Alternative Engagement Ring Stones
Spoiler alert! Engagement rings do NOT have to be diamonds to be meaningful, beautiful, and special to your relationship. Diamonds became the defacto choice for engagement rings and fine jewelry because of a massive advertising campaign run by DeBeers between the 1930s and 1980s. “Diamonds last forever” became more than just a tagline when Marilyn Monroe and Audry Hepburn showed up to Hollywood events decked out in diamond rings, earrings, and necklaces. Suddenly, everyone wanted to have a small part of the brilliance and glamour of diamond jewelry.
Today, diamonds have lost a bit of their allure because people are learning more about the chokehold DeBeers has on the supply, the pollution caused by diamond mining, and the unsafe work environment workers endure to get diamonds from the ground. With so many reasons not to buy diamonds, people are turning to alternative engagement rings for a solution.
If you’re interested in the best diamond alternatives, AZEERA has some unique suggestions for you! Check out this blog to learn more about our recommendations for engagement rings and wedding bands for women and men that leave diamonds in the dust!
1. Lab-Created Diamonds
If you do want your engagement ring to have diamonds, but you’re not sure about getting the real thing, lab-created diamonds are the next best option. These are authentic diamonds that are made in a lab with sophisticated machinery that mimics the heat and pressure beneath the Earth’s crust. Lab-made diamonds, however, are made in weeks instead of millennia, and they don’t need to be mined, so they’re more affordable and accessible for everyone. The best part is that unless you’re looking for details with special magnification, nobody can tell the difference!
Lab-created stones are also an option for people who want colorful diamonds, like blue, yellow, or pink. These types of diamonds occur naturally when the carbon structure is mixed with other minerals or chemical elements, like boron or nitrogen. This same process can also be copied in a lab for people who want engagement rings that do have to be diamonds.
2. Moissanite
Many people assume that moissanite is the same as a lab-grown diamond, but that’s not exactly true. Instead of pure carbon, moissanite is made of silicon carbide. Because of the similarity in the structure, the two stone types often look very similar to the naked eye. Most people can’t even tell them apart! Today, most moissanite is also lab-grown, making it one of the best diamond alternatives because it’s easy to source and use in gemstone jewelry.
3. Sapphire
Now that we’ve covered the stones that look most like diamonds, we can start talking about alternative engagement rings that don’t have diamonds at all! One of the most popular options for diamond alternatives is the sapphire. It has a high level of hardness on the Mohs scale, making it ideal for everyday wear — and it’s one of the most dramatic stones we’ve ever seen!
While there is some variation in that deep cobalt blue, nothing catches the light or the eye better than such a stunning dark hue. You’ll be able to find sapphire engagement rings that do have diamonds, as well as those that let this stone stand alone in a solitaire style and naked band.
4. Aquamarine
Another ultra-hard stone, aquamarine is an ideal choice for alternative engagement rings because it’s so resistant to scratches and wear. Most of the time, you’ll find aquamarine in a light, sky-blue color that looks stunning with all types of gold.
There is one caution we recommend when browsing aquamarine as your replacement for engagement rings that do not have to be diamond, though! Because this stone has a tendency to be a bit brittle, most gemstone cutters prefer round, oval, and emerald cuts that make them less vulnerable to breakage. You’ll also want to check that the setting for your aquamarine stone has some extra protection, like girdles and covered corners, that prevent chipping.
5. Topaz
Some people are looking for the best diamond alternatives because they’re interested in bright colors for their engagement rings. Well, topaz could be the solution for you! This versatile gemstone is available in multiple colors, including blue Swiss, golden orange, pink, and even clear. If you’re someone who believes engagement rings do not have to be diamond, you might want to look into topaz for your special moment because the color options make it easy to combine with other gemstones, like moissanite or citrine.
6. Tourmaline
Our final selection for the best diamond alternatives is tourmaline. This is another versatile stone that comes in several colors — sometimes, even two colors in the same stone! At AZEERA, most of our tourmaline selection is pink, but you can also find it in blue, red, green, and orange. The rarest tourmalines combine two colors in one stone, shifting from one to the other, like pink to green or green to blue.
Since you’re looking for engagement rings that don’t have to be diamond, you might want to consider pink tourmaline for an engagement ring that’s going to someone with an October birthday, as it’s one of the birthstones for that month!
>Choosing Your Ring
So you know engagement rings do not have to be diamonds, but you still have so many options to choose from! If you’re not sure exactly where to start, we would recommend narrowing the gemstones down by color preference and then by durability. Because you want the ring to be as wearable as possible, you need a higher hardness on the Mohs scale to ensure the stone lasts for decades. After you figure out those two factors, then you can start considering stone size, style, and accents your significant other will love.
If you’re ready to start shopping right away, AZEERA is always here with ready-to-ship options. For those who want a more personalized touch, consider designing your own ring with a little help from our experts. And the turnaround for your custom ring is just as fast as our ready-to-ship options. Start designing your forever ring, today!
