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Non traditional engagement ring

smartn2sexy08smartn2sexy08
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in Just Engaged and Proposals
Who else is doing something other than a diamond for their engagement ring? And what was your reason?


Personally my ring is in the process of being made, but we used a golden Imperial Topaz. We are both November babies (Scorpios) and we have the same birthstone. Plus I am not a big fan of diamonds. This way we have something more signifigant to us too. And for anyone that thinks citrine is the birthsone for November, you must have been born after 88. It use to be that all the charts said Golden Topaz, but as they have become more and more rare they slowly changed over to the less desirable but cheaper citrine. Many dealers want to make a sale and will tell you they are the same or look the same, but if you believe that you have never seen a golden topaz in person. Also if you buy one, make sure you go somewhere reputable. They are rare and hard to find, so some place that are not so reputable will try and sell citrines as topaz. I have seen this for sure on ebay and etsy. Though there are real ones on there too.
?We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.? ~ Buddha
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Re: Non traditional engagement ring

  • dflintdflint member
    First Comment
    I've never heard of any other stone but topaz for November - I was born after 88 and it's my birthstone also.

    My ring is probably white sapphire - it's an antique family ring that I haven't looked into much yet. I prefer alternative stones because they tend to be cheaper and I have no particular attachment to diamond.
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  • calliopeia2013calliopeia2013 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    My ring is blue sapphire.  I'm not, like, anti-diamond, but I don't have any attachment to them, I love sapphires, and I just can't imagine spending so much money on jewelry for a diamond.
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  • dewingedpixiedewingedpixie member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment First Anniversary
    Mine is a purple untreated umba sapphire. I feel diamonds are overdone and prefer color, plus ethical sourcing was a big deal to me.

     
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  • GoodLuckBear14GoodLuckBear14 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    Mine is a three stone ring with a sapphire center stone.  The side stones are diamonds.  To me, diamonds are like roses in a bouquet.  They work best when showing off other stones/flowers.  When you group a bunch together with nothing else, to me, it just looks blahh.
    Proud to be an old married hag!! image
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  • dewingedpixiedewingedpixie member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment First Anniversary
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_non-traditional-engagement-ring?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:683Discussion:db73b120-fcca-471f-bf97-1a6a2fe85d86Post:0f3c15a6-6561-4e30-9394-ff712196d3fb">Re: Non traditional engagement ring</a>:
    [QUOTE]Mine is a three stone ring with a sapphire center stone.  The side stones are diamonds.  To me, diamonds are like roses in a bouquet.  They work best when showing off other stones/flowers.  When you group a bunch together with nothing else, to me, it just looks blahh.
    Posted by GoodLuckBear14[/QUOTE]

    That is how I feel too. I like color diamonds like roses are over done.
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  • divinemsbeedivinemsbee member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    Mine's an antique sapphire. One word of warning on a lot of stones: check how hard it is. If you intend to wear your ring every day, you need to make sure it's pretty high on the MOH scale to maintain it. I think Topaz is pretty hard, but I'd make sure to check that. 

    For example, I have a beautiful emerald ring, but I only wear it on special occasions, same with my pearl ring. Those are both pretty soft stones that can break or fall out of their setting  easily. My mom has an opal ring that she rarely wears because opals are extremely sensitive to heat and water. I don't know about topaz (and a lot of birthstones have both a traditional and modern one, but I've always heard yellow topaz for November, it's my grandmother's), but I'd check it out. You don't want your ring to get damaged. I think rubies and sapphires are closest to diamonds on the MOH scale. 

    Here's my ring:

    It's actually a lot blue-er in person. 


    image
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  • boox287boox287
    First Comment First Anniversary
    I got a blue sapphire ring in a halo diamond setting because I have a September birthday and  I am getting married in September.  I also just really love the color blue.  I wanted something different, but I am not super anti-diamonds.  I like it, it's pretty, and everyone who has seen that knows me pretty well says that it fits me.


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  • daizeemaepa37daizeemaepa37 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    mine is a pear shaped peridot surrounded by tiny diamonds.

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  • MrsKimbleTiffanyMrsKimbleTiffany
    First Comment
    My ring is channel diamonds. 10 of them, so not traditional one diamond ring.
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  • VitalidolVitalidol
    First Comment
    In Response to Non traditional engagement ring:
     

    I personally don't like diamonds or fancy jewelry at all. I wanted something small, not too flashy, and reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings. I opted for a simple silver band(it almost swirls out before meeting with the stone/setting) with a sapphire. Chose that stone because it's my fiance's birthstone and the deep blue looks so nice with the silver. I say eff tradition- get what you love and means something to you!
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  • cmkkcmkk member
    First Comment
    Hey now! Slow your roll a bit I happen to be a fan of citrine! Of course people shouldn't charge topaz prices for citrine but you are being a little excessive there! My ring is made but I am not engaged yet. I picked out the stone with BF and the setting style but I haven't seen it together. I am not a big fan of white metals, especially on me. I think they look lovely on others and have a few deco pieces I love in platinum and white gold but in general it's not my style. I have olivey skin so i like yellow gold on me. And I think rose cut diamonds can look nice with yellow gold but in general I don't love diamonds with yellow gold. Plus i think light colored stones are the prettiest. So I ended up getting a pear cut Ceylon cornflower blue sapphire set upside down in a simple yellow gold setting. The stone is gorgeous, light but soooo rich. Sapphire is durable, also blue sapphire symbolizes fidelity and so was the most traditional engagement stone before debeers made diamonds a must have. Also ceylon sapphires are mined in a humane and environmentally lowimpact way, and my gold is all recycled.
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  • kaitpetrykaitpetry
    First Comment
    I find that diamonda can be very expensive, and there's a lot of mark up just because they're diamonds! The jewellry industry has pulled a pretty fast one over most of North America with the whole 'diamonds are a girls best friend' thing. My parents were pretty insistant that I needed a diamond, but for me, that's not what was important!
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  • dewingedpixiedewingedpixie member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment First Anniversary
    edited August 2012
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_non-traditional-engagement-ring?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:683Discussion:db73b120-fcca-471f-bf97-1a6a2fe85d86Post:3cfa011f-3de1-433a-864f-2d9c27e055f5">Re:Non traditional engagement ring</a>:
    [QUOTE]Hey now! Slow your roll a bit I happen to be a fan of citrine! Of course people shouldn't charge topaz prices for citrine but you are being a little excessive there! My ring is made but I am not engaged yet. I picked out the stone with BF and the setting style but I haven't seen it together. I am not a big fan of white metals, especially on me. I think they look lovely on others and have a few deco pieces I love in platinum and white gold but in general it's not my style. I have olivey skin so i like yellow gold on me. And I think rose cut diamonds can look nice with yellow gold but in general I don't love diamonds with yellow gold. Plus i think light colored stones are the prettiest. So I ended up getting a pear cut Ceylon cornflower blue sapphire set upside down in a simple yellow gold setting. The stone is gorgeous, light but soooo rich. Sapphire is durable, also blue sapphire symbolizes fidelity and so was the most traditional engagement stone before debeers made diamonds a must have. Also ceylon sapphires are mined in a humane and environmentally lowimpact way, and my gold is all recycled.
    Posted by cmkk[/QUOTE]

    Ceylon sapphires are not always mined humanely. Sapphires even those from ceylon can have a bloody trail too. The difference is if you know the full trail of your sapphire.

    My purple came from Krikawa, who purchased it from larry woods the cutter, who purchased it directly from the mine in Umba River Valley Tanzania. No middle man, no treatments, no blood trade.

    Debeers handles sapphires too :), as does kay, and many others. The key is purchasing from a small dealer who knows the entire trail of your stone. Typically untreated stones are far more likely to be ethically sourced. Also shockingly going the small ethical route is typically cheaper if you know what you're looking at. Particularly for the untraditional sapphire colors. Go to kay for a purple they'll jack the price through the roof heat it and chemical treat it for half the cost you can get a cleaner stone twice the size if you know how to source your stones

    Its good to see ethical sourcing though, it was a big deal to me too.
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  • anssettanssett member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment
    We're doing everything super non-traditional so I have an engagement band & shiny pink whatever secondary ring (I wanted the option of color some days). The stone is a rhodolite garnet in a rose cut so it has a flat bottom and can stack beside the band. :-) The band is meteorite inlaid in titanium. 
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  • ansa2286ansa2286 member
    First Comment
    Mine is a fairly large round blue topaz with a tiny diamond at each corner of the setting and then small diamonds in the band.  I wanted a blue stone, either topaz or sapphire, because I love the color! 

    It worked out to be a serious advantage too because it is a gorgeous ring that would have been ridiculously expensive if it had been a diamond but I got exactly what I wanted for a steal (we bought my ring on clearance which may seem weird to some people, but I am such a bargain hunter that finding a ring I love for a price I love made it that much better!)
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