The Many Faces of a Sapphire Engagement Ring

In recent years, rings and jewellery topped by a precious gemstone other than a diamond have been making a comeback. Where once the jewellery field, and the engagement jewellery sector in particular, were dominated in a virtual monopoly by diamonds and diamond merchants, the past two decades have seen a broadening of the spectrum in this regard, with many previously-neglected options returning to public awareness. These alternatives are once again becoming popular options, in addition to diamonds, as centrepieces for rings and jewellery.

In this regard, coloured stones – sapphires, rubies, emeralds and their like – have been the gems to reap the most benefits. Once as popular an option for soon-to-be engaged couples as the diamond is today, this type of jewel lost its pride of place once those sparkly, translucent stones became mass-marketed in the late 19th century. The present generation’s taste for vintage-inspired jewellery, however, brought these stones back to the limelight, and one should not be surprised to hear a modern-day bride state that she prefers a sapphire engagement ring to a diamond one.

There are, however, still a number of misconceptions about rings set with this type of stone. Perhaps the biggest of these has to do with colour, as many uninformed people seem to think that a sapphire engagement ring must of necessity be topped by a blue stone, and that a stone of any other colour is automatically assumed to be a ruby, or emerald, or whatever else. This is most decidedly not true.

The Rainbow Stone

In fact, a quick skim through speciality websites and articles will quickly reveal that, while blue continues to be the preferred colour for sapphires and the most widely spread, this stone comes in just as many hues as diamonds, if not more. Pink, red, green, yellow, brown (smoky), orange or even translucent sapphires are all readily available in the market, although the scarcity of active sapphire mines nowadays may make the gems slightly harder to find than diamonds or some of the other precious stones.

Among these colours, the most popular (aside from, obviously, blue) are purple, pink and peach, although peach sapphires (also called Padparascha sapphires) are quite rare. Blue- and yellow-tinted green sapphires also have their demographic, although green sapphires per se are usually not particularly appealing to buyers.

Whichever colour a couple eventually ultimately chooses for their sapphire ring, however, they will always be purchasing a sturdy stone with a high visual impact, an excellent and usually more affordable alternative to the diamond.

Frank L Orman is the founder of the F&L Designer Guides, compiled and written to help consumers choose a unique engagement ring design. From a diamond to a sapphire engagement ring from a princess cut to a platinum band, we have ideas and opinions covering all the options. Offering advice, tips and suggestions on how to choose that perfect ring, F&L will accompany you on every stage of your search to find the right designer.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.