Commitment ceremonies are becoming as popular as wedding ceremonies. Same sex couples are exchanging vows in commitment ceremonies and so are monogamous man-woman couples who don’t want to do anything more than share a commitment to their lives together without the bells and whistles of a marriage ceremony. After all, marriage can wreak havoc on popular Hollywood couples and it can wreak havoc with a wealthy couple’s finances too when one or both people enter into a marriage with a loaded bank account. Continue reading »

Choosing an engagement ring is rarely a simple matter. For most, it comes down to choosing an engagement ring with a diamond in the center. The problem sets in when it comes to deciding what type of diamond cut should go in the ring. It might be easy to immediately go with a round cut diamond, but for many people, choosing a round cut is too ordinary. Of course there is always the option of choosing a round cut diamond for the center stone of the ring, and then choosing a couple of side stones to go along with the center diamond. Yet again, we see a potential problem in this engagement ring choice. What cut of diamond should be set as side stones to the center diamond?

A solution that many people choose in the issue of the engagement ring is to choose an emerald cut diamond for either their center stone or for their side stones. The emerald cut diamond is a diamond that has a rectangular shape. It is called the emerald cut due to the fact that the diamond is cut in the manner that emeralds are typically cut in. The result of the emerald cut is a diamond with long planes on the top and sides, allowing for large facets gathering and reflecting the light around the diamond. The emerald cut diamond is a beautiful choice for an engagement ring, as its long planes and deep glow can accentuate certain types of hands.

This brings us to an important and often overlooked point to consider when looking into the perfect engagement ring for oneself. While the round cut diamond is the most popular diamond cut in the world today, it is not the right engagement ring diamond cut choice for everyone. This is because not everyone has the same type of hands and fingers. An emerald cut diamond engagement ring, with its long, rectangular facets, is a good means to lend a look of slenderness to fingers and to a hand overall. If one is looking to create an image of longer, slimmer fingers, the emerald cut on one’s engagement ring could potentially produce this image. Of course, one must always try on any ring and see how it actually looks in order to get a true idea of how it will affect one’s hand, but it is important to be aware of the different looks that a particular cut of diamond set in an engagement ring can have on an individual hand.

The emerald cut diamond may not be everyone’s choice for the perfect engagement ring, in as far as being a center stone, but the emerald cut is an extremely popular choice as side stones to a center diamond. The long facets of the emerald cut diamond function ideally in creating a sense of bordering, bookending and framing the center diamond in an engagement ring. With a couple of emerald cut diamonds set on either side of a center diamond, an engagement ring not only has added scintillation and shine, but the emerald cut diamonds add a warm glow of illumination on either side of a brilliant center stone.

The emerald cut diamond is proving to be a cut of diamond that is gaining popularity for use in the engagement ring. While the emerald cut diamond may never take the place of the brilliant round cut for the most popular cut of diamond in the engagement ring, it will always have a place in the most popular choice of diamond cut. With long, light catching facets, and a normally lower cost per carat, due to its more forgiving cut style, the emerald cut diamond is certain to be a popular choice for the engagement ring, and any other type of ring for years to come.

Marriage is a wonderful thing as two people join and come together as one. A good way to express that sentiment is to give your wife an eternity band. The eternity band is a strong symbol of the love you have for her and symbolizes the promise that you will spend eternity together in love.

There are many different kinds of eternity bands available on the market today. These rings can be encircled with diamonds or any other precious gemstone and are available in a myriad of precious metals from white gold to palladium and truly run the gamut on price. The most common of all eternity bands is the full version in which stones go all the way around the band to really express the thought of eternity, where there is truly no end or beginning. They are also available as half eternity bands where the diamonds stop about halfway. These bands are not as symbolic, but may be more cost effective and since the diamonds are not on the underside, they are less likely to be damaged.

The most popular stone in eternity bands is most definitely the diamond, but these rings are available with rubies, sapphires, and many other options. They are traditionally worn with a woman’s engagement ring but can be a replacement for either the actual engagement ring or wedding band. The eternity band is the ultimate expression of the love a couple has for each other and will forever symbolize the love and affection you will have for your mate for the rest of your lives.

There are a lot of choices that must be made in choosing engagement rings today, but some are happy to find that diamonds do not always have to be the center stone.  Ever since 1477, diamonds have been used in actually engagement rings that had settings in the precious metals white gold, yellow gold, and platinum.  Before 1477, diamonds were simple woven into copper.

Although diamonds are still the most popular choice in center stones for engagement rings, using colored gemstones as the center stone is becoming equally as popular.  Just like some people prefer color gemstones to diamonds, some even go a step further and prefer other metals besides white gold, yellow gold and platinum.

When it comes to alternative to diamonds, the two most popular gemstones for engagement rings are Rubies and Sapphires while titanium, the metal, is taking the lead in alternatives to other precious metals.  Rubies and Sapphires may be considered siblings in gemstones since they both share the mineral corundum.  Another interesting fact about these two gemstones is that they both have traces of that alternative metal to white gold, yellow gold, and platinum; titanium. While diamonds are considered the hardest gemstone and the rarest, both Sapphires and Rubies also hold the same characteristic which makes them very ideal for engagement rings.  Whether rubies or sapphires are used as a center stone in engagement rings or combined with diamonds, a person that is considering either one of these gemstones for their stone to express their love will find that they are a beautiful selection.

Today’s diamond engagement rings are being seen in an array of colors.  Whether the colors are from colored diamond center stones or even colored gemstone settings, the colorless diamond has some fierce competition now and days.

Colored diamonds became very popular a couple of years back when Jennifer Lopez donned a pink diamond engagement ring and of course other celebrities that have colored diamonds in their engagement ring have also helped in furthering this trend. Since then, diamond engagement rings have been seen more commonly with vibrant yellow diamonds (canary diamonds), pink diamonds, and blue diamonds.  Colored diamonds are very rare and tend to come with a much higher price tag than any other diamond, but this does not seem to be stopping the pink and blue diamond craze that is currently the trend.  While colored diamonds are definitely more expensive than white diamonds, those that might be on a budget but still want to incorporate colored diamonds to their diamond engagement ring may find that online jewelers are carrying diamond engagement ring settings that feature colored diamonds.

For those out there that are looking for a cheaper way to add color to diamond engagement rings, colored gemstones used in the setting is also a popular method.  The most common colored gemstone that can be found in diamond engagement ring settings is the deep blue sapphire.  The dark blue color of the sapphire is a way to not only add a very unique look to any diamond engagement ring, but also bring out the brilliance of the center stone.

The opportunities to add a little color to diamond engagements rings are one a many, finding the right one, however, all lies in where a person shops.  It goes without saying that using an online jeweler will bring forth a startling amount of choices in adding color to diamond engagement rings as well as takes out the legwork from shopping jeweler to jeweler.

There are a lot of choices that are available in diamond engagement rings, but one may be surprised to find that there are just as many non diamond engagement rings available too. Diamonds have been used since 1477 as the traditional stone to propose marriage, but even still, other gemstones have been just as popular.

Non diamond engagement rings became a hit during the 1920’s and continue so till today. Inspired by all that jazz the Art Deco era was one that incorporated bold colored gemstones such as the bright red Ruby and the deep blue Sapphire. Our modern time now still favors these stunning gemstones for non diamond engagement rings. Both Rubies and Sapphires are considered precious gemstones and they also both have characteristics that make them almost as hard as diamonds themselves. Since engagement rings are to be worn for a lifetime, whatever gemstone is considered as the center stone should be a gemstone that is ranked high in “hardness” so that it can survive normal everyday wear.

One thing to keep in mind when choosing non diamond engagement rings is that although the engagement ring features a colored gemstone this doesn’t mean that the wedding ring can’t have diamonds. Diamonds compliment all colored gemstones in a manner that is absolutely breathtaking and can also provide a little of both worlds of bold color and beautiful brilliance. It is also quite possible to find wedding bands that incorporate both colored gemstones with diamonds which will further compliment any gemstone engagement ring further.

Diamonds have been the traditional stones for wedding jewelry, but as with time, traditions change and women are choosing colored gemstones as their choice for center stones in engagement rings and wedding bands. The jewelry market has flourished so that if a women desires a colored gemstones for her wedding jewelry she has many options available to her, especially now that many women to choose to shop online for jewelry.

One of the most popular choices in gemstones for wedding jewelry that are used as alternatives to diamonds is the blue sapphire. Although sapphires occur in a rainbow of colors, it is the deep blue sapphire that are the most popular choice. In fact, sapphires stand along four other gemstones as the most valuable gemstones because of its many characteristics. For instance, the hardness of this gemstone and the many legends behind it make the sapphire famous.

Although sapphires can be used as alternatives to diamonds in wedding jewelry, they are also the gemstone that is recommended for the 5th, 23rd, and 45th wedding anniversary.This gemstone has inspired many online jewelers to stock the most gorgeous anniversary bands for him and her that have a combination of diamonds and blue sapphires. The look that is created by the deep blue of the sapphire and the brilliance of diamonds is one that will absolutely take your breath away; which may be why this beautiful gemstone is not only used for one anniversary mile mark, but for three.