Diamond And Blue Sapphire Engagement Ring?
Q.I'm looking to buy an engagement ring for my sweetheart. I'm looking for around a carat-si 1 or 2- f-h in color. I understand that the eye really can't tell in those areas, and that's fine for us. However I've gotten a lot of different prices and info and we're actually considering a CZ. Have you considerd white Sapphire? It would be a good (great) alternative for diamond.
A.While sapphire (any color) is reasonably hard, it can also be slightly brittle, so it's durability is nowhere near what diamond's is. It is, however, as Larry says, considerably harder and more durable that Cubic Zirconia. My real disagreement, though is with the statement that sapphire "has fire". "Fire" is a common term for the property known as dispersion, or the difference in a stones refractive index from one end of the color spectrum (blue) to the other (red). That difference results in the white light that hits and enters the stone being broken up into the spectral colors, so that what you see coming back out of the stone is not just white light, but bits of yellow, blue, red, green, etc. In diamond, dispersion is a little subtle, yet enough to give the returned light considerable vitality and interest, without being gaudy. In C.Z, dispersion is much, much higher, with the result that it's quite visually obvious. Sometimes, in some light sources, it can be actually a bit distracting, and one of the quickest tip-offs that the stone is not diamond. Sapphire, however, has very low dispersion. You almost never actually see any bits of colored light coming from a white sapphire, unless it's a simple reflection of a colored object or light source. The result is that while white sapphires can be bright and reflective, if well cut, they tend to look a bit "flat" and lifeless, in comparison to diamond. Here's my thinking on this question in general. Rather than beat your head in looking for a low cost look-alike for diamond, either synthetic cubic zirconia, or natural (or synthetic) white sapphire, how about simply using your favorite colored stone? Instead of that white sapphire, spend a little more money and get a nice genuine sapphire with that property for which sapphires are rightly famous, a pretty color. That can be light blue, yellow, dark blue, greens, and many others. If its pink or red, then it's ruby. Any way you look at it though, it's the color that makes the gem pretty. White, by itself, is actually pretty boring, unless its a really unusual looking white (like diamond can be.) One option I rather like is the lighter blue, often exceptionally clear sapphires from Montana. They range from a middle of the road quite intense blue color to quite light pastels, with some other colors than blue also possible. they tend to be slightly steely blue in color, compared to the australian or Thai (etc) stones, clearer and brighter looking often, and more importantly, are generally sold in an "as mined" condition, rather than being heat treated or otherwise enhanced. Most natural sapphire from other parts of the world, INCLUDING MANY OF THE WHITE STONES, are extensively heat treated to change the color or clarity. The Montana blue sapphires are not only generally not treated, but most are very nicely cut. They make a quite unique and unusual stone for any type of jewelry, as well as having the durability of sapphire to recommend them for a frequent use ring. Sapphire is only one of many available and beautiful stones that can, and have been over history, used in engagement rings. Keep in mind that the modern tradition of a diamond engagement ring is essentially a modern tradition only, being mostly the result of a massively successful marketing campaign by DeBeers since the developement of those South African diamond fields after the turn of the last century, rather than the continuation of any long standing and historically significant tradition. Fact is, the traditional engagement ring was the tradition of a gold ring. Stones were common, but optional, and anyones choice. Pearls or garnets, for example, were common in victorian times... Diamond was often viewed more as a symbol of wealth than one of love. Ruby or other such stones were more commonly used for that symbolism... Since, for an engagement ring, you most likely want one of the more durable stones, you may wish to stay with stones harder than the quartz gems, such as amethyst or citrine. But garnets, spinels (the natural ones come in a wide range of colors) chrysoberyls, beryls, and many others can fit that bill. You might also consider the fact that a well cut cabochon may also hold up better than a facetted stone, as the smooth rounded surfaces don't abrade and scratch up as quickly as can the corners and edges of facets on a facetted stone. If the stone is a bright and attractive color, a well cut cab can be very beautiful in a nicely designed setting. And the bezel type setting one might commonly find it it will also last a lot longer than the prongs often used for facetted stones, including diamonds...
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