The Best Diamond Alternatives For Your Engagement Ring

Engagement ring diamond alternatives are slowly catching on and becoming popular, and this is because customers are becoming more budget aware and environmentally conscious. On top of that, technological advancements have made diamond alternatives, such as fancy colour lab-grown diamonds, more commercially viable and affordable for more people. 

Another factor affecting consumer behaviour are ethical concerns–the diamond mining industry is associated with war zones and hazardous working conditions. Modern-day proposal rings also emphasise individuality and uniqueness, causing stones like sapphire, emerald, morganite, and amethyst to trend in popularity as well.

If you are looking for alternatives to natural diamonds, then we have great news! Below, we’ll lay out the different diamond alternatives to help guide you through the buying process.

Considerations When Choosing an Alternative

When choosing a diamond alternative, it’s important to know what matters to you as a buyer. There are a variety of options for you to choose from depending on what you’re looking for in a diamond alternative. If you are looking for a more economical option, lab-grown diamonds are almost identical to natural diamonds to the naked eye!

Creativity and uniqueness are also popular factors in choosing diamond alternatives. While the pure colourless diamond is a classic and timeless choice, a coloured alternative like a sapphire or an emerald is sure to stand out, making your engagement truly unique. 

Lab-Grown Diamonds

In today’s diamond industry, there are two types of diamonds–natural diamonds, which are mined from the Earth and occur in unpredictable circumstances, and lab-grown diamonds, which are grown from scratch in laboratories by scientists and diamond manufacturers in controlled environments. 

Due to the difficulty and effort involved in mining natural diamonds, they can often be more expensive than lab-grown diamonds. While identical to the naked eye, you would need a trained expert to tell the difference between a lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond with specialised tools.

Lab-grown diamonds are also ideal for customization, as they can be produced in a variety of colours and sizes as needed, whereas natural diamonds are naturally produced in uncontrolled environments.

Sapphire

Famous for their rich, deep, and intense hues of blue, sapphires are another popular diamond alternative. Second only to diamonds on the Mohs hardness scale, they are highly durable and suitable for use as daily wear jewellery.

Although most commonly occurring in blue, sapphires can also occur in other colours. They have been known to occur in shades of yellow, green, pink, orange, and purple–there have even been instances of colourless sapphires!

Sapphire engagement rings have captivated celebrities, framing their proposals with the unique brilliance of the sapphire.. Among the most famous are Penélope Cruz’s dazzling 2010 three-carat oval-cut sapphire, Princess Kate’s iconic 2011 12-carat Sri Lankan sapphire, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s stunning 2018 12-carat pavé-set sapphire.

Emerald

Emeralds are famed for their rich and dazzling green shades, which can range from bluish-green to yellowish-green. 

Inclusions–or slight imperfections in the appearance of a precious gem–are referred to as jardin in emeralds. This is the French word for garden, and emerald inclusions are named so because of their resemblance to plants and moss. This gives them a beautiful, nature-inspired appearance, giving the impression of a miniature garden thriving inside the crystalline confines of the emerald.

Some celebrities known to have sported beautiful emerald proposal rings include Anya Taylor-Joy in 2022, Victoria Beckham in 2007, and Halle Berry in 2013.

Morganite

Morganite naturally occurs in colours ranging from peach-pink to light pink, making it a romantic and feminine stone. Associated with innocence, love, sweetness, and romance, it’s the perfect gemstone to represent a commitment of love.

It is believed to radiate positive energy, personal power, empathy, and is even said to relieve stress!

Scoring a Mohs hardness of 7.5-8, morganite stones can be worn as daily wear jewellery, but care must be taken to avoid nicks and scratches, particularly from quartz. Quartz can be found in dust, sand, concrete, and asphalt among others, and can scratch morganite over prolonged contact, so it’s best to keep a morganite ring safely stored while participating in physical activities that involve quartz. 

The most famous celebrity morganite engagement ring is Lily Collins’ 2020 engagement ring, given to her by director Charlie MacDowell.

Mixing Metals

Another simple way to personalise an engagement ring is by mixing metals. As opposed to traditional proposal rings that only feature one metal (typically gold), mixed metal engagement rings are a modern trend that combines two or more metals in the wedding band, such as yellow gold with white gold. The blend creates a striking contrast that is both unique and modern.

However, different metals also have different levels of hardness. This is important to take into consideration when opting for a mixed metal ring. Gold is known to be prone to scratching–keeping that in mind, your mixed metal ring should be designed to limit contact between metals that have significantly different scratch resistance to avoid damaging the softer metal.

Upkeep for mixed metal rings is mostly similar to single metal rings. Regular cleaning with a mild soap solution helps in removing dirt and oils, and regular professional inspections help a great deal in ensuring your mixed metal ring lasts a long time.

The Importance of an Engagement Ring

Your proposal ring is more than just jewellery–it is a profound declaration of your love, commitment, and the beginning of a shared lifelong journey with your partner. Personalising the ring takes this symbolism to the next level, imbuing it with the unique personalities, memories, and sentiments of a couple. A unique ring goes a long way towards making the ring truly yours, making it a cherished symbol that will last a lifetime–and more.