Knowing which gemstone your engagement ring should have is hardly rocket science, but it can get a little overwhelming when you start shopping around and see the insane variety that’s out there. With that in mind, here’s a little guide to bear in mind while you’re doing your research to help you answer the question: which gemstone should your engagement ring have?
How Often Will You Wear It?
Sounds like a silly question since most people wear their engagement rings every day, but it’s important to represent those people who just aren’t that interested in wearing jewellery. If you’re not keen on wearing a piece of jewellery every day, or if your lifestyle would make it something of a pain to have a ring on every single day, there are plenty of gemstones that would be perfect for you.
Diamonds are always the classic go-to, and for good reason; they’re beautiful, their sparkle is unmatched, and they are incredibly tough. Widely regarded as the strongest naturally-occurring substance known to humankind (although there are a few stronger materials), diamonds are suitable for being worn every day because they are unlikely to be damaged. If you’re not interested in wearing your engagement ring every day, however, there are more doors open to you when it comes to the overall design of the ring.
Gemstones like pearls and opals come with a big warning if they’re chosen for engagement rings. Both of these gemstones are extremely soft and porous, and can be damaged by a wide variety of chemicals like moisturisers, perfumes, and makeups. Furthermore, they are more prone to being scratched and damaged whilst being worn. If you plan on wearing your engagement ring only on special occasions or for date nights etc. then you can choose a pearl or opal engagement ring without much risk of damaging it.
What Colours do You Like?
Whilst it’s true that diamonds come in a variety of colours like yellow, pink, blue, and even black, buying a coloured diamond – usually called fancy diamonds – will set you back by a lot. There are other gemstones that suit the engagement ring life that have a huge range of colours to suit your tastes.
Sapphires and rubies, for example, are part of the corundum family of minerals, having a 9.0 grading on the Mohs scale – a scale that measures the ‘hardness’ of minerals. This means that sapphires and rubies are tough enough gemstones that they can be worn in an engagement ring for everyday wear without there being much risk of damage. Sapphires range from blues so deep they look black, to pale blues that resemble the sky on a summer’s day. They also dip into warmer colours, with pink, orange and yellow sapphires being highly-valued. Rubies are more limited in their colour palette, but remain an enduring favourite due to the romantic connotations of their deep reds and pretty pinks.
Emerald is a widely-loved gemstone that is part of the Beryl family of minerals, receiving a 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale. Slightly more porous than sapphires and rubies, emeralds are still a good choice for an engagement ring. Their hardiness is tried and true, with antique emerald engagement rings still available for purchase today in excellent condition, despite their – often more than 100 year – histories.
What Will Suit Your Style?
Antique and vintage engagement rings come in a huge range of shapes and styles, but if you like the modern styles that are being made new today, then perhaps antique and vintage is not for you.
Diamonds are undoubtedly the kings of engagement rings, and if you’re after something that matches a contemporary style, then diamonds are the way to go. Varied metal colours – like rose gold and yellow gold – tend to come and go in fashion, and so this is where you’ll want to pay more attention to get something that’s right on trend at the moment. Although rose gold has a special appeal, its recent popularity is fading, giving way to yellow gold once more.
If your style is more quirky or vintage, then vintage rings featuring gemstones like pearls, aquamarines, and opals are something you should look into. Antique and vintage settings like cluster settings, with prominent metal claws holding the gemstones in place, look stunning with gemstones like rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, and all are perfect for regular wearing.
The most important elements to bear in mind when engagement ring shopping are what you want in an engagement ring, and which gemstones can best provide those factors. If you want a ring you can wear every day, diamonds will always be there for you. If you want an engagement ring with some colour, gemstones like those mentioned in this blog are tough enough for the job. If you aren’t interested in wearing you ring every day and would rather have a show-stopper for special occasions, you can be a bit freer with your choice of gemstone.
With all that said, which gemstone do you think you’d like in your engagement ring?
