Alternative engagement rings ?
Q.I would like to hear from those who have opted for alternative engagement rings, either CZ's or colored stones?
A.I have a tanzanite solitaire in my wedding set. I didn't want a diamond because while they are lovely, they are too flashy for me. I also have an "art" ring with a London blue topaz that I wear on my other hand. I've found that both stones tend to look cloudy and lose their depth if I don't clean them regularly. Cleaning them takes about 2 minutes - drop in the cleanser, swish or brush a little, rinse, dry. As my engagement ring, I have a ruby (my birthstone) with 3 diamonds on each side in a sort of ribbon pattern. Neither my fiance nor I want a "traditional" wedding (the ceremony will be held at a winery) so having a colored stone instead of a diamond seemed fitting. I've received several compliments on the ring and many people seemed surprised that something other than a diamond can be used for an engagement ring. Each person will have their own preferences of course, but I'm very happy with going with something other than a diamond. I told my fiance (when he was just my boyfriend and I didn't really expect him to take me seriously) that I wanted a sapphire (my birthstone) in my engagement ring, but that I was torn because I've always wanted a diamond. When people look at my ring, they are always surprised. It is a large diamond with a smaller diamond above it and a marquis sapphire pointed off to the side. If you look at it correctly, it looks like the two diamonds are a small flower and a Large flower and the sapphire is a leaf. It's really unique because my fiance laid out the gems and chose the setting for the jeweler. I originally wanted something completely different than the traditional yellow gold/huge diamond engagement ring that most everyone has. A lot of people around me thought I was crazy, but I don't care - I'm the one who will be wearing this ring for the rest of my life, not them! I looked all over for a ring I liked - I really didn't care about the stone - what I REALLY wanted was a beautiful setting - a white gold filagree band. I didn't think I'd ever find such a thing. Then this past weekend I went with my fiance' and my mother to the gem show here in Chicago. At first all I was seeing was yellow gold and diamonds. Blah. Then we found some estate jewelry booths and looked there (cuz what jewelers kept telling us was that the design I wanted - filagree - was an old style and I wouldn't find it), but didn't see anything nice. Then we found another estate jewelry booth and they had not one but like 7 different rings with white gold filagree and *gasp!* diamonds. So I looked at these rings and realized that with this setting, the diamond looked elegant somehow, not gaudy. I narrowed down to 3 rings, then finally chose the one I wanted. They sized it right then and there, and my fiance' took possession of it and I haven't seen it since (he is going to propose to me sometime in the next week or so, but I have no idea how or when). It's 18k white gold and a point 62 emerald-cut diamond, and I'm very excited about it, even if it is diamond and my mother keeps giving me a hard time about it - "You said you didn't want a diamond...."
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