{"id":37572,"date":"2017-09-13T12:49:18","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T16:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=37572"},"modified":"2017-09-13T12:49:18","modified_gmt":"2017-09-13T16:49:18","slug":"wednesdays-video-engagement-ring-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/wednesdays-video-engagement-ring-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday’s Video: Engagement-Ring Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve written about the problems of using nontraditional gems in engagement rings<\/a>:\u00a0 People are just too tough on everyday rings to mess around with pearls! That’s why I prefer to use only the hardest gems in engagement rings. Diamonds, for instance, rate a perfect 10 on the Mohs hardness scale<\/a>, while rubies and sapphires (aka corundum<\/a>) come in at 9.<\/p>\n

In this week’s YouTube video, I talk more about the practicality of using a hard gem in an engagement ring; how to source conflict-free diamonds; the way you can drive yourself crazy overthinking the history of antique gems; and more! I also segued into a spontaneous, unpaid testimonial for Monica Stephenson’s ANZA Gems<\/a>. As you’ve seen, I’m really excited about her effort to support ethical mining of colored gemstones in Kenya and Tanzania, and this year she has obtained some gorgeous sapphires<\/a> that I would love to work with.<\/p>\n