Do Engagement Rings Have to Feature Diamonds?

Although diamond engagement rings are the most familiar and timeless, there's no reason why you can’t substitute another favorite stone for the traditional gem. The best way to choose the right alternative for you is to consider why you don’t want a diamond in the first place. If there's simply another stone that you prefer, by all means, use it. If you want to add a splash of color to your ring, excellent diamond alternatives include sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, all of which are considered precious gemstones.

Brides who fear that they may unknowingly purchase a conflict diamond should consider a hand-cut cultured diamond. Created in a laboratory, quality synthetic diamonds are subject to the same grading scale (the 4Cs) by which the quality of natural diamonds is determined and can be set in gold or platinum. Unlike cubic zirconia (which is a diamond simulant), synthetic diamonds are molecularly identical to mined diamonds.

If you simply want to be original when it comes to your engagement ring, you needn’t have a center stone at all. A diamond band or a band that features another precious stone can serve as your engagement ring, or perhaps an antique ring will fulfill your desire to be different. Whatever you decide, the most important thing about your engagement ring is that you find it beautiful -- regardless of the stone it features.