Sapphire Rings: Top Reasons Why Modern Brides Are Choosing sapphire for Their Engagement Ring
If someone was to ask you which is the most popular and loved gemstone by ladies for their engagement rings, you’d be forgiven to think it’s diamond. You wouldn’t be blamed here since you have been made to believe so. De Beers with their slogan of “A diamond is forever” and Marilyn Monroe with her soulful rendition of “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” have kept diamonds relevant for 100s of years. But things are quickly changing now.
Sapphire, which was written off as a common gemstone when Princess Diana chose it as her engagement ring in 1981, rose to popularity when Prince William proposed Kate Middleton with the same ring in 2010. Needless to say, sapphire has been a hot choice since then with celebrities like Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Blake Lively, and more have joined the bandwagon. Today sapphire is one of the most popular ring choices, perhaps even more than diamonds.
In case you need to see for yourself how gorgeous sapphire rings are, you can check out more than 50 sapphire rings online and you’ll realize what sets them apart. From pretty colors to unique cuts, sapphire truly stands out. If you are curious about why modern brides are picking this colored gemstone over the classic solitaire, here are some compelling reasons.
Sapphire Stones Are Unique
As mentioned already, sapphire rings are popular because of the large variety of colors that the gemstone offers. sapphire comes in a variety of colors like ocean spray blue, indigo blue, champagne, orange, and at times, even green. It’s said that sapphire is available in most colors except red.
Sapphire is also available in some very rare and lesser-known colors. To illustrate, Padparadscha is a type of sapphire that has a very delicate color between orange and pink, which makes it look exotic. The convenience of being able to choose a color of your choice makes sapphire a dream stone for every woman. The uniqueness of sapphire helps modern brides stand out from the crowd and that’s the biggest draw of these gemstones over classic diamonds.
Related Reads: Unique Engagement Ring Ideas
Sapphire Is More Rare and Affordable Than Diamond
Diamonds are more common than you think and are not at all rare, which means they are not precious. The popularity and demand of the classic gemstone have been kept afloat simply by the genius marketing strategies and manipulation of consumer demand by the De Beers corporation. Before De Beers whitewashed the market, ruby and sapphire were the de-facto choices for engagement rings simply for being gorgeous and rare.
The sapphire industry has not yet been monopolized like a diamond. This means while there are many sapphire traders, there’s no one organization to dictate the pricing or demand. What this means is that the demand and pricing of sapphire are reached organically and if quite reasonable compared to the diamond. Usually, a sapphire ranges between $500 to $2,000 per carat depending on the color, cut, clarity, and carat.
Sapphire Is Ethically Sourced
Diamond has had a bloody past wherein they were mined in Africa under cruel conditions with women and children being forced to work under unsafe conditions. As such diamonds were labeled conflict diamonds and looked down upon. Though steps have been taken to try and combat the issue like the Kimberley Process it’s heavily flawed since it’s completely voluntary. The only solution to avoid problems associated with diamonds is to not get diamonds at all.
Sapphire, on the other hand, is deemed ethical jewelry. This is because they are easily traceable since they are mostly sourced from smaller, family-run mines. Purchasing a sapphire means you’re supporting the economy of a local area that depends largely on the sale of sapphires. Moreover, you can be assured that the sapphire you’re buying is natural and not lab-grown.
Sapphire Stands the Test of Time
Sapphire, along with ruby, belongs to the corundum family of gemstones. The stone is a rate of 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means it’s quite hard and scratch-resistant. There’s a reason why top tech companies like Apple use synthetic sapphire glass to protect the displays of their luxury Apple Watches and iPhones.
Other gemstones don’t have sapphire’s superior hardiness and therefore need to be treated with care. On the other hand, a sapphire engagement ring is not only gorgeous to look at but will also stand the test of time even with everyday wear.
It seems that sapphire is finally getting its due recognition as more and more brides opt for the gemstone. The surge in demand is likely to make it scarce in due time and thus make it rare and expensive. If recent auctioning trends of untreated sapphire are anything to go by, it’s safe to say that sapphire is the gemstone of the future.
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