Sapphires!
By Never teh Bride
I saw a recently-engaged friend of mine the other day. She and her fiancé took a while getting a ring and so I’d been hungrily waiting to see what they had picked out together. I prefer surprises, but different strokes for different folks! She was wearing a absolutely gorgeous sapphire engagement ring like the one above from FineJewelers.com.
You may be aware that Prince Charles gave Diana Spencer a sapphire engagement ring and that sapphires are traditionally a symbol of faithfulness. You may also be aware that sapphires range in color from deep blue to violet to orange to white. You may not know how to choose a quality sapphire. I didn’t. Every gem is different and thus there are different guidelines for choosing different sorts of gems!
EHow has a few tips to help novice sapphire lovers find the right stone.
Ask if the stone has been treated in any way. Some common treatments to enhance gems include irradiation, heat treatment, dyeing and coating. Not all of these treatments will devalue the stone, but always ask so you know what you’re getting.
Study the color of the stone. The most valuable sapphires are deep, pure blue, and do not change color when moved into different light. Stones that are too dark or too light are of less value than royal blue stones.
Make sure there are no visible inclusions in the stone or scratches on the surface.
Examine the cut of the sapphire. Oval shapes - like Princess Diana’s ring - are popular, but sapphires come in a variety of cuts. Make sure the light reflects evenly off the surface of the stone when it is held face up. Look at the surface of the stone from several angles to be sure.
As an aside, if you want to say “Awwwww” today, have a look at this illustrated story.
April 19th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
That ring is gorgeous—-the deep blue is a stunning color. I must admit, I always think of Princess Diana when I see a sapphire/diamond ring. Let’s just hope that the sapphire doesn’t carry with it a “rotten marriage curse” of some sort…
April 19th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Maybe they can put a consumer warning on it, jenny.
Note to couples: Stone doesn’t always work as intended.
April 19th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
That is a gorgeous ring. In my opinion, it’s much nicer than a diamond engagement ring, if only because it’s different!
April 19th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
The ring is beautiful, & I’m glad to see a colored stone, but awwwww… what a nice little story! So sweet.
April 20th, 2006 at 12:27 am
Oh, I should have read the original post more thoroughly: the whole “faithfulness” irony was already in there to begin with. My bad…
April 20th, 2006 at 9:15 am
GreenKarat also offers rings with created sapphires, by the way. Mine is a created blue diamond flanked by created blue sapphires.
(And I adore it, and they could not have been nicer.)
April 20th, 2006 at 9:58 am
Whenever I see an engagement ring with a colored stone it reminds me of Anne of Green Gables, who imagined diamonds to be brilliantly colored and was so disappointed once she actually saw one. It’s not that diamond rings aren’t beautiful, it’s just that there are so many other possibilities.
April 20th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Oooooh, now I need to start re-reading the “Anne” series! I’d forgotten all about that part…
(I’d better set out some food and water for my children, because they won’t be seeing much of me for the next few days: I’m gonna be holed up in my room, reading. Once I get started on a series like that, I can’t stop until I’m finished!
NOTE: I was just kidding about the food and water part. Don’t call the cops.)
April 20th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
I loved that Anne thought diamonds must be purple, like amethysts. And she ended up picking pearls for her engagement ring. I liked that.
Topic: back in the days when I was thinking of a stone for an engagement ring, I always thought it would be a sapphire. It’s blue, which is a color I love, it’s my birthstone since I’m a September baby, and I liked the idea that it stands for faith, since marriage is an act of faith that requires faithfulness. It just seemed right. Then I saw that silver frog prince, and that was that. I’ve never looked back.
Oh, I still adore sapphires.
April 20th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
I actually have a saphirre engagement ring. My fiance picked it out all by himself, as I am not a huge fan of diamonds. He just liked the ring, but the symbolism of loyalty, friendship and harmony are actually a quite good description of us. And I won’t let the irony of Diana’s ring taint that!
April 23rd, 2006 at 9:16 am
Tha sapphire of faithfulness did wonders for Charles and Diana, did it not? That being said, the ring is a stunner, no doubt.
April 24th, 2006 at 3:05 am
Omg I LOVE the story about Lee and Yan!!!!
And i have a little story about Sapphires. A friend of mine, her fiancee had a Green Sapphire he had mined in Rockhampton (Qld Aust) and he had kept it aside to have it made into her engagement ring, and he did and proposed and she wasn’t into jewelry but loved the concept behind it. Then, she was having her wedding band made with hammerset green sapphires and gave the jeweler the engagement ring to get them right, and while the jeweler was setting the wedding band SHE CRACKED THE STONE IN THE ENGAGMENT RING. An irreplacable stone. Devestation ensued.
January 16th, 2007 at 12:14 am
Since my name is Diana, and we’re having a royal Renaissance wedding, I thought it so ironic reading about Princess Diana’s ring being a sapphire. I never wanted a diamond, in fact I wanted an aquamarine because of the pale blue that I felt was so pretty and would match anything. Every place we went tried to convince us to get a diamond, until finally one place showed us an ice blue sapphire. The same color as an aquamarine, but much stronger (and covered by warranty!) I absolutely love it. If you want to see a picture there’s one on my blog. http://dianasaur.blogspot.com/2007/01/im-engaged.html
January 17th, 2007 at 11:42 am
That’s simply lovely, Diana!