Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?

prodigalgirl

BF and I had a conversation the other night about the engagement stone.  I wanted him to know that there are other stones I'd love in an engagement ring just as much as a diamond.

So, I mentioned sapphire or emerald and he seemed intrigued by the idea.

It makes it even more exciting for me to really have no idea what my ring will look like.  All I know is that it won't be a princess cut diamond and it won't be yellow gold.

If you are getting (or have received) an engagement ring with a stone other than a diamond as the center stone, what stone did you get?  Do you have pics?

Narwhal

Emeralds tend to get scratched, just warning you.  I want a sapphire or even a moissanite, but I think that BF is probably going to give me one of the heirloom diamonds, which I'm fine with.

sapphirebaby926

My e-ring is a round sapphire and I really love it - here's a pic

prodigalgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_anyone-going-non-traditional-engagement-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:7e19e29c-2809-46d4-baf6-b61e14235c81Post:58dba576-5f8d-4390-8d86-5d9d164496ac">Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]My e-ring is a round sapphire and I really love it - here's a pic
Posted by sapphirebaby926[/QUOTE]

That's beautiful!!

And thanks for the heads up about emeralds.  BF says he's going to research the stones, so I'm sure he'll find that info, but I might give him the same heads up =)

sapphirebaby926

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_anyone-going-non-traditional-engagement-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7e19e29c-2809-46d4-baf6-b61e14235c81Post:da0097d1-e2e9-4da4-8df5-530f462a4a57">Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone? : That's beautiful!! And thanks for the heads up about emeralds.  BF says he's going to research the stones, so I'm sure he'll find that info, but I might give him the same heads up =)
Posted by prodigalgirl[/QUOTE]

Sapphires are a good alternate to a diamond. I think they are a 9 on the moh's scale so they're still hard stones and don't scratch easy

prodigalgirl

I lived in England as a little girl and was there during the big royal wedding.  I remember Lady Diana's ring and have LOVED sapphire engagement rings ever since.  My XH wasn't a fan of the idea.

Narwhal

Jackie Kennedy had an emerald. So there's something else.

CWill16

I will have a moissanite which looks a lot like a diamond. There is no way for the naked eye to tell the difference so essentially it is just a cheaper alternative to a diamond. If color is what you are looking for sapphire comes in pink and I think yellow too.

HeartOverMind

I want a moissanite...one day. lol

noelle24

Like PP said, emeralds are soft and aren't very durable for everyday wear.  Opals and pearls are other stones that wouldn't hold up well.

Sapphires and rubies, however, are a great choice as far as wear and tear goes.

FI and I thought about sapphires, and we tossed around the idea of doing a mixed stone ring with his birthstone and my birthstone.  In the end though, I wasn't convinced that I'd love love love a certain color of stone every day for the rest of my life.  So he went with diamonds.

CASK85

BF and I have talked about rings a number of times. I told him I'd be more than happy not to get a diamond (for various reasons), and he showed me the picture below recently. . . I love it so much and have been obsessing about it since then. It is an aquamarine center stone and small triangular diamonds next to it with a few smaller ones in the band itself. I love the color of aquamarine. We've also talked about mossanite and sapphire, and even opal (but that is probably too soft for an e-ring). 

[Deleted User]

I love rubies... and I fell in love with black diamonds recently... I'd be totally content with a ring with one of those stones...

PandaBurr

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_anyone-going-non-traditional-engagement-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7e19e29c-2809-46d4-baf6-b61e14235c81Post:73ebc79e-a0a1-4c43-bf02-efa9cb7df2c2">Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]I will have a moissanite which looks a lot like a diamond. There is no way for the naked eye to tell the difference so essentially it is just a cheaper alternative to a diamond. If color is what you are looking for sapphire comes in pink and I think yellow too.
Posted by CWill16[/QUOTE]

I think if you're going to have moissanite, you need to think of it as a unique jewel, and not a diamond substitute. I can tell the difference just by looking at it, without a loupe. However, most people can't, so I guess that point is moot, lol. Either way, if you want a diamond, and you're getting a sim only because of cost, you're always going to be unhappy with it because you'll constantly be comparing it to diamonds.

AudgiePodge

We chose an e-ring that has a rhodolite garnet as the main stone. The wedding band is also wrapped in the same stone. I love purple. I fell in love when I saw this ring.

[Deleted User]

My FI chose my e-ring completely on his own.  Mine is a ruby (my birthstone) in the shape of a heart as the center stone and 3 white sapphires in a pyramid shape going down each side.

motoLyn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_anyone-going-non-traditional-engagement-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7e19e29c-2809-46d4-baf6-b61e14235c81Post:1ca0d774-6d8f-4b77-88b7-7698051d0f7e">Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]BF and I had a conversation the other night about the engagement stone.  I wanted him to know that there are other stones I'd love in an engagement ring just as much as a diamond. So, I mentioned sapphire or emerald and he seemed intrigued by the idea. It makes it even more exciting for me to really have no idea what my ring will look like.  All I know is that it won't be a princess cut diamond and it won't be yellow gold. If you are getting (or have received) an engagement ring with a stone other than a diamond as the center stone, what stone did you get?  Do you have pics?
Posted by prodigalgirl[/QUOTE]

My BF and I were considering a sapphire as the center stone to the e-ring, he originally wanted a light blue topaz as the center stone but changed his mind to something more durable.  Now he's gone and changed his mind to a diamond.  I would have been happy as long as it wasn't yellow gold and solitaire.  I've heard great things about mossanite from the ladies on this forum.  What were are you leaning towards?

forthepocket

I seriously considered a colored stone as well and was looking mostly at sapphires. But my boyfriend was really iffy on the idea and as he pointed out to me its entirely possible that I could eventually tire of seeing one particular color on my finger every day that doesn't always go with everything. He said diamonds go with everything and he's basically a walking De Beers campaign lol. But for me I don't care what it looks like anymore I just want him to finally ask!

zipis1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_anyone-going-non-traditional-engagement-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7e19e29c-2809-46d4-baf6-b61e14235c81Post:7e17ce85-ef12-448c-b4b7-3970562c4567">Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone? : I think if you're going to have moissanite, you need to think of it as a unique jewel, and not a diamond substitute. <strong>I can tell the difference just by looking at it, without a loupe</strong>. However, most people can't, so I guess that point is moot, lol. Either way, if you want a diamond, and you're getting a sim only because of cost, you're always going to be unhappy with it because you'll constantly be comparing it to diamonds.
Posted by PandaBurr[/QUOTE]

Me too. I can usually do it with CZ as well, but moissanite I can spot almost immediately (due to the slight yellow). It's a large part of why I decided against a diamond simulant/moissanite.

PandaBurr

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_anyone-going-non-traditional-engagement-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7e19e29c-2809-46d4-baf6-b61e14235c81Post:f79d29a7-fc94-4981-bbeb-fc510b7bedd0">Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Anyone going non-traditional with the engagement stone? : Me too. I can usually do it with CZ as well, but moissanite I can spot almost immediately (due to the slight yellow). It's a large part of why I decided against a diamond simulant/moissanite.
Posted by zipis1[/QUOTE]

A lot of moissanite now only have that yellow in certain lighting. It's more the double refraction that gives it away for me. I can usually do it with CZ too. But for me, it being a diamond didn't matter, so I'm happy with my CZ. :)

leia1979

I've got a Lannyte. It's clear, sparkly, and a lot less expensive than a diamond. I can't speak to durability yet, but if it doesn't wear as well as I'd like 1) it's warranted and 2) it was inexpensive enough that we could just slap a Moissanite (or something else) in the setting instead.

My jeweler just thought the Lannyte went better than Moissanite in the setting I chose.

TruePinkbeauty

This is what I want some day....

artbyallie

See my avatar. I LOVE my sapphire... it's lab-created, so it's absolutely flawless. And huge! Something like 2.45cts.

Elle1036

I pretty much wanted "anything but diamond" in my ring.  I love aquamarine and sapphire, but BF is a little more traditional than I am, and he wanted it to be an obvious
engagement ring and not something that could be mistaken for a birthstone or dinner ring.   ...So, moissanite it is.  It's going to have yellow sapphire accent stones, though, since some kind of color was a "must" for me.

nefariousmango

I love alternative stones in E rings, just stay away from emeralds if you get your hands dirty (and who doesn't?) because they do scratch easily.

I have a sapphire E/Wedding ring (I only wear one ring) and I love it!  It's a 9 on the moh scale (diamonds are a 10) and I haven't managed to scratch it yet in spite of my jewelry-destructive lifestyle, plus it cost about 1/10th of what a diamond of the same size and quality would have cost us! 

flower11978

I love love love my not diamond ring. Its a garnet here's a pic.