There has been a slow shift in engagement ring trends. Engagement rings were once a range of cookie-cutter styles, now as people search for something special, they are turning towards different gemstones and colours. At Cullen Jewellery we offer a range of coloured lab-grown gemstones, and now we’ve just added – lab-grown sapphires. The latter is a great hard-wearing stone to set into your engagement ring to reflect your vibrant personality. If you want to learn more, keep reading.
Is it OK to have a sapphire engagement ring?
Even the late Princess Diana, and now Princess Kate Middleton, had a blue sapphire ring surrounded by a halo of diamonds. If you’re looking for something more unique than a lab-grown diamond, or if you’re buying for a September-born bride, a sapphire might just be the way to go. Not only are they available at a more accessible price point, but they also allow for a more intricate or design-led engagement ring.
Lab-grown sapphires at Cullen Jewellery are available in a range of popular colours – Kashmir Blue, Flamingo Pink, Royal Purple, Sky Blue, Blossom Pink, Scarlet Red. The vibrancy of these means they certainly aren’t for the fainthearted, but rather for those who want to create a stand-out engagement ring they can admire for decades to come.
What does a sapphire engagement ring symbolise?
Sapphires are also widely appreciated by those who believe in the spiritual properties of stones. For a bride belonging to this group, designing an engagement ring by having the underside of the centre stone exposed next to the skin is a way that modern jewellers are incorporating spirituality into jewellery. As for the symbolism of a sapphire, each colour has its own, and here they are:
Pink Sapphires For all the pink lovers, look no further than our pink lab-grown sapphires in Flamingo Pink (a hot pink stone), and Blossom Pink (a light pink stone similar to the uber-rare pink diamonds). The meaning of pink sapphire stones is said to be femininity and romance; and what would be better to represent the happiest, most romantic period of your life?
Purple Sapphires Though purple sapphires aren’t the centre stone in the iconic Princess Diana engagement ring, these stones represent royalty and nobility – and so we’ve aptly named our purple sapphires the Royal Purple.
Blue Sapphires At Cullen Jewellery, we have 2 blue sapphire options. One is Kashmir Blue, which is a deep blue similar to Kate Middleton's engagement ring centre stone. Our other shade is Sky Blue, which is a wonderful light shade of blue, like the cool tones of an Aquamarine stone. Blue sapphires generally represent loyalty and honesty; two important commitments in a marriage, and so fitting for an engagement ring. What makes this colour wonderful is that there’s no need to hunt for something blue to wear on the big day.
Red Sapphires OurScarlet Red lab-grown sapphires suit a big, bold personality. Contrary to their fiery colour, red sapphires signify balance and harmony—just like a modern-day relationship where responsibilities are balanced.
Is a white sapphire cheaper than a diamond?
When considering “price per carat,” sapphires are more affordable than mined diamonds, though if you’re looking for an accessible alternative to a mined diamond, you might want to look at a lab-grown diamond engagement ring instead. We’ve spoken about the refractive index of moissanite before, which means the amount of sparkle a stone gives.
White sapphires have the same clear colour as mined diamonds, but their sparkle doesn’t have the same fiery flashes of a diamond, lab-grown diamond or even moissanite – rather, it’s a silvery dull glow. White sapphires are also known to get cloudy, or yellow over time, as part of their natural ageing process. Therefore, if you’re looking for an accessible alternative to a mined diamond, choosing a lab-grown diamond or even a moissanite engagement ring will both look closer to the mined alternative and won’t come with the ethical baggage that mined sapphires also come with.
New trends in engagement rings include coloured stones, thicker rings, and even stacking multiple rings. The versatility of our sapphires not only complements this but also means it will be more accessible than adding coloured diamonds. Another thing to consider is that thicker rings and creating multiple rings are likely to use more gold, and with the price of the metal rising at an astronomical rate, it would be smart to make an economical decision regarding the stones.
Are sapphires too soft for engagement rings?
There are a few reasons to be concerned about the softness and hardness of stones, especially when it comes to engagement rings. Firstly, soft stones are risky to cut, as they are prone to breaking, reducing their value and size.
Semi-precious stones in intricate shapes (like hearts) are usually only done by high-jewellery houses who are willing to take the financial risk in cutting the stone. The Mohs hardness scale measures how hard a stone is, and, therefore, how durable it is for daily wear. On this scale, sapphires measure at a 9, whereas diamonds [both mined and lab-grown] are a 10. So while diamonds are a harder stone, sapphires are still suitable for everyday use, and are the hardest of all the semi-precious stones, along with rubies, which are from the same mineral family, corundum.
Summary
For those looking for a classic engagement ring, a sapphire might be your dream centre stone; particularly if you’re a fan of the British royal family, or want a unique engagement ring. Incorporating bold-coloured stones into your design can be daunting. You can browse our range of sapphires and book a virtual or in-store appointment to discuss engagement ring options and prices.
Explore Our Sapphire Rings Now