•
Creative substitute for a diamond engagement ring?
Mrs. B asked:
My boyfriend and I are getting engaged, but I don’t wan’t a diamond, due to personal values. (Blood Diamond, anyone?) So I need some ideas for a good engagement ring. Thanks.
My boyfriend and I are getting engaged, but I don’t wan’t a diamond, due to personal values. (Blood Diamond, anyone?) So I need some ideas for a good engagement ring. Thanks.
•
28. October 2008 at 8:48 pm :
White topaz or sapphire. Both are almost as hard and sparkly as a diamond.
31. October 2008 at 3:34 pm :
My fiance and I felt the same way. He got me a saphire ring (his birthstone) and I am getting him a Zuni inlay ring with my birthstone in it (turquoise).
3. November 2008 at 11:45 pm :
cubic zirconia
5. November 2008 at 6:08 pm :
lab created stone like diamond or cubic zerconia
any other gem store- your birthstone, his, both or just a color you like
decreative gold band set-one for engament and one for wedding band, something that goes together
6. November 2008 at 7:28 am :
birthstones (unless one of you is born in April….)
8. November 2008 at 7:21 am :
Aquamarine is a beautiful stone…
#
11. November 2008 at 6:25 pm :
My mom and dad have matching rings. They are gold bands that have tribal symbols meaning “love” and “forever” engraved on them all the way around. They are pretty and I think it’s such a cute idea. I understand what you mean about the whole blood diamond thing but it’s not like that only with diamonds. Gold and platinum are rare too.
12. November 2008 at 10:15 am :
I have an aquamarine (March Birthstone) It was my great aunt’s and happens to be my husband’s birthstone. Mine isn’t that blue, most people think it is a diamond. My wrap has my birthstone and the month that we were married birthstone.
14. November 2008 at 2:01 pm :
Good for you, not buying into the diamond conflict!!! Well, you could always get a conflict-free diamond. Reputable jewelers sell certified conflict-free diamonds from Canada that have absolutely nothing to do with the African Diamond Conflict. My ring is conflict-free, which was very important to me. You’ll get less for your money than with a conflict ring, but what’s a smaller stone compared to a human life, right?
If you want to avoid diamonds altogether, there are many beautiful semi-precious stones that make good engagement rings- rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts…I could go on and on. But the prettiest non-diamond ring I ever saw was a single pearl in a white-gold setting. It was so pure and beautiful. I love my engagement ring, but if I had to pick one without diamonds, I would definitely go for a pearl because of how unique and elegantly simple it looked.
15. November 2008 at 9:56 pm :
Diamond is only one of the Four Precious Stones, and while it’s the hardest and most durable, the others are near equal to its strength. I myself LOVE sapphires, and they even come in white. Rubies and emeralds are gorgeous, as well. Be sure to research any stone you are interested in. I love tanzinites, but it’s too weak a stone to be worn as a ring, much like opal.
EDIT: I don’t know about your personal taste, but I think thses rings are gorgeous and unique:
Good luck!
18. November 2008 at 9:58 am :
Why don’t you create your own? Maybe one with both your bf and your birthstone in it. They also sell cubic zirc. now that look as great as a diamond, but isn’t.
when you get a chance, check out. They have great alternative gemstone rings also.
Congratulations on your engagement!!
19. November 2008 at 1:02 am :
You could do your birthstone, his birthstone, or the birthstone of the month that you either met or plan to marry in. Just stay away from emeralds. They are rare and precious but very soft and would not be good for an everyday ring.
20. November 2008 at 9:57 pm :
Colored stones are beautiful (emerald, ruby, sapphire, garnet, citrine, amethyst–the list goes on). You might also consider synthetic stones (either clear that look like a diamond, or colored) like Moissanite or cubic zirconia. I’ve also seen lovely bands in gold, carved or entwined (sometimes two or three colors of gold entwined together).
If you go with a natural stone, check with the jeweler that it’s a strong enough one to stand up to daily wear for the next 50 years. Some stones, like turquoise, coral, or opal, will chip or crack easily. Also, see if you can get the stone set into a engagement ring setting. Regular settings aren’t designed to stand up to the long term wear, and eventually the prongs or shank may break. If you do get a regular setting, just have the ring checked for wear periodically.
23. November 2008 at 6:01 am :
A Sapphire. this is mine. I love it so much more than a diamond!
26. November 2008 at 1:39 am :
Blue, yellow or pink sapphire rings in three stones or solitaires. Just pick the diamond ring look you like and have it designed with your favorite stones instead. You can then have simple matching wedding bands or an eternity band with the same stones! Just get a stone that’s more reflective than say amber, etc…. unless you like the vintage look
I think out of them all… yellow would look stunning!!! It kind of reminds me of yellow diamonds but has a different richer color to it. Pink is very trendy and blue is incredibly classy.
Check out the links below…
27. November 2008 at 3:50 am :
They now make cultured diamonds. They are real diamonds not mined but made in a lab and are chemically and physically the same as mined diamonds. Look at
Read about the process then click on “interested in buying?” and look at the gorgeous rings you can order guilt free.
28. November 2008 at 3:25 pm :
Actually, you can use any gem you’d like–or simply have a gold band and not have the engagement ring. It used to be that only the very wealthy could afford to buy a diamond engagement ring, so they bought what they could afford. My grandmother had a pearl ring for the longest time, it was my grandfather’s mother’s ring… they got married during the Depression, and they made do with what they had.
Find a local jeweler, not one of those big chain stores in the mall, but a jeweler who has his/her own storefront (check them out with the BBB first). They can usually design something for you that’s very unique, and can really reflect something that’s meaningful to both you and your fiance! Congrats on your engagement, and best wishes to you both!
1. December 2008 at 10:27 am :
White topaz or white sapphire.
The white sapphire is gonna cost more but it has a hardness of 9 on the Moh scale (diamonds are 10)…white topaz I believe is an 8…anything under 7 scratches easy so research your gems first….
I have a 3 ct white topaz in an oval radiant cut…it sparkles like crazy and people do stare at it…you know they are wondering if it’s real..it is…a real white topaz lol…it’s a right hand ring, tho. I also have two prasiolites or ‘green amethyst)..one is 5.7 ct and looks like a mint green diamond, but it’s very pale so you catch the green at certain angles only…and it sparkles like nuts too…..here again a right hand ring……
…or go with moissanite….has a Moh scale of 9.5 and out sparkles the most perfect diamond…a hint here…..anything over a ct looks dicey….my white topaz could easily pass as a diamond if it were smaller but it aint….I don’t care….ditto on my prasiolite..people know it’s some sorta gem tho…….if you want a believable diamond look go with a ct or smaller and do not scrimp on the setting…a setting can make or break even a diamond…the classier it is the more diamond-like your ring will look …good luck.
3. December 2008 at 2:09 pm :
Do you like the look of diamond? B/c you can always get non-conflict diamonds, moissanite or white sapphire. Those are all gorgeous stones. Moissanite is lab created. I am a huge fan of moissanite. It is still rather expensive but nothing like a diamond and being lab created the color is mostly perfect. It has great sparkle, is amazingly hard, and only a jeweler can tell the difference.
Part of the reasons diamonds are used is b/c they are so hard. Obviously if you are going to be wearing this everyday you want something durable. Many stones are especially soft (especially pearl, possible the softest as it isn’t a stone) so talk to a jeweler about that.
The rarest of stones is Emerald. So if you are wanting it for that value try that. Everyone suggests your birthstone. Precious stones and semi-precious stones vary a lot in what is determined to be. Historically speaking, aside from the diamond, the ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, pearl and opal have also been considered to be precious. Others really aren’t so I’d stick with ruby, sapphire, emerald or amethyst. Now sapphire is great b/c it comes in so many colors. You can get the traditional blue, but you can also get purple, yellow, green, pink, orange, and brown in addition to white.
However you could just simply pick a color you like a lot. After all you will be wearing this for a long long time. If you really like aquamarine, why not go with it? Just pick a gemstone on the upper end of the Mohs hardness scale and you’ll be alright.
5. December 2008 at 4:53 am :
I feel the same way, and didn’t want a diamond, either.
I am opting for a lab-created emerald - my favorite stone, plus emeralds are supposed to represent everlasting love and fidelity.
Another option is to have a lab-created diamond. They are just as beautiful, without the sacrifice of human life.
Don’t go for mined gems, period. Other gemstones are acquired in the same way diamonds are.
7. December 2008 at 6:19 am :
It’s easy to get conflict-free diamonds these days.
Go for any lab-created gemstone - which one you choose depends upon what color you like. CZs are nice. I have a pink topaz dress ring which would make a lovely engagement ring.
Also, you could just forego an engagement ring, and stick with plain gold wedding bands.
Some ideas -=&attrvalue=&CmCatId=56856|56877|57002=&attrvalue=&CmCatId=56856|56860|57514|57537
So interesting, I searched lots of gemstone rings, but the vast majority of them have diamond sidestones or accents. Still, with further searching you should be able to find some nice lab-created single stones.