Alternative to the typical diamond solitaire?

[theGatsby]

OK, so what do you do when you want to give a special someone a ring, but she is not the traditional diamond solitaire type?

And no this is not some cheap way out of buying a diamond. I was just wondering if there are any ideas for something unique, like her?

 

[Noor]

Emeralds or rubies. Emeralds are more expensive than diamonds, decent ones, the real ones, man made ones are dull.

Diamonds can be nice too if you can find the ones with fire in them not just a big hunk of gleaming crystal. I saw some great ones in Antwerp

 

[Weird Harold]

give a special someone a ring,

Someone special deserves a special ring.

Since you assert that she's not a "Diamond Solitaire Type" the you must have some idea of what type she IS.

Talk to a jeweler or Gold or silversmith, and work out a design for a ring that is perfect for whatever "type" she is.

A custom made ring, designed especially for her is infinitely more "Special" than the largest Diamond Solitare you can find, (let alone afford.)

 

[Amfig]

Someone special deserves a special ring.

Since you assert that she's not a "Diamond Solitaire Type" the you must have some idea of what type she IS.

Talk to a jeweler or Gold or silversmith, and work out a design for a ring that is perfect for whatever "type" she is.

A custom made ring, designed especially for her is infinitely more "Special" than the largest Diamond Solitare you can find, (let alone afford.)

You are so right on this one. When Amfrigger and I got engaged I took her to my favorite jeweler/designer. He made her a ring with a 4.5 carat sapphire and 7 diamonds, then cast a wedding ring to fit around it. 3 different cuts to the stones. And so totally her.

 

[Sampoerna]

I'm definitely in agreement with Weird Harold & Amfig...have something unique cast . It isn't that much more & if you/she have any old broken bits of gold jewelry they can use that in the cast to make it more sentimental. My suggestion would be her birthstone in the center (tell her "you are the center of my world", maybe a heart shaped stone?) and smaller cuts of your birthstone surrounding it (surrounding her with your love). Cheesy, yes. Corny, I'll give that a yes too. But guaranteed to make that special lady melt!

 

[Bobmi357]

Is it the diamonds she doesn't like or just the idea of a solitaire? My wife surprised me when she picked out her engagement ring by selecting a stone with multiple diamonds (total of 1.5 carats), but its all in these itty bitty stones (seven of them in a band).

Perhaps she'd prefer something like that instead of the more traditional solitaire.

 

[CuteJenn]

take into account that with different metals and cuts to the stone and shape, you can get a unique look with a diamond ring. I would ask her before I did anything serious.

 

[AttentionWhore]

A really cool ring that I've found on line, but not seen in person is
http://www.treasurering.com/
It's more of a locket type ring, which I think is very cool. It's very unique, and can be customized with a saying that is important to *only* the two of you...

 

[crazybbwgirl]

My sister's engagement ring is Tanzanite. Beautiful very light lavendar color. Very rare, more rare than diamonds. Its pretty, its different, and its special. I agree there are a lot of other wonderful gems out there that would make a great, meaningful gift. Emeralds - yes - my favorite!

 

[Mstrskey]

Man ....

I wish I could say I didn't want a beautiful solitaire but alas no....

I like the idea of using a birthstone, or perhaps even the stone for the month the two of you first met.

As I said, mine was very traditional, however my mothers was quite unique. She wasn't fond of any of the rings she and my dad had looked at so my father decided to get creative. He made her ring by combining metals and stones from both their grandparents rings. Both had had long and productive marriages and both had been influential people in their lives. It was his way of honoring the family they both wished could be there to share the day. It wasn't big or flashy but she has always treasured it above any other piece.

 

[deliciously_naughty]

First of all...are you SURE she isn't a diamond fan? I know a lot of women who aren't diamond fans, but when it comes to THE RING, if there isn't a diamond involved, people are going to be very upset. Or is she just not into a diamond solitaire? My personal pick is an oval diamond with two marquise cut baguettes.

If this is really true...find out what her favorite stone is...and buy the highest quality one you can find and get it set in a funky platinum (unless she likes yellow gold) setting.

There are a lot of jewlers, like Hannoush who will make a ring to your request, so she'll get an original ring.

But really...involve her...she's the one who has to wear it for the rest of her life, and there's nothing worse than looking down and not really liking the ring. Yes, it has more significance than that, but there's at least a small part of us that's going to think that. Sorry, it's true.

 

[PinkOrchid]

 

[theGatsby]

Cool ideas, thanks.

 

[Weird Harold]

An additional thought...

Cool ideas, thanks.

If you can get a picture of the hand the ring will be on to show the designer, it could help design a ring that is literally made to look good on HER hand and no other.

 

[Noneyabizness]

OK, so what do you do when you want to give a special someone a ring, but she is not the traditional diamond solitaire type?

And no this is not some cheap way out of buying a diamond. I was just wondering if there are any ideas for something unique, like her?

Sapphires are great, as they are just under the diamond in terms of strength of the stone. Diamonds are the hardest stone, just above sapphires.

Emeralds are very porous, can chip very easily. It is also hard to find a really good emerald. Tiffany's has some very beautiful emeralds, but with some very beautiful price tags (rather, that would be UGLY price tags!).

 

[dollface007]

Re: Re: Alternative to the typical diamond solitaire?

Emeralds are very porous, can chip very easily. It is also hard to find a really good emerald.

This was my first thought when i read the emerald suggestion....probably not a good stone for daily use. My ex tried to find an emerald piece for me once (he wanted it to match my eyes...aaaawww), but had to give up and go with something else. I was thinking that maybe you could shop for an antique ring....something with more character than carats
oh, and keep your eyes peeled....my friend and her bf found her engagement ring lying in a parking lot...turned out it was real! bravo to you for really wanting to do something special for your woman!!

 

[Aston]

OK, so what do you do when you want to give a special someone a ring, but she is not the traditional diamond solitaire type?

And no this is not some cheap way out of buying a diamond. I was just wondering if there are any ideas for something unique, like her?

Blue Marine Sapphire

 

[Lust Engine]

Some of the best advice I ever got from a jeweller friend of mine is- If you want her to wear this ring on a daily basis, consider what kind of person she is. Is she works with her hands constantly, then settle for something smaller. If she's less inclined to work with her hands, you could consider a larger stone. While it might seem almost TOO practical, consider what she's got to go through wearing a HUGE rock and the chances of her catching it on things. And even on a very serious side, I'm always leery of seeing huge stones on people just because it could advertise to criminals.

In arenas like this where it can become a very personal item, I'd sit down with the jeweller and have them custom design a ring for her. Choose a stone or stones that wouldbe appropriate to HER personality. Let it come from the heart and not neccesarily the wallet.

 

[PinkOrchid]

 

[AnelizeDarkEyes]

Good point, LE. If she is a nurse or doctor or scientist she'll have to wear gloves, and many rings can catch on them and rip them. She'll need a low-profile ring in that case. Rings can also rip panty hose, which can be annoying. Bring a cotton ball when you go look at rings, have a clerk put the ring on, and swipe the cotton ball over it. If it sticks or any cotton is left on the ring, it may be a problem.

GREAT point Pink Orchid!! I'm a nurse, and my when my ex and I were doing the ring search, the whole solitaire thing was out of the question. We settled on an intricate and beautiful low profile jeweled (rubies) band instead, custom made. Course, these days, it's sitting in my jewelry box, being saved for my daughter LOL!!

*grin*

BTW, make sure you know what your fiancee's preference in metal is. What does she usually wear? Are you planning on this being a surprise? If so, take a long hard look at what kinds of jewelry she wears daily. All gold? All silver? If it's a mix of the two, I'd sure consider asking what she'd prefer in a ring! White or yellow gold, or perhaps platinum (how's your budget? LOL).

~anelize

 

[theGatsby]

She doesn't wear yellow gold, so I'm looking at platinum. White gold is nice but I fear it to be too soft for daily wear. Thanks for the heads up on a ring that could snag on stuff. She does a bunch of gardening and baking so that is definitely a consideration.

 

[PinkOrchid]

 

[Lust Engine]

She doesn't wear yellow gold, so I'm looking at platinum. White gold is nice but I fear it to be too soft for daily wear. Thanks for the heads up on a ring that could snag on stuff. She does a bunch of gardening and baking so that is definitely a consideration.

Be prepared for those crazed platinum prices! Platinum's not cheap by any stretch! Also realize that platinum is a very malleable metal; it'll scratch easily but won't chip or knick. In the ideal world, for work such as gardening and things like that, the ring should be off. Also be sure of the setting- get something secure. A few simple prongs might not hold a stone as securely so see if your jeweller can craft something that can hold the stone snugly.

 

[theGatsby]

Wow this is some great advice, thank you all so much. I have a friend who has a wedding band made of titanium. I didn't even know there was titanium jewelry. Isn't it expensive? Do they set stones in titanium rings?

 

[Lust Engine]

Wow this is some great advice, thank you all so much. I have a friend who has a wedding band made of titanium. I didn't even know there was titanium jewelry. Isn't it expensive? Do they set stones in titanium rings?

Titanium is another one of those recently chic metals (the other being platinum- which wasn't commercially available for the longest time due to the military uses) for wedding jewelry. It's immensely light weight and sturdy as all get out. It does lack the lustre of some of the more precious metals, almost dull comparitively and doesn't seem as prestigious. But again, the ring in my honest opinion should reflect the person. It should be a statement as to what kind of person she is. Go find a competant jeweller who's willing to take the time to walk you through the MANY different choices available. Do go in with a ceiling as far as price too- it CAN get outrageous dependant on all kinds of factors from metals, stones, complexity, rush, settings, etc....

Good luck & enjoy the shopping.