The engagement ruby ring is one of those unusual pieces of jewelry that seems quite out of the ordinary when it comes to bridal jewelry. When most people think of engagement rings, they think of diamonds and not the other precious stones like Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire. This would be a mistake because although no stone is as durable as diamond, each of these three precious stones have their own appeal.

When it comes to precious colored stone, it is more of an emotional response to the beauty of the color than the perfection of the cut. Ruby is a part of the Corundum mineral family is second only to diamond in hardness. It is also called the Lord of gems for a reason. This is because it is practically priceless if it is a clean stone in the pure pigeon blood red color in sizes larger than 2 carats. You are not likely to see very many five carat and above sizes in a relatively inclusion free, nice colored Ruby. This is why you don’t see many women with plus size ruby engagement rings.

This makes it an ideal precious stone to be used as a center stone in a beautiful engagement ring. You may remember when the late Princess Diana got engaged to Prince Charles and her engagement ring had a beautiful oval blue sapphire center stone surrounded by diamonds. This was no ordinary sapphire. It was a prized, untreated , and fabulously rare Kashmiri sapphire of the purest cornflower blue. This rare sapphire would be astronomically priced today, but if you can imagine an equally clear and pure colored Ruby of the same size you’d be talking about a price many times that of the sapphire simply because such rubies are quite rare.

The antique ruby ring has a rather sordid role in history as being one of the most misidentified gemstones important pieces of jewelry. The gemstone spinel with its orangey red color and hardness close that of the ruby was often inadvertently used in ruby and diamond rings in antiquity. These pieces were later identified in modern times as having a spinel center stone rather than a ruby. Now that we can identify rubies as rubies and even clear up confusion with ruby treatments and synthetic rubies, there is no need to fear that when we buy ruby jewelry from a reputable store that we are buying the genuine gemstone.

A ruby and diamond ring is the natural combination of stones to be used in a ruby engagement ring. The most common style in this type of ruby diamond ring is that of an oval ruby center stone with either a matched pair of diamond side stones or smaller diamonds studding areas of the mounting or combination of both.

Oval rubies are the most common shape that you will find in a diamond and ruby ring. This is the shape that saves the most weight for the Ruby cutter. Other cuts that you will commonly see our emerald cut, cushion cut, marquis cut, round and pear. Oval however gives you the most bang for the buck. To the right this is a round ruby ring with two matched pear shape diamonds. An oval or cushion would look slightly better with the diamonds if you can imagine that.

The trilliant shaped diamonds offer a nice contrast to the softness of the cushion shaped Ruby or in this case an emerald cut . If the side diamonds are especially white, then this helps to bring out the beautiful red color of the ruby.The other common shapes of matched side stone diamonds that you will find in a ruby ring our rounds, pears and baguettes. Round diamonds have better optics than the other shapes and are a good contrast to the subdued red of most medium to higher quality rubies.

The diamond cluster ring is perhaps the most replicated diamond ring style since the 1970s. Many women from the baby boom generation probably own at least one diamond cluster ring. Theappeal of this type of diamond ring is the fact that multiple small diamonds are set close to each other covering a huge swath of ring area.

The most common shape is the circle with diamonds concentrically placed from a lower outer base building up towards the center of the head of the ring till all you need is one diamond at dead center to finish off the ring.

The beauty of the gold diamond cluster ring is that it scintillates with flashes of brilliance from all angles. Also, it has a very feminine look because usually each diamond is set for three prongs with one prong always pointing away from the ring giving it a nice dainty look like the rose gold cluster ring to the right.

Not all diamond cluster rings are round. One of the most popular styles is the waterfall diamond ring which has rows upon rows of diamonds three diamonds wide running up and down the center of the ring in a North South fashion. It simulates the look of a cascading waterfall and you will see this style on many women.

The other type of cluster diamond ring is the one shaped like a rosette with one small diamond in the middle surrounded by five or six diamonds of the same size or smaller as if to simulate petals on a flower. Check out the ring to the left which is a rosette ring in a bypass style. It is simply one diamond surrounded by six “petals” .

This style is also done in a bezel set finish especially when bigger diamonds are used. The image of the flower is a bit clearer when the diamonds are set in bezels.

The more modern type of ring is a white gold diamond cluster ring in a square shape. A central square shape with about four, nine or 16 diamonds set in prongs is surrounded by a square ledge set with smaller diamonds around the periphery either channel set or prong set.

This style is a bit more geometric which many modern women seem to go for. This style can also use princess cut diamonds invisibly set so that they’re no prongs showing except the outer lip running around the edge of the outer diamonds. You can see this in the ring to the right.

This was a great style during the 1980s and 1990s which has since fallen out of favor because this type of ring was difficult to size without having the diamonds become loose with a tendency to fall out.

This problem was difficult to correct because of the nature of invisible set diamonds which require that the diamond seats should fit into a groove burrowed by a laser on the underside of the diamonds. Because this was such a precise fit, any damage to this setting would jar the diamonds loose and would be difficult for a jeweler to put back by hand. Most jewelers would not touch a repair that involved invisibly set diamonds especially in cluster diamond rings.

Interest in antiques who we styles especially diamond jewelry has been on the rise particularly because rose cut diamonds and old miners cut diamonds have become exceedingly rare because many of them were seen as old-fashioned and were we cut into more contemporary styles like the?round brilliant.

As far as popular blue gemstones go, tanzanite second only to blue sapphire is very well known in the Western world.

It is often termed as a semi precious gemstone which is a bit of a misnomer because a nice quality tanzanite ring with just a few carats of tanzanite as a center stone can cost in the thousands at retail.

What is most attractive about tanzanite is its deep purplish blue velevety color that looks great in combination with other accent gems as you would find in tanzanite diamond rings and tanzanite engagement rings.

The bright background of white metal and diamonds that you find in a white gold tanzanite ring is the best backdrop for the color of tanzanite.

Tanzanite’s Exotic Color
Also called blue green zoisite, (yes, it does come in green as well albeit more rarely) its deep color is a great match for sparkly diamonds of all sizes.

Yes, as you have heard, the beautiful color is the result of heat treatment that is used on the gemstone. It normally comes out of the ground in a brown color and then the purplish blue or bluish purple color is coaxed out of it by heat.

You will find it used in mens tanzanite rings since men prefer white metals and this gemstone, especially in a aaa tanzanite ring is simply to die for.

Because tanzanite is a class 3 gemstone, meaning it generally comes clean without inclusion, it typically is graded on quality based primarily on the carat weight, cut, hue, tone and color saturation.

Clarity is generally assumed to be acceptable in top grade stones that get set in a high quality tanzanite and diamond ring.

The Rise Of the Tanzanite Engagement Ring
Among tanzanite rings that are most popular among women these days is the tanzanite engagement ring.

It is basically a tanzanite gold ring or even platinum ring with a top quality tanzanite center stone usually surrounded by accent diamonds or in a three stone configuration with a matched pair of side diamonds flanking the tanzanite.

Today women are beginning to use colored stones a bit differently than from in the past. Engagement rings are one category of jewelry that was previously restricted to white diamonds and white metals for the most part.

Most young women that you see getting married would be shopping for a white diamond engagement ring. However, a small minority now prefer a colored stone as the center stone in their engagement ring.

First, there was the craze for a fancy yellow diamond as the center stone which then progressed to other diamond colors like blue, pink and then on into the earth color diamonds like champagne diamonds, cognac diamonds and brown diamonds.

Tanzanite Vs Sapphire Ruby and Emerald
This set the stage for the use of other precious colored gemstones as center stones in a diamond engagement ring.

Initially high quality sapphire, emerald and ruby were the gemstones most commonly used because they were the most well-known on this side of the world.

Then more and more women became attracted to tanzanite 15 years ago because it’s bluish purplish color was so velvety and intoxicating and could not be found in any other gemstone.

Tanzanite became the first semi precious stone to merit serious consideration for use as a center stone in an engagement ring.

Tanzanite is also a gemstone that comes in a wide range of sizes and with slight deviations to its hue with some stones exhibiting a more blue color while others showed a more purplish color. This was always a great conversation piece with any tanzanite piece of jewelry.

The debate always was whether it was more blue or more purple. This fueled the attraction for tanzanite as an actual gemstone worthy of being mounted in a woman’s engagement ring. It had character, beauty and a story.

The Best Cuts and Shapes For Tanzanite Rings
stone shapes. The beauty and versatilty of tanzanite was in the many different shapes that the rough could be cut into.

The trilliant shape became one of the most popular tanzanite shapes to be used as an engagement ring center stone. It was very different from the traditional round diamonds that most other women had.

Also, this tanzanite shape was available in sizes larger than 5 carats at a reasonable price and the gemstone was very clean to boot.

Tanzanite is a gemstone like aquamarine that generally comes clean from the ground. So women had it all in this gemstone. They had a clean, beautifully colored gemstone in an exotic color and shape that signaled a fashionable departure from the traditional norm in engagement rings.

Channel set eternity bands make a great “stand-in” wedding band. I wear a stand-in eternity band instead of the one that matches my engagement for the simple reason that sometimes when I’m going out and I don’t want to wear the “big rock” I slip on my one and a half carat white gold eternity band on my left hand ring finger where my engagement ring would normally go.

During the winter I can sometimes get it on my right hand ring finger and I’ll do that and wear my tanzanite or sapphire ring on my left hand ring finger.

What else is great about a channel eternity band ?

• For one it’s smooth and if I’m putting on a sweater or gloves I don’t have to worry about it catching on anything.
• It has a little more metal in it, (18kt white gold) because channels generally will have more metal than prongs so it feels substantial on.
• Yes, it still turns like any other eternity band but I feel a little safer accidentally hitting my band clad finger against a wall or something because I don’t feel like I might have bent a prong.
• Although I don’t wear my channel band with my engagement ring, the channel band is a good choice for an after thought band when you can’t get something exactly matching your engagement ring because at least it looks clean and won’t sustain any damage rubbing against your engagement ring.
• being one of the most popular styles of diamond band it’s available in a vast range of heights, widths and carat weights so you can get a pretty close match up against your engagement ring .

A good place to get an eternity channel band is your local jeweler. Some of the benefits of going to your local jeweler are:

1. You’ll be able to see a selection of channel bands and try them on to see how well they match up against your engagement ring.
2. If they’re good people you’ll get some good after sales service if you need it.

Some of the drawbacks with going to your local jeweler are

1. For a product like a diamond eternity band you can expect to pay a healthy markup.
2. Expect to wait anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks for them to get your ring custom made
3. Don’t expect to have any return options. You’ll have to sign their receipt acknowledging that it’s a final sale which means you’re stuck with it if you don’t like it.
4. Don’t expect to have a resize option if your ring doesn’t fit when you finally get it. They’ll tell you that eternity bands cannot be sized which for the most part is true, however you are ultimately responsible for telling them what size feels best and they will write something like “customer requests size 6 1/4″ on the custom order and have you sign it and so absolve themselves of any responsibility for correctly measuring your finger size.

Diamond right hand rings became a favorite of many designers as a canvas upon which to display their design prowess. What easier way than to take a publicly advertised diamond product theme with De Beers dollars behind it and design their way into the limelight.

After all, right hand rings were about the individual with all their styling quirks. Right hand rings in this way allowed designers to go beyond their standard collections and expand their range to showcase traditional styling all the way to the audacious and ahead of their time styling and material.

Here is a piece from the manufacturer/designer Andin which is fairly basic in concept but simply elegant in excecution. At first blush it would seem to have more in common with a solitaire engagement ring rather then a right hand diamond ring.

First there is a mounting and second there is a single center stone. Now if a matching band came with it then perhaps but without that, all indications are that this could be called a right hand ring. It has a tailored one of a kind look despite its simplicity. A right hand does not always have to be showy and larger than life.

Contrary to the the previous ring, here is a larger than life diamond right hand ring with brown diamonds in the center set in Rose gold and white diamonds set in white gold. This is more typical of right hand rings in terms of scale. Previously this would have been called a diamond cuff ring but now this could definitely be called a right hand ring.

The centre motif is rose shaped and is appropriately rose gold. Wide cuff rings like this are not for everyone’s fingers because of the extra width.

If you have short finger you may want to consider a different style of right hand ring. In fact you may want to try the next style of ring shown below from the designer Diamonds in the rough if you have short stubby looking fingers. It features cognac diamonds in the rough set in 18k rose gold with small pink diamonds on the periphery.Rough diamonds are big now in the jewelry design world. Their prices have skyrocketed as a number of jewelry designers have introduced styles of their own only to realise that the prices have gone way up in the past three years.

Five years ago nobody was even looking at rough diamonds, diamond ring design was based on the premise of cut and polished diamonds whether modern or period cuts. Now rough diamonds are being paired with raw look gold for an inspired back to nature look. This coincides well with the green movement.

A variation on this trend is the not so rough look with an original design by La Reina to the left using included diamonds with a flattened rose cut to serve as petals on this right hand diamond flower ring.

The design is lavish with an inspired vision and quite an original among unique right hand diamond rings with a style that is neither vintage nor modern.

Right hand rings can also look designer without having a designer label and looking totally original. Black diamond right hand rings were perhaps the first type of colored diamond ring or rather right hand ring that became widely available with a diamonds that were not white. Black diamonds are actually much less expensive than the raw uncut off color diamonds now prized by designers and their followers.

It turned up en masse in black and white diamond jewelry in jeweler’s showcases back in 2000 and has had its ups and downs as popularity waxed and waned ?as designers favored other colors.Check out the ring below, a simple black diamond right hand ring in a band style with a twist.

Although black diamonds are not colored diamonds per se since black is not a hue but a shade or tint this takes nothing away from their popularity with designers of all calibres since black diamonds of all sizes are very reasonably priced all things considered.

Although treated blue diamonds have turned out to be just as popular, black diamond jewelry is till a great combination to wear with any kind of dress because it has a neutral appeal. ?There is a huge variety available at retail and at virtually any price point. It is even mounted in silver for a more casual luxe look.

The white gold wedding ring is chosen by 95% of spouses to symbolize their commitment to each other. Besides purity and other symbolic overtones there is much to like in white gold wedding rings because they are more flattering to diamonds then yellow gold is. You can see how brilliant the princess cut diamonds are in this white gold wedding ring sets like this one to the right. A 14k white gold wedding ring will have the same look as an 18k white gold ring because they will both use the same rhodium plating.

Yellow gold can add an unwelcome yellow tint to diamonds that are not well cut. This does not mean that women or men meaningfully go out and purchase poorly cut diamonds but this fact is noticeable in a lot of sub par diamond jewelry done in yellow gold. White gold is a lot more tolerant of poorly cut diamonds, especially when they are in the near colorless grades of G and H .

Mens white gold wedding rings have followed a similar trend although it is more because men’s choices default to white gold as their metal of choice because it is what their spouse to be as chosen and women usually want their fiance’s ring to match their own.

White Gold diamond wedding ring choices are quite varied and there is something to suit every one. Check out this mens wedding band from Artcarved on the right. The textures are beautifully done and would be more difficult to do in metals like palladium and platinum.

The most popular types are rings set with diamonds in a pave style or micro pave as it is commonly known because each individual diamond is can be ?down to a half pointer or less in weight.

The whole appeal of micro pave settings is their scintillation factor. The diamonds are set as close to each other as possible using shared prongs. In this way you see less white gold and more diamond.Diamonds this size are quite small so the brighter more visible flashes, from the largest facet on the snow, namely the table.

The contours of the white gold engagement ring or band is what is responsible for the extreme scintillation. Because the diamonds are so small they follow the contour of the ring shank in a very granular way so every diamond’s table facet is pointed at a different angle from its neighbor.

This is what creates the dancing light effect where anyone watching a pave setting in motion will see the thousand points of light. Check out the pave white gold diamond wedding ring set to the left.

Diamond pave settings are like nightclub mirror balls. If you have a nightclub mirror ba ll with thousands of tiny mirrors as opposed to just hundreds you will see a lot more light flashes from just tiny shifts in your position because there are so many more mirror angles at play.

A skinny solitaire ring on a woman’s ring finger is something that begs for company. Although it would be easier to simply upgrade your solitaire engagement ring, often the little ring is of immense sentimental value.

It could have been handed down from ancestors or could have been a gift from someone who recently passed on. Whatever the reason, it might be better to simply select a diamond ring enhancer that will bring out the beauty of the engagement ring.

Diamond Enhancer Rings

Though enhancers are not as fashionable as they once were, many women think of them as lifesavers in the event that their solitaire is a keepsake that they cannot simply cannot put away. It has permanently claimed that piece of real estate on their left hand ring finger and there is no getting around it.

The enhancer to the right is the typical type of insert enhancer that many women like to get for their engagement rings. It is wide enough to allow most widths of ring shanks to fit in while allowing for more room at the head to accommodate a flush mounted head that is bigger then the shank it is attached to.

Enhancers for Style and Protection

Diamond ring enhancers apart from adding to the beauty of a solitaire also protects the sometimes delicate shank and diamond setting from being damaged from daily wear.

Like diamond engagement ring enhancers that you see in jewelry stores that are already paired with an engagement ring and are sold together because they are made to go with each other.

Similarly diamond solitaire ring enhancers created as a separate piece are meant to match a solitaire ring so that that when they are put together it looks like you are wearing one piece instead of two.

Take a look at the Claddagh enhancer on the right. It has a fair amount of metal in it and is devoid of any diamonds. This will do a good job protecting an engagement ring while adding a thematic element of style and history. Claddagh wedding rings are quite popular among women of all cultures and this is a simple way of adding that sybolism to your own bridal ring.

Solitaire Enhancers For All Reasons

Solitaire diamond ring enhancers come in various types to accommodate different gauges of a solitaire shank and type of solitaire diamond settings.

Engagement rings come with many different types of diamond settings from the classic four prong and 6 prong Tiffany settings that keep the diamond high up off the band. They were the defacto head setting 20 years ago but now there are many variations on this as well as others.

Diamond wedding ring enhancers of today have to take this variation into account when being designed.

Tiffany mounting are great in that most wraps will accommodate them because they are slender at the bottom and so give ample room for the wrap to wrap around. The flush mount on the other hand is the opposite of the regular Tiffany.

As you can see the blue topaz enhancer on the right has quite a bit of room for decent sized setting cups that are flush mounted on solitaires. Frequently getting a colored stone enhancer rather than a diamond ring enhancer will work because the gaps can be much bigger.

Inserts for Flush Mounted Solitaires

A flush mounted diamond setting has the base of its cup soldered to either side of the shank so that the diamond sits closer to the finger. This is both a stylistic and functional variation because many women do not like a diamond sitting so high off the finger as it does with a regular Tiffany head that gets soldered onto the top of a closed shank.

This type of solitaire will have a larger diamond setting profile at the point where an enhancer is

supposed to “wrap” around it. So you may have a hard time finding a wrap that fits properly without going through some trial and error.

Inserts are better for this purpose because a jeweler can make an insert wider to accommodate your diamond solitaire ring. All he has to do is add to the length of the bars that connect the two shanks at the bottom of the insert. Your engagement ring can then be dropped into the insert and will fit even if it has side stones like a three stone engagement ring might have.

Check out the emerald diamond insert above. It is a fairly common style as colored stone inserts go but can be customized to fit your ring.

Diamond ring enhancers or diamond wraps as they are sometimes called are a huge help to women who have a solitaire ring in need of embellishment or simply some protection. Sometimes young couples just settle for the bare basics when it comes to a diamond engagement ring in the hopes that as their financial situation gets better they will be able to get a matching band.

Other times a young bride gets a ring handed down from her great grandmother that is a vintage or antique solitaire ring with an old miners cut center stone and there is nothing in terms of a wedding band that she can find in jewelry stores that will match it. This vintage diamond enhancer to the right would be a solid choice for an antique solitaire.

It has all that fine millgrain work that will go with many antique styles with the slot for the solitaire head mounting. Of course the only way to know if it will fit is to get the measurements of both rings or physically try it when you are in the store.

In both these cases described above it might be a good idea to start looking at some diamond solitaire ring enhancers. They can also be referred to as diamond engagement ring enhancers, diamond wraps, diamond guards, diamond wedding ring enhancers and ring inserts.

There are many different styles for this type of addition to a solitaire ring but typically it will be a single or double ring with some sort of a gap where you can insert your solitaire. Of course this depends on the size of diamond solitaire ring that you have because you would want as close to an exact fit as you can get.

Check out this simple diamond ring enhancer to the left. In terms of simplicity this type of wrap fulfills the basic task of adding embellishment to a plain solitaire. All it does is put two side stones beside the engagement ring diamond for a three stone look to your wedding ring assuming of course your center stone is a diamond.

Many women opt for this type of enhancer, commonly called three stone diamond ring enhancers. You could also add a bit more pizazz to your solitaire by turning your engagement ring into a two tone wedding ring and changing the look altogether with some princess diamonds like this enhancer to the right below would do.

The square diamonds offer a nice contrast to the round center stone that would go in the middle. Princess accent diamonds add a different geometry and outline to your engagement ring.  Princess cut diamond ring enhancers are a popular way to spice up a plain solitaire.

Some common types of solitaire diamond ring enhancers include the insert style wrap which is two rings connected together on the underside of the shank by gold bars leaving a gap at the top for your solitaire to fit in.

What’s nice about this style is that if you have side stones or have a cathedral type of mounting where there is gold coming up the shoulder of the ring above the base of the diamond head then your ring can be accommodated by the insert style as opposed to the wrap style.

The wrap style can only accommodate a strict solitaire diamond ring that is a simple setting and a shank soldered together.

Its is always a good idea to make sure that your center diamond will match the diamonds in the insert in terms of color and clarity so that the ring does not end up looking odd with a bright white center stone that is G in color and contrasting champagne tinged diamonds in the J range of color in the insert.

The diamond insert to the left  is a simple double row of straight mounted prong diamonds running across the top. This is what many women like and is all they really need to spruce up their engagement ring.

As long as the shank of your ring has a width less than the width of the gap between the two rings of the insert, then you are good to go. Of course you don’t want your solitaire ring bouncing between the two rings of an insert because the gap is much wider than you really need so you have to try different inserts to see what gives a close fit.

Diamond enhancer rings like the insert to the right is a fairly popular style . It has a nice North South orientation a decent amount of gap to accommodate a variety of shanks and heads. You have extended room in the every top of this insert where the two channel set shanks point outward.

This is useful if you want to change the head in your solitaire at a future date and want to have a pear or marquis center stone instead of a round. As you can see the points on an appropriately sized marquis or pear shape could be accommodated by the increased gap in the head of this insert

The idea of the insert type of diamond solitaire ring enhancers is to encase the entire circumference of the solitaire so that instead of wearing two rings it looks as though you are wearing a single ring.

Vintage engagement rings are a much sought after engagement ring look by women from all generations. The vintage look covers many design periods from Georgian through Victorian all the way through Edwardian, art Deco on up to Modern times.

Women who want the vintage look in their engagement ring are typically can’t tell a Victorian Era design from an Art deco design. They simply like a look that is at once timeless, stylish, full of character and can accommodate their diamond of choice.

Era Specific Engagement Ring Styles

With engagement rings styles from bygone eras you don’t have to worry about your engagement ring look going out of style.

Whether it’s an Edwardian Filigree style engagement ring or the long sharp lines and bright colors of an art deco styled engagement ring, it will be an enduring testament to your sense of style and taste when it comes to jewelry that is symbolic of the heart.

Check out this classically styled vintage engagement ring from the Edwardian period to the right.

It is never easy to try and figure out what style of vintage looking engagement ring you are best suited to. Nevertheless, most women seem to like vintage diamond engagement rings from the 1900s and onward.

These periods cover the curving vines and flowery looks of the art nouveau period through the more formal and less flamboyant looking Edwardian vintage antique engagement rings on through the more colorful art deco styles that use more variety of colored stones and enameling.

The Best Sources of Vintage Engagement Rings

Vintage style engagement rings can be found in the estate section of most jewelry stores. Usually this is just one or two showcases with jewelry that has been purchased from the public and has been re polished and buffed to look like new.

Some jewelers will make a real effort to procure a nice quality, genuine, antique engagement rings if you make a special request and perhaps leave a refundable deposit.

Many women have obscene amounts of jewelry sitting in their jewelry boxes handed down from their great aunt that they would like to get rid of at the right price.

Check out this beautiful art nouveau engagement ring to the right. Note the leaf motifs and the curvy shape appeal of the ring as you go up the shoulder to the head. Normally you would have a nice flat rose cut as a center diamond but in this case as you can see this ring has been mounted up with a modern round brilliant diamond of 58 facets.

A jeweler who has your deposit and your specific vintage engagement ring requirements in mind will be willing to pay a higher price to the public to secure such a ring for sale. In this way you can still find vintage rings that are still in good condition for a great price.

Reproduction Vintage Engagement Rings

The other option to consider is to look on the internet where there are a bevy of online jewelry retailers that specialize in antique jewelry and vintage inspired engagement rings that are basically reproductions of popular styles from even as far back as the Georgian and Victorian eras.

Many women prefer reproductions because they feel that it is a brand new ring with a vintage look and feel that hasn’t undergone any wear and tear.

Check out this Art Deco reproduction engagement ring to the left. Note the straight lines and the inclusion of sapphires as was typical for engagement rings of this period.

The other reason women prefer engagement ring reproductions over genuine antique engagement rings is that they feel there are no accompanying bad vibes that may be part and parcel of the history a ring that has been women by many women over the years.

A marriage is often considered as a fresh start and many women like to get a ring that has never been worn before although it may look like it has been handed down over the ages.

The popularity of the marquis diamond as a center stone in engagement rings seems to have been overtaken by the now popular square cuts like princess, asscher and cushion.

The marquis shaped diamond has a long history and its originator is commonly identified as King Louis The Fifteenth of France who wanted to create a diamond shape that evoked the beauty of the mouth of his mistress.

Also called the navette cut, the best length to width ratio for the marquise is 2:1. It is a beautiful diamond shape as long as the aspect ratio remains at the ideal and that you’re dealing with a reasonable quality of stone.

The Marquise diamond can be thought of as an oval stretched out into two points.

It has a sharpness of character that the traditional rounds and ovals are lacking while still having grace and a sublime nature that you will not find in other pointy diamonds like princesses and trilliants whose points combined with straight edges seem hard and geometric.

Marquise Diamonds Are Cut From A Different Type of Diamond Rough

Exquisitely cut marquise diamonds are a treat to behold. It can be difficult to find a superbly cut marquise diamond because they are typically cut from shallow, irregular diamond rough called macle.

An example is shown to the right.

Increasingly you will see uncut macle rough being used in designer raw diamond jewelry.

This type of jewelry is designer around rough diamonds showcasing their beauty in the raw untouched state.

Using rough macle allows for a nice sized surface area of diamond to be dsiplayed in the jewelry without it weighing a whole lot there bye cutting down on costs.

Similarly, because macle is shallower rough than traditional octahedron crystals that are shaped like two pyramids joined together at the base it would not make any sense to try and get a round brilliant out of it because there would be so much wastage.

This is why marquise shaped diamonds are ideal candidates to be cut from this type of rough although if the rough is too shallow then the resulting marquise diamond will suffer from a flat pavilion and have a watery look to it

Celebrity Marquis Diamond Engagement Rings

There are not too many celebrities that will opt for a marquise cut diamond engagement ring partly because it is relegated to styles of old although Michael Douglas did propose to Catherine Zeta Jones

with a sideways canted marquise diamond set in an antique style mounting designed by Fred Leighton.

Jamie Lynn Spears also sported a marquis diamond engagement ring in a simple modern style flanked by two tapered baguettes.Take a look at it top right. It is quite an elegant and simple looking engagement ring with a perfectly proportioned marquise center stone.

A marquise engagement ring does have its charm so there is no need to shy away from the cut if you are hell bent on it just because it nobody else seems to getting a marquise diamond.

Marquise Diamonds Are Flattering To Hands

If you have short stubby fingers like the image to the right there is no better choice in an engagement ring style than that with a marquise center diamond. You can even opt for a more extreme length to

width ratio like 2.5:1 and still have the ring look good on your finger.

There is no other cut of diamond that will add length to your stubby or fat ring finger like a marquise diamond. Check out this fat hand to the right and tell me that the stumpy looking ring finger will not benefit form the addition of a nice North South oriented marquise diamond ring.

This is one of the reasons why three stone marquise ring are so popular in the budget diamond jewelry section.

Marquise diamonds offer the biggest bang for the buck in terms of sheer diamond presence and when you times this by three then you will have the biggest diamond three stone ring look for the money and not only that, it will flatter your stubby hand like no other diamond ring can.

The best Side Stones For Marquise Diamond Rings

There are a wide variety of options for pairing your marquise center stone with an appropriate pair of matching diamonds that will highlight the center stone and make your engagement ring a standout looking piece of jewelry.

The best side diamonds for the marquise are the ones with points I feel. Yes, you see them a lot but as far as classic styles go you will find that pear shaped side diamonds and trilliant side diamonds go very well with a marquise center diamond.

The pear shaped diamonds add a nice flow to the curvaceous marquise wheras the trilliants offer a nice contrast of hard geometrical shape with the flowing shape of the marquise.

If you want a more modern look then tapered or trapezoid shaped baguette diamonds on the sides will

give your engagement ring a more contemporary look while still retaining that flowing north south orientation that will flatter your hand.

Another option is to cant the marquise in an East West orientation like the ring to the right which sports a fancy yellow center marquise diamond with an edgy brushed white gold shank that flows in one continuous sweep over the finger for a very smooth edgy look which is distinctly modern