it comes to non-traditional or non-diamond engagement rings:
Sapphires
The first choice that comes to mind is the most royal of gemstones, the sapphire. These striking gems come in a variety of colours, from deep blues to a variety of teals and greens, as well as yellow and hot pink. The sapphire is also incredibly durable and known to wear very well over time, making it suitable for everyday wear.
Sapphires have also gained a great deal of popularity as they have been the stone of choice for many members of European royal families. The most well-known example is Kate Middleton’s engagement ring, which features a large blue Ceylon sapphire as the centre stone.
Ruby
Next to sapphires, rubies are the most popular choice. Known for its deep red hue, the ruby is a versatile gem that looks beautiful on all skin tones and in all colours of gold. Like sapphires, rubies are also very hard and durable stones, making them a perfect choice for a non-diamond engagement ring.
Emeralds
The emerald is another popular choice, especially for those born in May (birthstone). Emeralds are known for their green colour and brilliance and look exceptional in all pieces of fine jewellery, from necklaces to bracelets, as well as earrings and pendants. Emeralds can also be an excellent accompaniment to nature-inspired pieces of jewellery, especially engagement rings featuring various vine and leaf shapes. As a word of caution, emeralds are on the softer side, so they require that the wearer be extra careful and gentle with their piece of jewellery.
Moissanite
Moissanites are lab-created stones that are very similar to diamonds. While diamonds are made from pure carbon, Moissanites are made from silicone carbide. Like diamonds, Moissanites are very durable and brilliant. One difference, however, is in the sparkle. While diamonds tend to give off many tiny pinpoints of white light, the sparkle from Moissanite tends to have more colours, known as the “disco ball effect.” For this reason, we recommend viewing a Moissanite and diamond side by side as you make your pick.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
While natural diamonds have been trendy over the years, thanks to state-of-the-art technology, diamonds can now be grown in a lab setting. These stones are considerably more affordable, allowing you to receive a larger diamond for a given budget. Lab-created diamonds can also come in various exciting shapes, including unique hexagon and kite cuts. For these reasons, lab-created diamonds can be excellent for a unique engagement ring featuring a larger stone.
Create Your Masterpiece Today
We hope this guide has demonstrated that engagement rings in Winnipeg can be crafted with a variety of precious stones, not only diamonds! Feel free to browse our website for examples of the different possibilities available.
If you are looking to create the perfect engagement ring featuring diamonds, sapphires, and/or other precious gems, please contact our expert design team to begin your masterpiece!