The prettiest engagement rings are solitaire rings with one big stone in the center. But who says that the stone in the center has to be a diamond. You will also see rings that look like they feature one big stone, but in reality a cluster of tiny stones creates the sparkle together. Look carefully as a big stone is not always a whole gemstone.
Sometimes the center stone in a solitaire ring is set a little higher than the ring in a clawed setting that resembles a cradle for the stone and sometimes it is embedded right into the band.
However, the main stone in the solitaire engagement ring does not have to be a diamond. The very old traditional route is to contrast diamonds (as either the flanking stones or center stone) with other valuable gems such as emeralds, citrines, topazes garnets rubies or sapphires. You can also buy an engagement ring that has a birthstone. It is also nice to just have a central stone that is a favorite color or that matches your eyes or hair. For instance, a sapphire might look great as a center stone in a ring for a woman with blue eyes.
A pave setting is one that features a row of five to nine glittering stones either raised or embedded into band. Common combinations are sapphires and diamonds, rubies and diamonds and emerald and diamonds. One benefit to buying this kind of ring is that it can serve either as a wedding band or an engagement band.
Although the ancient belief is that diamonds were fired in the flames of love they are actually fired in the flames of the earth’s crust where they are compressed until they create unique four-sided crystal that is harder than anything on earth. It is most likely that the diamond you find in today’s stores is mined in South Africa, but for years India and Brazil were the principle providers of diamonds. Diamond stores have also recently been found in the Yukon.
The brilliance of diamonds is accounted for by the stone’s high reflective index, which is 2.42. This is many times higher than a rhinestone, which is only 1.6. The ability of a diamond to sparkle is also depended on how the stone is hewn by the diamond cutter.
If you already have a ring that you have inherited fro you grandmother, it is quite easy to go to jeweler and have its look updated or completely create a new ring for your fiancée. Sometimes stones can be removed from old rings and set into a completely new design.