Gorgeous Gemstone Engagement Rings For The Chic Bride

Colorful gemstone engagement rings is not so much a trend as it is a historical way of decorating a bride-to-be’s ring finger. Although it is becoming very popular amongst modern brides, this trend has been around for centuries. If you look back to the classic jewelry eras, you will see many royalties decorated their engagement rings with gemstones. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know when buying colored stone engagement rings.

Examples of Royalty with Gemstones Engagement Rings:

• In 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte presented his empress-to-be with a sapphire and diamond “you and me” ring for their engagement.
• Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, boasts a 12-carat sapphire and diamond halo engagement ring, which if you follow jewelry trends, you have likely seen over the last couple of years since her ring has been featured everywhere. Her ring was actually once Princess Diana’s.
• Princess Eugenie sports an orangish pink padparadscha sapphire with a round brilliant cut diamond engagement ring.
• Princess Eugenie’s mother, the Duchess of York, dons a large ruby with a diamond halo engagement ring, which looks akin to her daughter Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring.

Celebrities with Gemstone Engagement Rings:

• Ashlee Simpson has a vintage-inspired ring with a marquise cut diamond encircled by gorgeously vivid rubies.
• Jenny McCarthy wears a yellow sapphire centerstone engagement rings surrounded by diamonds.
• Elizabeth Hurley rocks a stunningly classic three stone engagement ring. It has a blue sapphire centerpiece with two trilliant diamonds on both sides.

These examples above are clearly a big indicator and cause of the beloved gemstone engagement ring trend. Gemstone Diamond Engagement Rings are both vintage and modern, making it not only a trending style but a timeless and distinct one that can be passed down for generations too.

Gemstone engagement rings aren’t just trendy, colorful and eye-catching, they show personality as well. Similar to clothing, many women want to show they are different, so they wear various styles and colors of clothes. It makes life a lot more interesting, rather than everyone wearing the same black and white outfits. Engagement rings are no different. Many women have taken to showing more personality via their engagement rings. This is done by using precious or even semi-precious gemstone engagement rings – many popular gemstone engagement rings incorporate a gemstone centerpiece with diamond accents or vice versa.

It’s not only gemstones that are making engagement rings colorful these days, but fancy colored diamonds have also hit the industry by storm. However, today we are only going to focus on a variety of gorgeous gemstone engagement rings (with or without diamonds).

Why you should get a gemstone engagement ring

Here’s what’s great about colored gemstone engagement rings:

• Color: There’s a gemstone for almost every conceivable hue. Using colors and imagination for unique designs is an art form, as is jewelry in general.
• Meaningful: Gemstones have historic symbolism, so they can add more depth to the meaning of your engagement ring and love for your partner.
• Affordability: Using colored gemstones is a smart and affordable way to add size to an engagement ring. Although emeralds, rubies, and sapphires are expensive, other semi-precious gemstones are equally beautiful and are significantly less expensive. With that being said, we aren’t worrying about price in this article, as we are featuring the finest gemstone engagement rings from Diamonds by Raymond Lee in Boca Raton.

With the plethora of options for colored gemstones available, you have the ability to meet budget expectations while also being able to perfectly display your personality. The only challenge is that there are so many options, it might take some time to make a final decision.

Note: While there are many options, you need to consider the durability of specific gemstones (it varies), which we will get into below.

The different precious gemstones used in engagement rings and their meaning:

Sapphires

Sapphires are one of the most classic gemstones for engagement rings. When you think of sapphires, you think a rich blue hue, and although that is true in many cases, sapphires also come in a variety of colors, such as yellow, pink, purple and green. A sapphire stone represents wisdom, virtue, good fortune, faithfulness, and sincerity. Moreover, sapphires are a very hardy and durable gemstone, which makes them a classic choice for a ring that makes a statement for an everlasting bond of love.

Emeralds

Emeralds are gorgeously green, some more vivid than others, and they look absolutely incredible in both vintage and contemporary engagement ring settings. Furthermore, they pair exquisitely with clear diamonds as it makes for incredible contrast. Emeralds represent growth, self-reflection, healing, fertility, balance, and peace. Emeralds also convey the greenness of nature, offering a sense of calm like no other. Although on average, emeralds are the least durable of the 3 precious gems, they are still long-lasting through everyday wear and meet the requirement of a timeless, tenacious engagement ring.

Rubies

Rubies have one of the most powerful places in the history of luxury jewelry. This vibrant red precious stone is extremely fitting for fine jewelry. Although rubies are not the exception but the rule when it comes to engagement rings, they are impressively gorgeous and a perfect companion for an engagement ring. Rubies are the most durable of the precious gemstones, not considering diamonds, so they are not only extremely durable, but they are also almost as expensive as diamonds, pending the quality – vibrant red and extremely clear rubies with no treatment being the highest quality. Rubies are considered the stone of love, as you’d imagine due to the intense red hue. They also express energy, passion, and power. Rubies are an impeccable symbol of powerful love, which is perfect for the one you plan to spend the rest of your life with.

Amethyst (semi-precious)

Amethyst deserve a lot more recognition for their use in engagement rings. The strong purple or violet color offers a bold statement. Additionally, they are considerably durable, which makes them great for getting the biggest bang for your buck. Amethyst stones represent a more spiritual meaning. They are considered the stone of spiritual protection and purification, detoxifying one’s negative energy while creating a positive, spiritual light around one’s body. Amethysts are said to act as a protection against bad energies, psychic invasion, unhealthy surroundings, and geopathic stress. Amethysts are semi-precious, unlike the precious stones above, yet they go so well with engagement ring settings that we couldn’t leave this one out.

Emeralds and sapphires are the most popular options in 2019, without a doubt. Another point to note is that while sapphires are the most durable and hardest, which makes for a piece of jewelry that will last forever, emeralds and rubies are the rarest.

There are many options for semi-precious gemstones for engagement rings, which are not only gorgeous but also much more price-friendly and great substitutes for precious gemstones (sapphires, rubies, and emeralds):

Semi-precious gemstones for engagement rings include, but are not limited to:

• Blue Topaz
• Aquamarine
• Morganite
• Garnet
• Pearl
• Onyx
• Citrine

Onyx and Diamond Engagement Ring

Gemstone Engagement Rings Price

Not all gems are created equal, and that goes for gems of the same kind. Just because a stone is a sapphire or ruby doesn’t mean it is automatically valuable. In fact, the majority of gem deposits produce a lot more low quality gems than high quality. As precious stones like diamonds and corundum have industrial purposes, even low-quality stones are beneficial, just not so much for jewelry.

Now, what are the factors for determining the value of a gem that can be applied to jewelry making?

The 4C’s:

The 4C’s are usually used to describe diamond quality. However, the same rules, albeit in a different context, are used to determine the value of gems. Other factors included in determining the value of gems are the country of origin and whether the gem has been enhanced by the various kinds of treatments.

Gabriel & Co. 14k White Gold 0.46ctw Diamond And 0.39ctw Sapphire Engagement Ring

We are going to briefly explain the 4C’s relating to gems…

Color

The evaluation of gems begins with their color. Color is so important that it actually determines what kind of gem it is.

There are three different points when considering color – hue (name of the color), tone (darkness and lightness), and saturation (vividness). The connection between all three is crucial in naming and valuing a colored stone.

A simple example would be the difference between an aquamarine and a sapphire. Both have the same hue, which is blue. However, the tone is quite different. Sapphires have a dark tone and aquamarine has a light tone. The market expects optimal tones when differentiating a colored stone, therefore, the difference between a sapphire and an aquamarine becomes clear when you consider the hue, tone, and saturation.

Note: when viewing a stone’s color, understand the lighting source that you are using to illuminate the stone. Consider the stone in natural viewing conditions as well as in the lighting source.

Clarity

This refers to the comparative grade of which a transparent gemstone is free of internal or external characteristics. Internal being inclusions and external being blemishes.

Different types of gems have unique frameworks, so when considering clarity, you need to take into consideration the type of gem you are looking at. For example, emeralds naturally have inclusions and it’s extremely hard to find a naturally inclusion-free emerald. Amethysts, on the other hand, are expected to be inclusion-free. Furthermore, certain kinds of gems simply don’t exist without inclusions. So, when purchasing a specific gem, be sure to learn all about what kind of clarity to expect when determining its value. Other factors to consider are the size of the gem and the number and location of these internal and external characteristics.

Carat weight

The size of a gemstone is declared by its weight. The measurement is in metric carats, which are one-fifth of a gram. An increase in size and price is not consistent across all gems. For example, an increase in the size of a high-quality ruby, based on a ruby’s price, will be substantially higher than an increase in the size of an amethyst, based on an amethyst’s price. So if it costs two times more for double the size of an amethyst, it could be 4 times or more for double the size of a particular ruby. This is because the rarity of a precious stone like a ruby at that particular size is much greater than an amethyst. It’s all about the population of comparable stones when determining the price per size. Therefore, there isn’t a set formula across the board.

Cut

The cut does not refer to the shape, but the proportions, symmetry, and polish. This is out of natures hands, and it is based on how well the stone was cut by a jeweler. A skillful cutter will bring out the finest color in the rough gem, enhancing its beauty and brilliance.

Combining the carat weight with color, clarity, and cut is what determines the value. And while there is no grading standard that exists, there are expectations that are excepted universally.

As much as the average person can study gems before purchasing one, it is important to work with an experienced and trustworthy jeweler so you can be sure you are getting the right value.

18k Yellow Gold 0.25ctw Diamond And Oval Amethyst Ring

How treatment affects the value of a gem

A treated gemstone is still a natural gemstone. It’s just been improved to offer the best color and/or clarity. With that being said, all gems that have been treated should be listed for sale as such. In fact, there is a law that requires anyone selling a gem to disclose the treatment that the gem has undergone.

You shouldn’t worry about asking questions about a gemstone’s enhancements or about any special care it requires. Any trustworthy jeweler will walk you through the treatment process.

It’s best to understand the basics when communicating with your jeweler. There are a few different treatments, all of which your jeweler can explain to you on the spot.

Treatments for gems include:

• Bleach (alters or removes color).
• Diffusion (heating or adding other elements to permanently improve the gem’s color).
• Dye (a very old method mostly used on low-quality pearls, but also some other precious and semi-precious gems as well. Dyes require special after-care treatment as they can fade or alter in color over time).
• Filling (filling tiny fractures or cavities in the gem using glass, resin, oil or wax. It’s done to enhance clarity).
• Heat (exposure to high temperature to permanently change its color. This is one of the most common treatments for gems).
• Irradiation (uses small doses of radiation to change the gemstones’ color permanently).
• Oil (treatment for surface inclusions, mainly for emeralds. Oil smooths the surface and enhances clarity).

The type of treatment usually depends on the jeweler and the gemstone at hand.

Where to buy gorgeous gemstone engagement rings?

At Raymond Lee Jewelers and Diamonds by Raymond Lee in Boca Raton (yes, we have two stores!), we sell a wide selection of gemstone and diamond engagement rings. All of the rings featured in this article are available at our jewelry store. You can purchase online or come into our showroom to view them in person and ask any and all questions that you have. We offer super competitive pricing and the finest quality gemstone and diamond jewelry in the market.

Tacori Sapphire And Diamond Engagement Ring Setting

About Raymond Lee Jewelers and Diamonds by Raymond Lee

We have been serving Boca Raton and South Florida’s voracious need for engagement for over three decades. Our team of expert jewelry advisers dedicate themselves to assisting you in selecting the perfect engagement ring. We aim to provide unparalleled customer support and satisfaction. Our A+ BBB rating can vouch for this.

Our vision has always been to forge a unique, professional, and intimate vibe. We provide a shopping experience that works for all generations. We especially know what the modern jewelry buyer wants; and we keep traditions that never fade intact, such as sensibility, artistry, and craftsmanship.

We have been Sunny Florida’s premier engagement ring retailer since 2016.

If you want to learn more about our gemstone engagement rings and services, please contact us today with any and all questions you may have. We look forward to hearing from you!