{"id":35546,"date":"2017-02-15T23:53:13","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T04:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=35546"},"modified":"2023-11-26T20:14:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T01:14:48","slug":"beware-of-nontraditional-gems-in-engagement-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/beware-of-nontraditional-gems-in-engagement-rings\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware of Nontraditional Gems in Engagement Rings"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m both a fan and a designer of nontraditional engagement rings. (In fact, my first big jewelry design — before I was even in the jewelry business — was my own unusual ring<\/a>.) Therefore, if you don’t want a diamond in your ring, I will happily come up with suggestions for you.<\/p>\n

That said, there are a limited number of gems that work for a ring that is subject to an extraordinary amount of wear and tear, so when you are considering alternatives, you want to seek out an expert. The internet can steer you the wrong way, as jewelry blogger Becky Stone of Diamonds in the Library<\/a> pointed out today<\/a> after reading a BuzzFeed article about eight alternative gems for engagement rings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two gems on the list — pearls and opals — are notoriously soft and all wrong for a ring that’s going to be worn every day. I feel so strongly about this that I once refused an engagement-ring commission from a customer who insisted upon a black pearl. I could have taken that money and presented the customer with a ring and a few care instructions … but in my experience, people nod and smile and then wear their rings to the beach and in the pool<\/a>. Customers sometimes pop up in my emails wondering why their ring looks kind of scratched up after a few months, and those are diamond rings that have only suffered slight damage to the gold or platinum setting! Read what Becky has to say about opals and pearls:<\/p>\n

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How sad will you be when your engagement opal cracks after 6 months? Or your pearl dissolves in 2 years because you shower w\/ it on?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Becky Stone (@DiamondsintheLi) February 15, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n