Gemstone Engagement Rings

Blue sapphire engagement rings have been known to be preferred by royalty because the blue sapphire stone is even more rare than a diamond and is almost as hard. This is a nice factoid to share with your number one queen as you slip a blue sapphire engagement ring on her ring finger. Blue sapphires come in a range of shades from a light to deep blue. The blue color is due to the level of titanium in the stone: the more titanium, the richer the color. However, too much color can actually create a dull black effect, reducing the price of the stone. Most blue sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Madagascar. Burmese sapphires tend to cost more than those from Sri Lanka and Madagascar due to their brilliant color. Kashmir blue sapphires are the most rare and expensive of all as the supply found in a remote region of India was exhausted around a 100 years ago, thus escalating price and demand. Prices for blue sapphires depend on whether or not they've been treated (with untreated costing much more) as well as color, cut, tone (lightness or darkness of stone), saturation (degree to which hue is hidden by other shades), and clarity. One carat blue sapphires can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Buy your ruby engagement rings with pride! Don't let anyone tell you that diamonds are better as engagement rings. Only you and your potential spouse should decide what fits in with your style, taste, and budget........not popular opinion.... or your future mother-in-law. Besides, you can always tell the nay-sayers that large rubies are even more rare than diamonds. Rubies belong to the corundum family. Any other color besides red from this family is considered a sapphire. Rubies are almost as hard as diamonds. Diamonds are considered a "10" on the hardness scale while rubies come in at a 9. Rubies have somewhat less clarity than other gemstones and tend to have at least some small inclusions. Most rubies are heat-treated to improve their color, but stones in their natural form do exist. Cushion cut and oval rubies are the most common shape. Burmese rubies are considered to be the most desirable. You may be able to save money by purchasing a ruby with a slightly off-shade i.e. a little bit lighter or darker than what is considered ideal... a vivid red color. You can also save some dough by purchasing synthetic versus natural rubies. Rubies belong to the corundum family. Any other color besides red from this family is considered a sapphire. Rest assured that buying opal engagement rings for your partner will not bring them bad luck but perhaps even the opposite. Concerning the opal gemstone superstition, some still feel that it is bad luck to purchase an opal for oneself, but good luck if someone else gives one to you. Throughout history there have been negative connotations associated with opals. Interestingly enough, it is said that the diamond dealers became nervous in the 18th and 19th century about the beatiful gemstone stealing away diamond customers and further perpepuated stereotypes of the opal to prevent this from happening. The powers that be tried hard to defeat this bad luck urban legend when huge amounts of opals were found in Australia. I personally love opal engagement rings. With their rainbow hues, I just think opals are some of the prettiest stones around. The rainbow shades are oftened referred to as a "play of color." Most of the opal supply come from our Aussie friends in Southern Australia. Here's the science behind the opals. Opals are a noncrystalline form of the mineral silica which are formed from amorphous "balls" or "lumps" of silica. In other words, water in the ground carrying dissolved silica seeps through sand and dirt, where the silica particles are deposited in cracks. As the water evaporates, the silica particles cement together to form the opal. The color is caused by the diffraction of light. Where the tiny spheres of silica are of a similar size and arrangement, the light reflecting from them is divided into its spectral colors, and the stone appears to contain all the colors of the rainbow. Where the spheres are larger and less uniform, the range of color is more limited. One of the major downfalls of opal engagement rings compared to diamonds is that opals are a much softer stone. While the diamond is considered to be a 10 on the Mohs hardness sclae, the opal rates between a 5 and a 6. This means that over time, it is possible for the opal to break and you must be careful to treat it with care and look for a ring setting that best preserves its integrity (i.e. semi-bezel is a good choice). Opals exhibit an impressive color range. They can be white, pink, green and blue, gray, or black. Australian boulder opals are the most durable of opals as well as the most robust in color. As a result, they are considered to be valuable and are pretty pricey Black opals are actually the most rare and expensive. They have a dark backdrop with a rainbow colors or deep blue-green hues. Fire opals, which have any color backdrop but exhibit an unusual amount of red color play are also fairly rare There are a thousand legends and stories related to the opal gemstone. The Ancient Greeks believed opals fell from heaven during flashes of lightning and provided individuals with the ability to see into the future. The Romans thought that wearing opals made one more lucid in thought and spontaneous in action. Can you believe this? In his play "Tweltfh Night," Shakespeare made use of the gemstone to make an analogy between the opal's changing colors and the ever-changing moods of a woman. Hmmmmmmmm.......not sure if I like the comparison.
About The Author
Julie Shields recently got married and sports a beautiful ascher cut diamond ring. She and her husband put together the website: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com to help you find the perfect engagement ring. Feel free to distribute the article so long as you make mention of the ultimate engagement ring guide website below.

My Least Favorite Diamond Shapes for Engagement Rings

Marquis engagement rings are oval shaped diamonds which have both ends pointed. Marquis diamonds have 56 facets and are twice as long in length as their width. The 2 to 1, length to width ratio is considered ideal and something to think about when shopping for a marquis, as it will effect the sparkliness of the diamond. A good cut is important cut is also important in that it helps prevent the dreaded "bow tie" effect, whereby the center of the diamond is darker and has reduced brilliance. While the Marquis diamond is by no means my favorite shape, it boasts a number of cool properties: 1) It has a cool story behind it: The shape of the stone was said to be designed for Louis XIV of France who wanted a diamond fashioned after the Marquise de Pompadour's smile. 2) The marquis diamond is considered one of the most flattering for the hand as it makes the finger look more slender 3) The stone may look bigger than it actually is. The marquis diamond not only has a large surface area but the elongated lines can make the carat size look larger than what you plunked down money for. Yes, I'm a pear-hater. Perhaps I've been influenced by some of my friends who also don't like the pear. I remember one time when an acquaintance of mine got engaged. My friend, who was closer to this person, forwarded me a picture of her pear diamond with a disparaging caption about the ring shape. All cattiness aside, everyone has different views on what looks good, so don't let my taste unduly influence you. The pear shaped diamond is considered to be a round brilliant diamond at one end and a marquise shape at the other. It is sometimes referred to as a tear drop due to its rounded side and pointed edge. A length-to-width ratio between 1.45 and 1.75 is typically considered most desirable for the pear. Just so you know, the pear-shaped diamond is less sparkly than the round brilliant, and loses more brilliance, if poorly proportioned. One thing in particular to avoid when shopping for a pear shape is the dreaded bow tie effect: a dark area in the middle of the diamond which looks just like a black bow tie. It is hard to avoid the bow tie effect completely with the pear. One nice thing about the pear is that it tends to make one's fingers look slimmer. I hope I'm not offending anyone by saying that I think heart shaped engagement rings are ugly. I used to wear rings with hearts on them in middle school, thus I connect heart shaped rings to a typically horrifying period in most anyone's life. Plus, the symbolism of a heart shaped engagement ring lacks creativity. We already know you're in love, if your wearing an engagement ring. At this point, your woman's not only got your heart, but your savings account, freedom, and body, mind, and soul. You're whipped. No need to let the world know this with a big, cheesy heart. Don't get me wrong...there are plenty of heart-shaped diamond admirers. Some would say that the heart shape is the most romantic of all the diamonds. In fact, Joan Collins received a heart shaped engagement ring from her husband. Hearts can either be wide or long. They are most similar to the pear shaped diamond but have a cleft at the top. When looking to purchase a heart, make sure the top arches are symmetrical in appearance. Assymmetrical hearts will look more like pears. When looking at other women's ring fingers, you won't see too many hearts. Hearts are less typically found in an engagement ring setting and more commonly seen in earrings or pendants. I will say one good thing about heart shapes: that they cost around 20%-25% less than round diamonds.
About The Author
Julie Shields recently got married and sports a beautiful ascher cut diamond ring. She and her husband put together the website: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com to help you find the perfect engagement ring. Feel free to distribute the article so long as you make mention of the ultimate engagement ring guide website below.

Who's Who in the World of Jewelry Designers for Engagement Rings?

Tiffany & Co. was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837 and is considered one of the world's finest jewelry companies. It is famous for its wide array of ultra high quality jewelry and its trademark little blue bag. The Tiffany & Co store on 57th avenue in New York City which appeared in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's is quite popular with tourists. To be honest, I must admit that Tiffany & Co. makes my knees weak. I don't think I'm alone in this. There's something about getting one of those little blue bags that seems to set off a joyful chemical reaction in women's brains. I really can't explain it...it just happens. Vera Wang got her start in the fashion industry working for fashion elite such as Vogue and Ralph Loren. She eventually went out on her own selling high-end, fashionable wedding dresses. However, she has expanded her business to include other items and more recently moved into designing engagement rings for Bailey Banks and Biddle. Barry Verragio studied at the reknowned Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. He worked for several years in the jewelry industry prior to proposing to his current wife. In order to make her ring, he invented a new technique which suspended the diamond above the ring. The engaged couple received so many compliments on the rings, that Barry decided to start his own company based on the ring he designed for Tanya. Many years later, the couple as well as the Verragio jewelry company are still going strong. Haig Tacori came to America in 1970 and has developed a reputation for exceptional platinum jewelry designs. Tacori rings have been featured on the popular television series, The Bachelor. Scott Kay led the resurgance in popularity of platinum engagement rings. He is known as one of America's most popular bridal jewelers. His affordable designs are within the reach of most consumers. Ritani engagement rings are all about style and comfort. I particularly like the look of the rings from the Endless Love Collection. With a host of classy styles and a range in pricing, Ritani is sure to win over many fans.
About The Author
Julie Shields is sporting a beautiful ascher cut engagement ring. She and her husband put together a website to help you find the perfect engagement ring: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com Use the article as you wish but make mention of the ultimate engagement ring guide website as listed.