Are colored stone e-rings becoming more popular?

[innerkitten]

I know in certain parts of Europe they always have been but I''m starting to see quite a few around San Francisco. In one month alone on three different people with colored stone rings on the left hand .

First a gorgeous art deco five carat emerald cabochon in platinum with minimal diamonds on the sides. It was really TDF! Then a large pastel colored padparadscha sapphire in a simple platinum solitaire with no sidetones ( didn''t need sidestones either. The stone was from Goldberry in SF ). And a blue sapphire solitaire in gold with small diamonds around the shank. It used to be that most engagement rings I saw in the city were just diamonds between 1/2 and 1 carat so it''s interesting to see some color.

 

[FrekeChild]

I think they are! I secretly hope that the desire for diamonds and diamond marketing by DeBeers is not having the same effect anymore.

Then again I still want to feel special by being a weirdo that has a CS ering!

 

[Indylady]

I think they are becoming more popular. Colored diamonds are becoming a lot more popular as well.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Date: 4/19/2010 1:50:50 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Then again I still want to feel special by being a weirdo that has a CS ering!

Me too! i don''t want to start seeing lots of cs erings!

 

[packrat]

Date: 4/19/2010 7:07:35 PM
Author: stepcutgirl

Date: 4/19/2010 1:50:50 PM

Author: FrekeChild

Then again I still want to feel special by being a weirdo that has a CS ering!

Me too! i don''t want to start seeing lots of cs erings!

Me three!!

 

[vinkalmann]

I haven't seen anyone else with colored stone e-rings, but people have been really interested in the sapphire ring I gave my fiance. There's been no of the "Why didn't he get you a diamond" questions at all. I would bet it will start to take off a bit more in the future.

It's funny about wanting to be unique. There's a couple the might be getting engaged and the guy has plenty of money. I COULD share with him the secret that colored stones are the way to go, ie that rubies can be much more rare and expensive than diamonds (not to mention way more interesting and unique) but I won't because I don't like him

To the OP, I'd love to know the stats on that Goldberry ring. I'm curious just what you get for the money when you buy from her (the owner) because the prices are WAY up there.

http://www.goldberry.com/pricelist.html

 

[Black Jade]

My mom had a diamond, but she was the only one of her friends--they all had colored stones, usually their birthstone in their e-rings. But they were not from the US.

My best friend is American but Norwegian background and she got an emerald for her e-ring. She is divorced now and wears her grandmother''s e-ring instead of her own. It is a gorgeous pink tourmaline set in rose gold from around 1900. I have another friend who has an emerald e-ring but it is a really crappy looking tiny emerald. She adores it though. She says "It is an emerald which an 18 year old boy could afford." I guess there are things more important than beauty.

I read an etiquette book recently written in 1890. It talked about the etiquette of getting engaged and said that part of it was that the gentleman gave his fiance a ring. It then said, "Among the wealthy it (the ring) may be of diamonds--a solitaire or a cluster--and as expensive as the young man''s means will justify. The ring is not necessarily a diamond one; it may be of other stones or it may be an heirloom in his family...All lovers cannot afford to present their lady-loves with diamond rings, but all are able to give them some little token of their regard..."

It seems that even in 1890 in the US (this is an American etiquette book), diamonds were seen as the choice of the wealthy, but anything was considered to be an engagement ring that was worn on the ''ring finger of the RIGHT hand" (I wonder when that changed, exactly).

 

[Bella_mezzo]

I have one (a three stone with sapphire center and diamond sides) I love it!!!! It glows and IMO has much more personality than a diamond.

I did get a blingtastic five stone ring though for days when I want sparkle


But 90% of the time I wear my sapphire ering.

 

[PumpkinPie]

I don''t know anyone with a coloured stone ering.. but most people I know aren''t big on jewelry anyway

 

[CharmyPoo]

I also don''t know anyone with a colored e-ring but I think they are goregous. I frequently wear my colored stones instead of my diamond e-ring.

 

[innerkitten]

Well I''d like a second e-ring with a colored stone in it.

I know the Goldberry prices are way up the and the web site isn''t very good. I only know the owner of the padparadscha ring casually so I haven''t asked too many questions about it ( except where did she get it and that type of thing). But every time I see her I admire her ring. I''d say it''s about two carats, could be a little under. It''s an oval and ovals tend to have a good spread. It''s a paler pastel pad.

 

[Gempassion]

I believe CS E-ring have become more popular since the movie Blood Diamond came out and there has been more awareness about conflict diamonds... That''s the trend I''ve noticed anyways.

 

[RaiKai]

My own family has been going the blue sapphire route it seems like forever...but my background is British and such. I have one too.There have been a couple yellow or green sapphires or rubies too.

Amongst younger couples the trend here is still diamonds. And the marketing still works..a girl I know had to work hard to get the ceylon sapphire she wanted as her now husband was worried he would look cheap!!! I think this is a common thought due to the diamond marketing.

I see more couples who get married later, or much older women with coloured stones but I have always seen that I think!

I think colourless diamonds will dominate the ering market for a long time to come.The diamond industry puts a lot of marketing into it and depends on the ering buyer really to put *value* into diamonds.

I love coloured stone erings but doubt they will continue to be anything but unique in the North American market for a long time.

 

[gingersnap]

Date: 4/19/2010 7:10:42 PM
Author: packrat

Date: 4/19/2010 7:07:35 PM
Author: stepcutgirl

Date: 4/19/2010 1:50:50 PM

Author: FrekeChild

Then again I still want to feel special by being a weirdo that has a CS ering!

Me too! i don''t want to start seeing lots of cs erings!

Me three!!

I''m totally mixed on this. Yes, I like having a CS ering and being *special*, but I want more eye candy. MOAR! However, I don''t want demand for cs to go up either. Hmmm!

 

[Indylady]

Date: 4/19/2010 7:55:33 PM
Author: Black Jade
My mom had a diamond, but she was the only one of her friends--they all had colored stones, usually their birthstone in their e-rings. But they were not from the US.


My best friend is American but Norwegian background and she got an emerald for her e-ring. She is divorced now and wears her grandmother''s e-ring instead of her own. It is a gorgeous pink tourmaline set in rose gold from around 1900. I have another friend who has an emerald e-ring but it is a really crappy looking tiny emerald. She adores it though. She says ''It is an emerald which an 18 year old boy could afford.'' I guess there are things more important than beauty.


I read an etiquette book recently written in 1890. It talked about the etiquette of getting engaged and said that part of it was that the gentleman gave his fiance a ring. It then said, ''Among the wealthy it (the ring) may be of diamonds--a solitaire or a cluster--and as expensive as the young man''s means will justify. The ring is not necessarily a diamond one; it may be of other stones or it may be an heirloom in his family...All lovers cannot afford to present their lady-loves with diamond rings, but all are able to give them some little token of their regard...''


It seems that even in 1890 in the US (this is an American etiquette book), diamonds were seen as the choice of the wealthy, but anything was considered to be an engagement ring that was worn on the ''ring finger of the RIGHT hand'' (I wonder when that changed, exactly).

That is so adorable.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

I''ve seen more interest than the past in color stones for engagement. However, my clients who have them have had mixed responses from their friends and acquaintances. I personally find color stones very interesting and unique for engagement. But some people''s perception are that they are cheaper and less rare than diamonds. While not always reality, that perception is common.

--Joshua

 

[velouriaL]

I think they are becoming more popular as more people are becoming aware of how equally beautiful CSs are in their own right, not just as a cheaper alternative. I think it''s also, for some people, part of the same trend of alternative/hipster/DIY weddings. It seems like "doing your own thing" and being unique is pretty in style in the wedding industry right now...

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

I think they are becoming more popular. I gave my ex wife a 3.42 untreated kashmir blue sapphire from Umba, Tanzania. It was Portuguese cut with another carat of diamonds around it. We always got compliments on it, people liked how it was different and some of the people we knew also looked for similiar stones when they got engaged or used colored diamonds. I think that the public is becoming more educated on how much more rare colored gemstones are compared to diamonds so there may be more demand in the future.

 

[winternight]

I only have one friend with a colored stone e-ring. She has a pink sapphire and diamond set from Tiffanys with a matching band. I love her set and it really suits her. Other than that I''ve never seen a colored stone set IRL.

 

[Black Jade]

Some of it may be a question of outfit coordination. A colorless diamond matches every outfit. A very blue sapphire or very green emerald of a significant size does not.

Some, I know, is an issue of what''s in stores. If you only know about B & M''s, you always see a huge selection of diamonds and very little in the way of colored stones, and much of that not impressive. My birthstone is sapphire, and I never really seriously buying sapphire anything because all the sapphires I ever saw before PS were not only expensive, but small, dull and a truly ugly shade of greenish black, not blue at all.

And third is the issue that in the US a diamond still says engaged and anything else you have to explain, which people don''t want to bother.

I don''t know if people do or do not perceive getting colored stones as ''cheaping out''. I don''t know enough people with colored stone rings (other than my mother''s foreign friends) to have ever heard anyone say anything about them at all. I don''t think people usually have a good idea of what colored stones might cost, while diamonds are very organized and if you know anything about them, you can usually make a somewhat educated guess.

 

[LostSapphire]

I think they go in and out of popularity. Seems to be directly related to the amount of $$ DeBeers is spending to convince young men that they "must spend x amount of your salary times x amount of months" to convince their dearest that they are loved and treasured.

My ER is a sapphire. My ''wedding gift ring'' is a RHR 3-stone door knocker...people are constantly asking me "why don''t you wear your engagement ring on your left hand?". Implying perhaps (?) that the more expensive ring really should have been the ER...but then, I just tell them the story of how I ended up with my BLUEBERRY and that usually shuts them up. Both rings are highly upgraded replacements of the originals, but people still seem to comment on the coloured stone being on the left hand.

LS

 

[loriken214]

My original ER has a blue sapphire as the main stone and I''ve had it since 1998. This ring gets lots of attention when I wear it.

Lori

 

[Laila619]

I think they've always been accepted as a lovely alternative to a diamond. Not sure if 'more popular' is accurate, because in the 'olden' days, engagement rings usually were colored stones.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

When I was in CA I started to see more and more colored stone e-rings. They seemed to be getting more popular to me.

Since coming to TX, I have not seen any. Maybe it is regional?

 

[marymm]

I have two rings I will occasionally wear as an engagement ring: one ring is a simple but nice .50ct 3-stone diamond ring. My husband loves it and always comments when I have it on, but otherwise no one comments on it. The other ring is a nicely colored 1.5ct 8x6mm oval Tanzanite, also simply set - I get compliments almost every time I wear it. I think it gets comments because it is different than the usual diamond, and also because it is really a lovely color. No one else I know wears a colored engagement ring.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 4/20/2010 7:16:22 PM
Author: LostSapphire
I think they go in and out of popularity. Seems to be directly related to the amount of $$ DeBeers is spending to convince young men that they ''must spend x amount of your salary times x amount of months'' to convince their dearest that they are loved and treasured.


My ER is a sapphire. My ''wedding gift ring'' is a RHR 3-stone door knocker...people are constantly asking me ''why don''t you wear your engagement ring on your left hand?''. Implying perhaps (?) that the more expensive ring really should have been the ER...but then, I just tell them the story of how I ended up with my BLUEBERRY and that usually shuts them up. Both rings are highly upgraded replacements of the originals, but people still seem to comment on the coloured stone being on the left hand.


LS

I''m a little nervous this might happen to me. I live in a small-ish town where is 1ct princess cut is considered the epitome of the perfect engagement ring.

I do love diamonds, but I don''t think I''d like one for my e-ring.

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 4/22/2010 12:53:51 AM
Author: IndyLady

Date: 4/20/2010 7:16:22 PM

Author: LostSapphire

I think they go in and out of popularity. Seems to be directly related to the amount of $$ DeBeers is spending to convince young men that they 'must spend x amount of your salary times x amount of months' to convince their dearest that they are loved and treasured.



My ER is a sapphire. My 'wedding gift ring' is a RHR 3-stone door knocker...people are constantly asking me 'why don't you wear your engagement ring on your left hand?'. Implying perhaps (?) that the more expensive ring really should have been the ER...but then, I just tell them the story of how I ended up with my BLUEBERRY and that usually shuts them up. Both rings are highly upgraded replacements of the originals, but people still seem to comment on the coloured stone being on the left hand.



LS

I'm a little nervous this might happen to me. I live in a small-ish town where is 1ct princess cut is considered the epitome of the perfect engagement ring.


I do love diamonds, but I don't think I'd like one for my e-ring.

It might happen....but I think many people always are a little scared of anything that is *different* (and can become a little judgmental of it). It sounds like if you were to show up with a 2ct cushion diamond you might get strange glances too since it does not fit in the 1ct princess standard there!

Your ring will likely be noticed more than the diamonds around you, however, and garner a lot more attention (of the positive kind too)!. I know for me my blue sapphire "stands out" more than more than many diamonds around here may (it is a bright blue, with precision faceting and it does just stand out...it is also a bit larger than the average diamond size around here). While I am not that big on being the centre of attention (despite being a Leo!), I LOVE my ring so don't fret about it too much and don't really care much what they think about it (or whether they question it).

So...just go with what you love. I too really admire diamonds...but did not want one for an e-ring.

 

[jewelz617]

I think colored stone e-rings are definitely seeing a strong comeback. I don't know if it has something to do with the state of the economy, or the publicity about "blood diamonds" or what, but I'm seeing a lot of big stone tourmaline, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, I even saw a kunzite ring the other day at the grocery store.

I think young people (the 30 and under set especially) are really taking off with the idea. As they say, everything old is new again.

I originally wanted a morganite e-ring, but worried about how the stone would hold up. I compromised with a pink sapphire halo and I couldn't be happier! I love color in engagement rings!

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/22/2010 11:04:40 AM
Author: RaiKai

Date: 4/22/2010 12:53:51 AM
Author: IndyLady

Date: 4/20/2010 7:16:22 PM

Author: LostSapphire

I think they go in and out of popularity. Seems to be directly related to the amount of $$ DeBeers is spending to convince young men that they ''must spend x amount of your salary times x amount of months'' to convince their dearest that they are loved and treasured.



My ER is a sapphire. My ''wedding gift ring'' is a RHR 3-stone door knocker...people are constantly asking me ''why don''t you wear your engagement ring on your left hand?''. Implying perhaps (?) that the more expensive ring really should have been the ER...but then, I just tell them the story of how I ended up with my BLUEBERRY and that usually shuts them up. Both rings are highly upgraded replacements of the originals, but people still seem to comment on the coloured stone being on the left hand.



LS

I''m a little nervous this might happen to me. I live in a small-ish town where is 1ct princess cut is considered the epitome of the perfect engagement ring.


I do love diamonds, but I don''t think I''d like one for my e-ring.

It might happen....but I think many people always are a little scared of anything that is *different* (and can become a little judgmental of it). It sounds like if you were to show up with a 2ct cushion diamond you might get strange glances too since it does not fit in the 1ct princess standard there!

Your ring will likely be noticed more than the diamonds around you, however, and garner a lot more attention (of the positive kind too)!. I know for me my blue sapphire ''stands out'' more than more than many diamonds around here may (it is a bright blue, with precision faceting and it does just stand out...it is also a bit larger than the average diamond size around here). While I am not that big on being the centre of attention (despite being a Leo!), I LOVE my ring so don''t fret about it too much and don''t really care much what they think about it (or whether they question it).

So...just go with what you love. I too really admire diamonds...but did not want one for an e-ring.

There was a thread a few years back (for the life of me I can''t find it) that talked about how it takes a certain type of person to wear a coloured ER - a.k.a. we named ourselves unusual, independent, non-conformist, strong women, etc etc. It was quite funny but rang tru (to me, at least).

When I think if it that way, I love how it makes me feel special.

LS

 

[Indylady]

Aww LS that is sweet. I think it does take a certain kind of lady to wear a CS engagement ring.