Tradition used to dictate that an engagement ring needs to be a diamond (check out our MythBusters blog about that here). These days the options for engagement ring stones are endless. Here we break down three of the best options out there.
Diamonds:
- Diamonds are a classic option for an engagement ring and a very popular choice.
- They rate 10 on the Moh’s Hardness Scale which makes them very durable and appropriate for everyday wear.
- While the round brilliant cut is the most popular cut, diamonds come in a variety of shapes including squares, ovals and even hearts.
- You can make your ring more unique by choosing a coloured diamond as they come in a range of shades. At the more affordable end are champagne diamonds ranging through to the highly prized/priced pink and blue diamonds. There’s even rare colours of purple, red and green though extremely expensive!
- An alternative to mined diamonds, which is gaining popularity, are lab grown diamonds. These diamonds have the exact same chemical/crystal/molecular structure as a natural diamond but are created in labs instead of in the mine. This option is popular for people wanting a diamond at a lesser price as lab grown diamonds do not cost as much as mined ones.
Sapphires:
- Second to diamonds, sapphires are a popular choice for engagement rings.
- On the Moh’s hardness scale sapphires rate nine which puts them second to only diamonds in their durability. However, sapphires are less likely to chip than diamonds as they have better resistance to cleavage.
- Sapphires come in a rainbow of colors with blue and teal being the most popular choices. You can find sapphires in purple, green, yellow, colourless and orange but red sapphires are better known as rubies!
- They provide a unique look for engagement rings as no two sapphires will look the same (to the naked eye).
- Sapphires are native to Australia and provide an excellent option to people looking to support local and also who value transparency in the mining process as it is much easier to track on your own soil.
Moissanite:
- There have been many diamond alternatives used across the centuries but the best option is moissanite!
- It rates 9.25 on the Mon’s hardness scale making it more durable than sapphires but less than diamonds. An excellent everyday wear stone.
- While natural moissanite does exist it is very rare and the moissanite on the market is lab grown.
- It is a popular stone because it shows just as much, actually more, fire (rainbow sparkles) as a diamond!
- As it is a lab grown stone it provides an excellent option for the smaller budgets or those looking for a bigger ‘diamond’ look without paying as much. It also suits people who are looking to avoid buying a mined stone for ethical reasons.
While the choice of which stone to use in your ring is a very personal one there are so many options available to you that you’ll certainly find a stone which gives you the look you want, in your budget and respecting any ethical concerns you may have. If you would like to have a chat with Teagan about what stone would work best for your ring you can book an appointment with her here.