Random question: Favorite colored stone?

imJacksPGbelly

Just thought of this after reading a post below where a knottie (ajwils04) posted pics of her new vintage e-ring with amethyst as the center stone  (completely gorgeous).  Then on the scrolling ads up top, saw a ring advert with a couple of colored center-stones.

As an 11 year old, I saw this catalog picture of an aquamarine ring, in sterling silver.  I wanted it oh-so-badly, but didn't have a shot at the $50 to get it, so instead cut out the pic, folded it really small, and put the picture in my little jewelry box.  I still have it, and still think it's a gorgeous ring, almost 20 years later.

I googled colored stones once, and apparently Aquamarine is a very fragile stone on the hardness index or whatever, where diamond is the hardest.  And I knew immediately it'd be completely impractical as an e-ring because I am very rough on my hands.  So apparently that's a consideration with colored stones.
Either way, I love blue/blue-green/green stones (at least the look of them).  I guess I also like my birthstone: peridot, but I've never looked anything up about it, and don't think I'd like it as a center-stone. 

What colored stones have you gals seen that are just gorgeous, enough to be a center-stone, maybe even for an e-ring?

GreenPepperBurger

I love emerald, since green is my favorite color and it's my birthstone. I also really love sapphires and rubies, which I think make pretty e-rings. I am kind of stuck on the idea of a "traditional" diamond, though.

zipis1

Peridot, amethyst, and tanzanite. All very beautiful.

AudgiePodge

Rhodolite garnet, but I'm pretty biased on that one.

Wrkn925

I'm pretty stuck on a diamond.  I'd never heard of colored stones being used as engagement rings until I joined here. (Besides stars having pink diamonds and ridiculously expensive stuff like that.)
But they are all really pretty.  My birthstone is opal (natural), and pink something (man-made).  I wouldn't really want an e-ring in either of those.

leia1979

I love dark colors, so I like sapphire, garnet, and some of those special topazes (mystic fire and blue mystic). I also like opals, both white and blue.

I did go with a clear stone for an e-ring, just because I feel like it goes with everything, but I did think about sapphire.

bethsmiles

I pretty much love them all. But aquamarine is one of my favorites, as well as blue topaz. BF and I haven't decided for sure what sort of stone I will want in my engagement ring but I for sure do not want a diamond. I just think they are over-priced and I really don't want my engagement ring to cost more than $1000. I would just be uncomfortable with idea of my BF spending that much money. So we will probably go with asha or moissanite because I think they are really pretty but they aren't insanely expensive.

Elle1036

I originally wanted a sapphire e-ring, but BF wanted it not to look like a birthstone ring, so we strayed away from it.  Still, though, I love blue and yellow sapphires.  I also love tanzite, aquamarine, and alexandrite.

MrsMLRB

My mother has a 2 ct aquamarine engagement ring and there are no scratches on it. I can't rate her hardness on her hands but the only problem with the ring is it had to be cut off when she gained too much weight (which has nothing to do with the center stone).

I would go to a jeweler and find out whether they are really that easy to scratch. And FWIW, I have chipped one of my diamond side stones so I would go talk to a jeweler about it. If you love that ring, I say go for it.

desertsun

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_random-question-favorite-colored-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9fe9c24c-dfb3-4325-a811-f16fc351e428Post:5ecec4ba-b6e7-4a06-8397-677e32aba365">Re: Random question: Favorite colored stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]Rhodolite garnet, but I'm pretty biased on that one.
Posted by AudgiePodge[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Also my favorite. Are you biased b/c garnet is your birthstone? I'm a January girl myself. :)</div><div>
</div>

deburnin

I love sapphires. I especially love the ones with the floating star. I wish it was my birthstone. Instead I got ruby, which I dislike.

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_random-question-favorite-colored-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9fe9c24c-dfb3-4325-a811-f16fc351e428Post:473663da-c4a9-4f27-b5d0-15c255bf36c7">Re: Random question: Favorite colored stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]I love sapphires. I especially love the ones with the floating star. I wish it was my birthstone. Instead I got ruby, which I dislike. :(
Posted by deburnin[/QUOTE]

I'm a July baby, too!  And I also dislike ruby.

bethsmiles

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_random-question-favorite-colored-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9fe9c24c-dfb3-4325-a811-f16fc351e428Post:a49fe482-7fba-49cd-a571-b75a6093fe91">Re: Random question: Favorite colored stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Random question: Favorite colored stone? : I'm a July baby, too!  And I also dislike ruby.
Posted by Elle1036[/QUOTE]

ditto this. I don't hate rubies but they are far from my favorite.

AudgiePodge

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_random-question-favorite-colored-stone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:9fe9c24c-dfb3-4325-a811-f16fc351e428Post:f677856e-4d46-4d9f-a443-ab173838cd52">Re: Random question: Favorite colored stone?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Random question: Favorite colored stone? : Also my favorite. Are you biased b/c garnet is your birthstone? I'm a January girl myself. :)
Posted by desertsun[/QUOTE]

My birthstone is diamond. I'm an April girl. Rhodolite is the main stone we picked for the e-ring. I love it because of it's purple-y color.

mzm153

I love saphire even though my birthstone is ruby. I also like ruby though. I don't care what stone my engagement ring would have when I get engaged. I'll leave it up to my SO to choose.

EDIT: Check out this website: http://www.bernardine.com/birthstone/ancient.htm
There are birthstones by months and by different cultures :-)

citygirllovescountryboy

I love pink, but I am a pink girl. And I am not asking for a pink diamond or anything, I also like the pink sapphires, and they really aren't that much more pricey than the diamond stones I have been looking at either. BF said that if pink is what I want than pink is what I will get.

My birthstone is emerald and I love it, but I think it really looks a lot better up against yellow gold and I want a white gold ring.