Alternatives to Diamonds» sapphire engagement rings

Gemstone Engagement Rings: Try a Yellow Sapphire Center Stone

Mon, 10 May 2010 12:00:08 +0000

Yellow gemstones are not nearly as popular as others like blue sapphires, red rubies or green emeralds but as soon to be engaged couples look to be unique in their choice of engagement rings, other colored stones are being considered. Although most widely known for it’s beautiful blue hue, sapphire’s are also available in a remarkable yellow color. Sapphires in general, are valuable stones – coming second only to diamonds in stone hardness. A yellow sapphire is a very unique option as a center stone to your engagement ring.

You are about to ask the woman of your dreams to marry you and you want to select a stone that epitomizes all of the qualities that your beloved possesses. A Yellow Sapphire represents wisdom, virtue, future, devotion, truthfulness, and children just to name a few things among many. The color yellow brings to mind happiness and warmth. Isn’t that exactly what your future wife brings into your life?

With the rising costs of gasoline today, which in turn raises costs in just about every other market, one probably does not have a large budget with which to purchase an engagement ring. The good news is that Yellow Sapphires are very affordable. It is easy to select a larger carat stone in a beautiful setting for a lot less money than a smaller diamond ring would cost. As far as what types of cuts are available for Yellow Sapphires, the sky is the limit. This gemstone looks beautiful in emerald cuts, marquise cuts, oval cuts, pear cuts, or other traditional cuts.

Sapphires of all colors are found in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar and Australia. Some are even found right here in the U.S. in Montana. Yellow Sapphires come in shades of pale lemon to very rich golden hues. A Yellow Sapphire looks absolutely stunning when placed into settings of white gold, platinum, or silver.

When it comes to durability, a sapphire is a perfect choice. According to the Mohs scale, sapphires rate at a 9 for hardness, the only gemstone that rates higher is the diamond which rates a 10. A Yellow Sapphire is a great choice for woman who wears her ring daily, not wanting to keep it in the jewelry box most of the time. As with most gemstones, caution should be used when using household cleaners.

A Yellow Sapphire engagement ring is sure to please your lady-love, and be a real conversation piece. Show her just how special she is with an engagement ring that shows how much thought and consideration went into the selection of her ring.

The author just celebrated her one year anniversary and sports a beautiful ascher cut ring. She and her husband put together the website: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com to help you find the perfect ring.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Shields

Trend Alert: Sapphire & Diamond Engagement Rings

Sun, 09 May 2010 11:58:40 +0000

Similar to the fashion industry, the jewelry industry is heavily influenced by Hollywood celebrities, starlets and socialites. When we see our favorite celeb wearing a butterfly necklace, without a doubt – sales of butterfly necklaces and pendants sky-rocket the next day! Gemstones as center stones in engagement ringshas been trending in popularity with Hollywood A-listers and royalty, particularly as they become more socially conscious to things like conflict diamonds. Sapphire engagement rings became very popular when Prince Charles proposed to Prince Di – now, several decades later – the gemstone engagement ring as proven to be more than just a “fad”. Sapphire and diamond engagement rings are amongst the most popular of all gemstone combinations.

In the 1980’s, Princess Diana sparked a massive trend for sapphire engagement rings after Prince Charles went down on bended knee and proposed to her with a sapphire ring. However, their popularity gradually waned and the diamond solitaires retained their position. During this recent credit crunch period though as budgets have become tighter, couples have strived to find other options and diamond and sapphire white gold rings have provided an answer. This is such an important, once-in-a-lifetime purchase that even if a prospective buyer has to tighten their purse strings, they still want a gorgeous ring that captures the romance and majesty of the moment.

Fortunately, white gold sapphire and diamond rings can offer it all. With the sapphire’s undeniable beauty and as the most durable gemstone after the diamond, this gemstone provides fantastic value for money. Not only do they create rings that look spectacular but that will withstand a lifetime of wear. While white gold offers the splendour of platinum but costs less.

One of the other main factors for their burgeoning popularity has to do with women becoming increasingly more involved in the selection process. It is now more common these days for women to choose the ring for herself and a sapphire diamond ring may more accurately reflect her personality and style then a simple solitaire. As it is a ring that will be worn continually it is essential that it truly reflects who she is and is a ring she can be proud of for life.

Michelle Elkins is a regular contributor to The Diamond Store, one of the largest online jewellery retailers which provides everything from white gold diamond and sapphire rings to diamond stud earrings at a fraction of high street prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Elkins

Fancy Sapphire: Purple Sapphire engagement ring

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:31:38 +0000

Purple sapphire engagement rings are unique in that they appear to change color depending on the lighting, and may look like two different rings under various lighting conditions. Purple sapphires look blue in the daylight and have more of a violet hue under incandescent lights. The more dramatic the color change, the more valuable the sapphire is considered to be.

If you like sapphires, you’re not alone. Sapphires continue to be the best selling gem in the U.S. When people think about sapphires, they usually think of blue sapphires. However, natural sapphire comes in a variety of colors. Sapphires that are not blue are referred to collectively as fancy sapphires. Purple sapphires as well as other colored sapphires can be found in Madagascar, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Australia to name a few regions. Heating sapphires may add to their value by enhancing color and clarity. It is estimated that over 90-95% of the sapphires in the market today are heat-treated.

Purple sapphires are a good choice for engagement rings because sapphires as a whole, are extremely durable gems. In fact, sapphires are the hardest gemstone except for diamonds. Thus, your ring can withstand all the elements and rigors of daily wearing, without you having to think twice.

In addition, purple sapphires are a good deal, often costing less than blue sapphires. As with diamonds, sapphires increase disproportionately in cost as their carat weight increases. i.e. A three carat sapphire might cost a lot more than three separate sapphires adding up to three carats in weight. This is due in part to the fact that large carat sapphires are relatively rare. The kind of sapphire cut also impacts cost, with round sapphires costing slightly more than marquis or pear cuts.

Blue sapphire engagement rings have been known to be preferred by royalty because the blue sapphire stone is even more rare than a diamond and is almost as hard. This is a nice factoid to share with your number one queen as you slip a blue sapphire engagement ring on her ring finger.

Blue sapphires come in a range of shades from a light to deep blue. The blue color is due to the level of titanium in the stone: the more titanium, the richer the color. However, too much color can actually create a dull black effect, reducing the price of the stone.

Most blue sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Madagascar. Burmese sapphires tend to cost more than those from Sri Lanka and Madagascar due to their brilliant color. Kashmir blue sapphires are the most rare and expensive of all as the supply found in a remote region of India was exhausted around a 100 years ago, thus escalating price and demand. Prices for blue sapphires depend on whether or not they’ve been treated (with untreated costing much more) as well as color, cut, tone (lightness or darkness of stone), saturation (degree to which hue is hidden by other shades), and clarity. One carat blue sapphires can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

Rainbow sapphire engagement rings seem to be increasing in popularity these days. There are a number of websites devoted soley to selling rainbow sapphire jewelry. Quite a few websites also offer rainbow sapphire wedding lines. Check out these websites offering a variety of rainbow sapphire engagement rings

www.rainbowsapphire.com

This website is pretty awesome if you love rainbow sapphire jewelry! It has two separate collections for rainbow sapphires with intense hues and those with medium color saturation. Unfortunately, they don’t sell directly to customers. However, you can send them an email to find out where an authorized retailer is located nearby to you

www.titanium-jewelry.com

This website offers several really cool looking syles for rainbow sapphire rings. The rings are solid titanium with rainbow sapphire chips. Very stylish and unique without looking gawdy.

www.amazon.com

Go to this power-house and type in “rainbow sapphire rings” and a bevy of colorful results will appear.