For many years diamonds have dominated the engagement ring industry. Tradition has made diamonds the most popular choice. People choose them for their rarity, their beauty, and their resilience. This resilience is one of the key reasons why people choose diamonds for wedding jewelry. Engagement rings and wedding bands have a hard life. Worn daily for the woman’s entire life, engagement rings and wedding rings take a lot of wear and tear. The gemstones chosen for engagement rings and wedding bands must be tough enough to stand up to the rigors of an active woman’s life. The rings they are set in have to be well constructed and built to last.
Even so, some free thinking people choose not to buy diamonds for their engagement rings. Diamonds are expensive and one might be looking for a less predictable and creative choice. What are the options for those who do not want diamonds? Sapphires and rubies are the best choices for durability and beauty other than diamond.
Sapphires
Sapphires and rubies are both of the mineral species corundum. Corundum is a naturally-occurring material. The color of sapphires comes from different minerals that are mixed in with the mineral. Sapphire is most known for its brilliant blue color but they come in a variety of colors including pink, green,purple, and the rare and valuable pinkish orange color called Padparadscha. Pink sapphires are very popular, but blue remains the most popular and sought after color.
Sapphires make perfect additions to engagement ring mountings because of their color, beauty, and durability. Corundum is very resistant to scratching and chipping. They have a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamonds, making them one of the hardest gemstones. With an engagement ring that will be worn day in and day out, a hard gemstone is absolutely critical. It has to resist scratching, chipping, cleaving, flaking, and anything else it might face. Sapphire is a great choice for everyday wear.
Rubies
Rubies are another great choice for an engagement ring. They are corundum, the same mineral species as sapphires. In the case of ruby, the corundum mineral is combined with chromium producing the distinctive intense red color of ruby. They also have a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale giving them the same sort of durability as sapphire. Ruby is best known for its bright, true red but it can be beautiful in lighter more pinkish colors as well.
In addition to the hardness and scratch resistance inherent to sapphires and rubies, rubies make a great choice because they are colourful and unexpected. Rubies and sapphires in all their colors add a bright pop of color to engagement ring mountings. They’re very pretty set in silvery metals such as platinum, palladium, and white gold. Against those neutral backgrounds, rubies really stand out. They are also beautiful set in yellow gold. The richness of the yellow provides a colourful background that highlights the warmth of their red color.
Diamonds and Gemstones
For those who want multiple colors in their engagement rings, a mixture of diamonds and gemstones is gorgeous and very popular. The diamonds add that gleam and sparkle that only diamonds can; the colored gemstones add a pop of color. When the rich color is mixed with the brilliant diamond, the diamond draws the eye, and the contrast between the two highlights both.
You can’t go wrong with a great jeweler; she will help you pick something that’s right for you and your future spouse.
