I like my wedding ring just fine, thanks!

[Portugal79]

I'm always glad of an excuse to show off my ring (engagement ring when we were engaged, wedding ring now that we're married).

This is from the jeweler's site:



Mine is made of white gold, with amethysts, lapis, opal and sugillate (like lapis, but purple)

it's stunning. i've never seen a ring like that before.

[RingTailedLemur]

That's an amazing ring Ms_Cellany!  I love it!

[Softly Spoken]

Sorry OP had to deal with that boor of a coworker  but I also love this thread.   

Creativity and individuality are very important to me and I appreciate it in others. I love personalized/specialty jewelry that has a story behind it. When I see a diamond engagement ring I don't think "oooh how many karats" I think "meh, how conventional."(not to dis those of you with traditional diamond rings, just not my thing!).

It's the thought behind the ring; the fact that it was given in the first place that's important IMHO. 

FWIW, if I ever get married I don't even want an engagement ring. If my FH was looking to get something to propose to me with he would a) spend a reasonable amount of money bc I'd kick his hiney for blowing money on jewelry instead of a down payment on a house, b) know to get me a necklace bc I don't wear rings, and c) prepare an awesome proposal speech bc I'd value words I can hold in my heart forever over sparkly trinkets that I have to worry about losing down the bathroom drain.

Even though diamonds are my birthstone I wouldn't necessarily want one. I like amethyst bc purple is my favorite color, and I like blue/turquoise. There is a rainbow colored stone that I think is awesome but I can't remember what you call it.

Actually, I haven't gotten through the whole thread yet so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this topic, but what about real diamonds vs. manufactured?  I've heard that synthetically made diamonds can actually be just as good if not better looking then the real thing, and they come without the environmental/political/economical issues attached to real diamonds.

People stereotypically comment on the karat size, but has anyone ever gotten static for the presumed authenticity of their engagement rings?

So much fuss over a little compressed rock! Darn that Marilyn Monroe (sp?) and her catchy song! 

[Amalthea]

Actually, I haven't gotten through the whole thread yet so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this topic, but what about real diamonds vs. manufactured?  I've heard that synthetically made diamonds can actually be just as good if not better looking then the real thing, and they come without the environmental/political/economical issues attached to real diamonds.

I've actually been doing a lot of research about this recently.  Shiny things + science = fascinating for me.  For man made diamonds, the technique for making clear stones hasn't really been perfected yet, so they're still about the same price as mined diamonds.  They're usually smaller stones, and they're flawless since they're lab grown.  Most man made diamonds are colored, and they do look amazing.

There are also lab grown stones that look like diamonds, like cubic zirconium and moissanite, but are much less expensive.  Cubic zirconium has a bad reputation as cheap costume jewelry, but there are actually some companies that make beautiful, high quality stones.  Moissanite is my personal favorite.  It has a higher refractive index than diamonds, which means it makes more rainbows.

[Softly Spoken]

Amalthea: "There are also lab grown stones that look like diamonds, like cubic zirconium and moissanite, but are much less expensive.  Cubic zirconium has a bad reputation as cheap costume jewelry, but there are actually some companies that make beautiful, high quality stones.  Moissanite is my personal favorite.  It has a higher refractive index than diamonds, which means it makes more rainbows."

Hee, you just made me flash back to when I got my ears pierced as a teenager: the studs were cubic zircon and I thought they looked awesome, mom had to break it to me that they weren't real diamonds but I didn't care.

Manufactured = same price as real thing? Awwwww.... Phooey. Well, I'm betting the DeBeers (sp?) ppl have a sniper on the payroll for when someone does figure out how to manufacture cheaper...

I have always suspected that a lot of people (not counting jewelers with their little eyepiece thingys) couldn't tell good costume jewelry from the real thing if their life depended on it. I'd rather wear good fakes - waaaaaay less pressure, especially when walking over grates and storm drains.   

Here's something ironic: I've always thought that bigger stones, whether real or costume, look fake precisely because of their size - if the stone is too large it just looks guady and tacky to me. I also used to think (before I read up a little on gemstones), that 'real' jewelry sparkled and fake jewelry was duller. Obviously I know nothing about jewelry, but I love hearing other people talk about it. And looking at the pretty 'sparklies.'

Moissanite makes more rainbows? *squeal* I have a new favorite gemstone!

*edited to fix an irritating little spelling error 

[Nora]

Do want moissanite ring!