unusual engagement ring

Why choose a non-traditional engagement ring?

What is a non-traditional engagement ring?

First off, can we just say that we have a teeny tiny issue with the term ‘non-traditional’ when applied to engagement rings. In this context, a non-traditional engagement ring is any ring that isn’t the standard white diamond solitaire, or cluster. As we’ve been designing and making engagement rings with coloured gemstones set in them for many years, we can assure you that there’s nothing non-traditional about them!

Indeed, solitaire diamonds only became the most ‘traditional’ form of engagement ring after WW2, when DeBeers Diamonds needed to shift some of their massive stockpile of diamonds, so created the advertising campaign, A Diamond is Forever!

A growing trend

There has been a growing trend over the last few years for engagement rings that take advantage of all the glorious coloured gemstones available to us, from ‘traditional’ blue sapphires, green emeralds and red rubies to the less well-known peachy-pink Padparadsha sapphire, golden-brown Jacinth Zircon and the lavender and gold ametrine (see below) , but prior to De Beers’ ‘A diamond is forever’ marketing campaign (launched in 1947 in response to fears that their growing stockpile of diamonds would take a nose-dive in value if they didn’t come up with some way to sell them faster) engagement rings came in all colours, shapes and sizes – whatever the bride loved best (and the groom could afford!)

We find it odd that over the last couple of decades, only the bold and the beautiful – royalty and Hollywood heroines – have opted for coloured gemstones, but we’re thrilled that now women everywhere are recognising the coloured gemstones.

Listen to your heart

So, what advice do we offer to our customers considering a coloured gemstone for an engagement ring?

First: don’t be worried that a coloured stone will cost more than a diamond of similar size. Just as diamonds vary in cost according to their Cut, Colour and Carat weight, so do coloured gemstones. Emeralds and rubies are generally more expensive than diamonds of the same size, but there are so many fabulous gemstones to consider, that you really needn’t limit yourself in such a way.

Second: don’t think a coloured stone needs to be boldly coloured – a bright blue sapphire isn’t for everyone. Consider a pale lilac shade, perhaps, or a pink one. Sapphires come in pretty much every shade there is, except red. Check out this stunning orange sapphire, above. This is a serious wow gemstone if ever we saw one. Diamonds too come in all sorts of colours, from pale pink to canary yellow. You can even find them in blue or red, but these are a rarity and priced accordingly!

Traditional, with a twist

Finally, if you believe deep down that only diamonds will do, but you’re keen to create a ring that’s as ‘un-traditional’ as you are, then there are plenty ways to design an eye-catching ring without straying from bright, white diamonds. Consider the brushed over setting, as seen here in this wave ring, or a square cut, or emerald cut, or oval, or pear… Look at halo settings, and built up shoulders…really, as we say, when you go bespoke you dream it and we do it.

Remember that it’s your marriage, your ring, and your hand that it will be adorning, so don’t hesitate to do whatever you love that makes you happy, now and forever. Just make sure your ring is the one you’ll want to wear every day, forever. (Having said that, we do have customer who come for ring ‘upgrades’ as their finances change!)

Coloured diamonds

Diamonds come in a whole range of colours, from flamingo pink to canary yellow, pewter grey to sky blue, chocolate brown and marmalade orange to new leaf green and stormy violet…and all shades in between.

While white diamonds are the stuff of most bride’s dreams, these stones are in fact rather common (as in not rare, not as in Benefits Street!) and it’s naturally coloured, or fancy coloured, diamonds that are the headline stealers, attention grabbers and jaw-droppers of the gemstone lovers’ world today.

You’ll have seen the headlines yourself – Ben Affleck gave a cherry-blossom pink 6.1ct diamond to Jennifer Lopez on their engagement (and I bet she didn’t give it back), Paris Hilton went for canary yellow and Mariah Carey also plumped for pink.

Naturally coloured diamonds are in fact nature’s errors – the colour in them is caused by a flaw in the creation of them, deep underground. A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent, with no hue whatsoever. These are pretty rare. Colouration is caused by a chemical impurity – nitrogen atoms cause yellow, green and brown shades, boron delivers hues of blue while carbon impurities give us black diamonds – or structural defects – pink, red and brown shades come from deformation during the crystal growth while exposure to natural radiation can create green diamonds.

Of course, the colours that result from these defects can either enhance or detract from a diamond’s appeal and value. Muddy brown and sludge green aren’t the usual bride’s choice for an engagement ring, even for those looking for a really unusual engagement ring!

The rarest of coloured diamonds are highly sought after by gemstone collectors, and rarely therefore make the jewellery market. The most paid for a coloured diamond (so far) was $46m, for a 24.78ct intense pink diamond, while the most paid per carat was $2.4m, when a 14.28ct vivid orange pear shaped diamond sold for over $35m at Christies in Geneva in 2013.

You don’t have to be endlessly wealthy (or totally nuts) to get your hands on a beautiful, rare and unforgettable coloured diamond however. At Christopher Evans we use coloured diamonds in many bespoke jewellery designs, from brooches to pendants and, of course, to rings.

Brides looking for a really unusual engagement ring, but who still crave the traditional romance of a diamond, have their pick of shades and the only limit (apart, of course, from your budget) is your imagination.

birthstones coloured gemstones custom made engagement ring diamonds unusual engagement ring

How to propose

There can’t be a single bride who can’t tell you, in great detail, exactly how her new husband proposed. In fact, “How did he propose?” is almost always the next question asked after “Can I see the ring?”

Unsurprisingly therefore, the actual proposal is almost as important as the wedding day for many women. In fact, a survey undertaken in America found that 25 per cent of women saw the proposal as MORE important than the wedding ceremony…but the US is the first home of the Bridezilla!

Here are a couple of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when considering how to propose:

DO: go down on one knee. It’s corny, but effective. You can’t go wrong with the classics!

DO NOT: propose on Facebook, Twitter or any other form of social media. You may actually have met online and live a significant proportion of your life there, but this is a serious no-no. Your intended needs to know way before anybody else!

DO: Keep it simple. A romantic dinner in your favourite restaurant, a picnic in the park, a weekend break at a boutique hotel…all these set the scene for you. When your plan is uncomplicated, you can be sure the proposal will be too.

DO NOT: forget to ask her father’s permission first. Yes, it’s old fashioned. Yes, it’s potentially embarrassing. But it’s respectful and will please your bride (and your father-in-law to be, which is always helpful!)

DO: think about the ring. In the survey over 50 per cent of women said that they’d rather their partner committed his funds to the ring than the proposal. You don’t actually have to have the ring with you, of course. Today more and more couples are choosing a bespoke engagement ring. This way you can control the budget and the design, and create something wholly unique to celebrate a love that’s wholly unique. Nobody loves you like she does, so make sure you acknowledge that with an extra special engagement ring.

Christopher Evans is a wedding ring designer in Cheshire who has put the cherry on the cake for many, many couples in love. Pop in to see him in Poynton or Stockton Heath, with or without your bride-to-be, and together you can create something amazing.

custom made engagement ring diamond ring engagement rings unusual engagement ring

A Really Unusual Engagement Ring

Dealing with unusual requests isn’t that unusual for the design team at Christopher Evans. When people decide to have jewellery custom made, or a bespoke piece created from bequeathed or unworn jewellery, it’s because they want something a little different from the norm, but you’d think that unusual engagement rings were a less common request – yes? No!

You’d be surprised, but more often than not our blushing brides come to us because they’re seeking something unusual, out of the ordinary, not to be found on the high street.

The sapphire and diamond ring above doesn’t fit the usual ‘solitaire diamond’ approach you see most often, does it?! Not that we think there’s anything wrong with a solitaire…there’s a very good reason they remain so enduringly popular!

But, for those seeking something unusual and unique – as unique as their relationship indeed – then having your engagement ring and or your wedding bands custom made, to your own wishes, is the perfect solution.

Christopher Evans and his team of goldsmiths, based at Poynton and Stockton Heath, in Cheshire, are more than familiar with unusual requests and in fact relish them. So, if you’re seeking an unsual cut of gemstone, an unusual gemstone colour, an unusual design or way to link your two rings – come and see the experts.

It’s not unusual!

engagement rings unusual engagement ring

Why choose a non-traditional engagement ring?

What is a non-traditional engagement ring?

A growing trend

Listen to your heart

Traditional, with a twist

Coloured diamonds

How to propose

A Really Unusual Engagement Ring

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