"Non traditional" rings

megso16

Two disclaimers:
A. I've never seen a ring on here that I didn't think was beautiful and I'm not trying to insult anyone! That post a few weeks ago where everyone had their ring insulted was cringe worthy, at best, and I'm definitely not trying to do the same.
B. I'm not looking, really. Just daydreaming a little.

That being said, for those of you with vintage rings or rings with stones other than diamonds, lemme see! Pinterest is failing me and I'm in a girly mood to look at pretty things. There are only so many pages of pearl engagement rings that exist haha.

justbeingme93

@megso16

I do not have an e-ring, but I love that you started this thread. I would love to see some as well!

I know @GoldenPenguin has a beautiful e-ring that is "non-traditional". Could you post another picture? I know that every woman loves her engagement ring, but what are some pros and cons (if any) you have noticed about the stone on your ring? If I remember correctly, your center stone is morganite. 

megso16

@justbeingme93‌ I feel a little BSC when I go through jewelry store website pages looking at rings. Plus, rings are pretttty and sparkly and it's a girly day.

GoldenPenguin

You KNOW I'm going to take every opportunity possible to show off my ring

Morganite center stone, with diamond halo & diamonds in the band. I love everything about it, including that it has a very "vintage" feel without actually being a vintage ring. 

megso16

@GoldenPenguin‌ I love that! So pretty.

GoldenPenguin

@justbeingme93 - I have zero cons about my ring, haha. Well, I guess, it does get dirty quickly - like, when I was just trying to take the picture, all I could think was "this is doing it NO justice, it needs to be cleaned IMMEDIATELY!!"

It is a softer stone than a diamond, so if you're really hard on your hands, you need to be careful, but I have been fine with it. I do take it off when I sleep, shower, clean, or am cooking something that I need to use my hands for (kneading, mixing, etc.) so I have ring holders all over the house. 

I couldn't be happier. I love diamonds, but when I was trying them on, they just didn't feel "right." As soon as I tried on the morganite, I knew it was the one. 

Blackbird230

My aquamarine with diamonds engagement ring. White gold.

justbeingme93

@GoldenPenguin

That is why I tagged you. haha. If I had that ring, I wouldn't get any work done. I would just be gazing at that rock all day. 

megso16

@Blackbird230‌ white gold + Harry Potter? A woman after my own heart.

phira

My ring is non-traditional in a couple of ways. It has a sapphire instead of a diamond, and it's bezel set instead of in a prong setting. Neither of those things is that rare these days, since a lot of people are picking non-diamond gemstones, and bezel settings are kind of modern looking. But still, I think my ring is pretty non-traditional!

I had a lot of fun on Etsy, actually, rather than Pinterest, when I was looking for ideas.

justbeingme93

@phira,

Etsy is a great idea! I could get lost on that site for a few DAYS!

phira

@justbeingme93 RIGHT?! It's such a trap, almost as bad as TV Tropes.

megso16

@phira‌ @justbeingme93‌ I spend way too much time with Etsy. Screen shots galore.

KeptInStitches

I have a moissanite ring. This photo is in indoor light and doesn't do it full justice - it sparkles like CRAZY in the sun.

Ollie08

@megso16 - Are you interested in a particular type of stone? ie Pearl, Morganite, Aquamarine, Sapphire, Emerald? I've got my eyes set on a white gold aquamarine ring. 

GoldenPenguin

@ollie08 - I love that we're going to be kinda sorta ring twins

megso16

@Ollie08‌ I'm in love with pearls. I've had my eye on this for quite some time now. I can't figure out how to post a picture, so here's the link

http://m.kay.com/en/kaystore/diamonds---gemstones/cultured-pearl-ring-diamond-accents-sterling-silver-480593502--1/100020/100020.100022.100034

Ollie08

@GoldenPenguin - Yeah, whenever he gets around to it! ;-) 

@megso16 - well, since I'm avoiding work today, I might just have to browse online and see what I find. That's a really pretty ring!

cu97tiger

Mine has a diamond, but it's a small diamond, and like @phira, it's bezel set. What makes mine non-traditional is the use of colored enamel. It has held up to wear and tear pretty well. For me, I don't love that it's a 'color' vs just a metal+diamond. It's effing gorgeous, though, and I get lots of compliments on how unique it is.

GoldenPenguin

@megso16 - pearls are very, very fragile, just remember that. It's not something you'll want to wear as an "everyday" ring! 

Blackbird230

@Ollie08, I didn't know you were looking at aquamarines! Gemstone buddies.

eilis1228

I posted a few pictures in that crazy ring thread of my right hand ring. It's a vintage white gold ring from the 1920's. It belonged originally to my step-great-grandmother, and my parents put a sapphire in it for my 20th birthday:

I think baguette diamonds are supposed to go in the chevrons, but we haven't gotten around to adding those yet. I get a lot of compliments on the ring, and I actually used to wear it on my ring finger. I've seen similar settings for e-rings too. 

My e-ring that's currently being made is a moissanite center stone with purple sapphires as the side stones. I'll post pics in a week or two when I pick it up.

kaitlynmichelle

Well I guess I can post another picture

My setting is more traditional - 3 stones with channel set diamonds down the band. My side stones are deep blue sapphires, the middle is a diamond.

megso16

@GoldenPenguin‌ @TwoDimes‌ I had never thought of that. I haven't done much research by way of fragility and how the stones are set (glue, prongs). I love pearls, but I know my brain and I'll spend the rest of my life being nervous about a stone falling out.

eilis1228

@megso16 You could always talk to a jeweler about the settings for whichever stone you end up choosing. They'll be able to give you advice on which setting would work best. You can also check out the Rings thread on the Wedding Bee forum. All they do is post pics of various rings, and some of the women are pretty knowledgeable. 

ShallowSeas

I had originally wanted a sapphire ring as an engagement ring. FI and I had talked about it, but when he told his parents that he was going to buy me a ring, they gave him a diamond that his great-grandmother had left him, so we decided to use the diamond instead of buying a sapphire center stone because a) it was cheaper and b) it meant a lot to FI and his family that I have the diamond. FI had the stone set in a band with small sapphires and I love it.  The wedding band is also small sapphires like the band on the engagement ring. Even though I didnt get a sapphire center stone, I still have a lot of blue sapphire in my ring The setting is a style from the jeweler's vintage style collection.

Blackbird230

@megso16, originally we looked at opals for my ring, however because the care of opals is crazy and temperature based, I ended up deciding against them. Definitely do research on the hardness of the gemstone and how they hold up to daily wear.

Ollie08

Blackbird230 said:

@Ollie08, I didn't know you were looking at aquamarines! Gemstone buddies.

@Blackbird230 - Yeah! BF's birthstone is Aquamarine. And he wanted to use pieces of his family rings to design mine. I know a diamond isn't in our budget, and I really really like aquamarine anyway, so it just makes sense. Luckily he loved the idea too. Although I'm sure you'll be an OMH before I get mine ;-)

Blackbird230

@Ollie08, I don't know about that. We're looking at May 2016 for our date. I just fell in love with the aquamarines. My birthstone is garnet, which I don't like and his is either opal or pink tourmaline and I love opals, but they wouldn't hold up to daily wear. 

KeptInStitches

@cu97tiger, I love the enamel!

buddysmom80

I want all your rights, kthanxbai.