All you need to know about fine jewelry
There's a lot to know and consider, so we're here to help!
Traditional Engagement Rings 💍
Traditional style engagement rings are those ring designs that everyone knows.
The Solitaire is a simple, one-stone ring, while the Halo style is a center stone surrounded by accent diamonds. Although the rings may differ slightly in the details, the style and base shape remains the same.
This classic ring style will always be in fashion not only for the statement it makes, but also because it is classy, timeless and elegant.
As diamond fans, we at Ruby Mardi love more traditional designs that focus on the beauty of an exceptional center gem, and we like to add our personal touch to give our designs a little je-ne-sais-quoi!
To learn more on the precise subject of diamonds,
please consult our diamond blog
VS Alternative Engagement Rings ✨
Alternative engagement rings are unconventional in either the gem choice or the overall design, or both.
Less common, they are ideal for those who wish to wear a ring that reflects their personality. It's important to feel like yourself with a ring you'll wear for the rest of your life!
Ruby Mardi is a community of more than 20 independent jewelry designers who all have their own artistic direction and vision, making our offering one of the most diverse - and astonishing! - in Canada.
We believe an engagement ring should be as unique as the love it represents, and that this meaningful object should be designed with time, love and precision, and not mass-produced like a common consumer product.
To us, fine jewelry is a true work of art.
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Gemstones VS Diamonds
Diamonds became the most popular choice for engagement rings in the 20th century.
Before that, sapphires where the most popular choice.
A bit of History
If diamonds became that popular, it's all because of advertising.
It all began in the United States during the Great Depression. For centuries, since its commercialization in the 14th century, diamonds have served as a symbol of wealth and superiority.
It wasn't until the mid-1930s that the stone became synonymous with love and marriage. The modern association between diamonds and love began just as the United States was recovering from the Great Depression.
At the end of the 1940s, the De Beers company and its puplicity agency came up with their most famous slogan: "A diamond is forever". Mary Frances Gerety's quote was coupled with a campaign aimed at Hollywood celebrities, and the brand succeeded.
In just a few years, sales of diamond jewelry increased by 55%. A study published in 1951 by De Beers' advertising agency reveals that "the tradition of diamond engagement rings is growing stronger and stronger. Jewelers now tell us that a girl is only engaged if she has a diamond engagement ring".
Current Trends
Today, lab grown diamonds are a real game changer.
Just a few years ago, big diamonds and fancy colored diamonds were reserved for the very rich, whereas with the advent of laboratory diamonds, a democratization of diamonds is taking place.
☞ We invite you to read our lab grown diamond blog post to learn more about the subject.
Apart from that revolution, Salt & Pepper diamonds are becoming increasingly popular. These are diamonds of category I3 and above, with so many inclusions that they become aesthetically pleasing and are prized as such. The appeal of these diamonds lies in their aesthetic energy and the distribution of inclusions, which gives these gems a unique dimension. The brilliance of these stones, which comes from the white glow of light on the stone's surface, is powerful and similar to all diamonds.
Sapphire engagement rings are also making a "return". As the supply of ethical sapphires in Montana and Australia has become easier, many independent jewelry designers love to use them in their creations. These gemstones, which come in a variety of colors, offer a beautiful brilliance and are very popular, with good reason!
Mohs Scale
But even if advertising made diamonds popular, they deserved to be!
Have you ever heard about the Mohs Scale?
The Mohs hardness scale measures a mineral's resistance to scratching or abrasion.
It's a scale of 1 to 10 on which the diamond scores 10.
A diamond is much harder than corundum (rubies & sapphires), even though they're only one division apart on the scale.
The Mohs scale starts approximately linear, but the curve climbs sharply at the high end. Corundum (9) is twice as hard as topaz (8), and diamond (10) is four times as hard as corundum.
(Note: diamonds, and only diamonds, can scratch other diamonds.)
In practical terms, gems softer than quartz will lose their polish and become dull simply from cleaning.
A 7 or higher on the Mohs scale usually indicates a gem is hard enough for normal jewelry use. This is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. Pearls and opals are some of the most popular jewelry gems but are well below 7.
So, which gemstone choose?
If the person who will wear the jewelry is a bit clumsy, tends to bump into things, or doesn't take good care of her/his personal belongings, diamond will be the best gemstone to consider for her/his engagement ring.
If that person doesn't like the icy look of diamonds, salt & pepper diamonds or lab grown fancy colored diamonds are great options to consider.
Otherwise, rubies & sapphires are noble gemstones that are often use for engagement rings and that will easily stand the test of time with proper care and attention.
Other gemstones can be considered as well for everyday wear, but they will scratch more easily if they receive shocks. We think of emerald, tourmaline, aquamarine, spinel, garnet and morganite.
Note that all gemstones, even diamonds, are prone to chipping if they receive violent shocks. We often say that fine jewelry pieces are not fragile, but are still delicate.
Visit our gemstone gallery for an overview of the wide range of gemstones we offer for your bespoke jewelry creations, or our birthstone page if you want to give a gift according to the month of birth of a loved one.
Engagement Rings VS Wedding Rings
The Differences Between Engagement & Wedding Rings
In principle, an engagement ring is a jewelry piece that is given to a person as part of a marriage proposal. It will typically have one dominant stone, which either stands alone or is surrounded by smaller stones.
By contrast, a wedding ring is traditionally a plain metal band or a diamond band which is given to someone as part of the exchange of vows during the wedding ceremony.
But some of our rings offer both in one ring!
😎
Do you need both?
Ultimately, this really comes down to your personal preference, you can make your own rule! And if you choose to wear a wedding band, whatever the type you'll choose, a wedding ring & engagement ring pairing is a timeless and beautiful look!
Recent trends also show that wearing multiple rings is extremely popular among those who are newly married, with brides even opting to wear ring stacks of three (or more!) bands, often with mixed metals and styles.
It's of course perfectly fine if you'd rather wear just one ring to symbolize both your engagement and married status.
How to wear them?
Tradition dictates that you wear your engagement ring and wedding ring together on the fourth finger of your left hand, but then again you're free to make your own rule!
As far as how to stack them, tradition also holds that you'll wear the wedding band inside the engagement ring so that it's closer to your heart.
That being said, some brides are choosing to break with tradition and wear their engagement ring on one hand and their wedding band on the other, especially if they're diverse rings that can't be easily stacked. But that won't happen if you entrust the design of your wedding set to Ruby Mardi! ;)
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