Ring Options That Do Not Feature a Diamond

When looking for a ring that has a main stone other than Diamond there are a few things to consider.

• Hardness and durability. Diamonds are popular because of their durability and ability to be worn everyday with risk of damage. There are a handful of gemstones that are equally durable for every day use. They are Sapphire, Ruby and Spinel
• Clarity is less of a concern in colored gemstones compared to Diamonds. When selecting a colored gemstone the most important thing to note is the color.

Sapphire Rings

With a hardness of 9 out of 10 and coming in almost every color of the rainbow, Sapphire is the most popular gemstone for use in rings.

Traditionally the blue Sapphires from Sri Lanka and Kashmire have been highly prized. However in recent times the growing popularity of Australian Sapphires has lead to people demanding more exotic colors like Yellows, Greens and the unique parti Sapphire. Check out these Sapphire Rings for inspiration

Blue sapphires

Australian Green / Yellow Sapphire

Australian Blue Sapphire

Australian parti Sapphire

Australian Yellow Sapphire

Ruby Rings

At the end of 2016 the US government lifted a ban on importing Burmese Rubies and jade. Burmese Rubies are considered the best in the world along with the new mines of Mozambique. Ruby also ranks 9 out of 10 on the hardness scale and so it is a gemstone that can worn every day without fear of it getting damaged.

In terms of color a Ruby that is pure red without any hint of pink or purple is going to be very expensive. Typically Rubies will have a slight pinkish tone which is accepted in the industry. Here are the two examples of fine Ruby rings.

Burmese Ruby

Mozambique Ruby

Spinel Rings

Spinel is a new gemstone that has only been popular in the last 2 years. It is a very durable gemstone coming in at 8 out of 10 on the hardness scale. Spinel is found alongside Rubies and come from many locations around the world. The most striking Spinels come from Burma, Tanzania and Tajikistan.  There are red Spinels from Burma that would rival the intense red of Rubies.

The most popular colors for Spinel rings are red Spinels from Burma and Tanzania and Pink Spinels from Tanzania and Tajikistan.

Spinel ring

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