We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend and these gemstones are traditionally connected to romance, yet not every woman feels that way about diamonds. If you have an open mind when it comes to your engagement ring, here are a few diamond alternatives.

1. Sapphires – Lady Diana chose a stunning sapphire for her engagement ring and this alluring blue stone can be combined with rubies or emeralds. If you would like to discuss the design of a sapphire engagement ring with an established custom jeweller, start with a Google search to get a list of leading custom jewellers and browse until you find a jeweller that is based near you. Have an informal video call wherein you can discuss design concepts. Colour and clarity are the important properties with sapphires and raw stone prices are cheap, if you let the custom jeweller acquire loose uncut stones.
2. Emeralds – If you have a thing for the deep green of emeralds, why not design the perfect engagement ring that includes a large central emerald. The custom jeweller has literally thousands of engagement ring designs and can even start from scratch if none of the existing designs ticks all your boxes. Emeralds can suit every budget and the person to acquire the stones is the custom jeweller.
3. Tourmaline – Have you heard of this precious stone? See the fine natural tourmaline stone Australia or even the dealers in your location are offering. The custom jeweller can design and craft for you the perfect engagement ring with tourmaline as the centre stone. Of course, the ring is not restricted to a single gemstone, you can have a sapphire cluster, for example, or perhaps pave rubies. The bespoke jeweller has a great collection of rich images of all types of precious stones including tourmaline in loose and uncut form, then you can discuss cuts with the jeweller, among other things.
4. Amethyst – The rich violet of amethyst is very attractive to some and a large stone can be acquired for a very reasonable price. It is important to know that amethyst is only 7 on the Mohs scale, so it might not be a practical choice, but if you are careful and don’t wear the ring daily, there’s no reason not to choose an amethyst engagement ring.
5. Aquamarine – The light blue colour of aquamarine is very attractive for any would-be bride and with a hardness rating of 8.0, this stone makes for a perfect choice for the girl who loves blue. This stone comes from the beryl family and if you really want some sparkle, choose a natural aquamarine, which is more expensive but definitely worth the extra money.

Whatever your preference, if you would like to design your own engagement ring, find a leading custom jeweller in your area and let the professional help you to design every aspect of what will surely be a very special piece of jewellery.

This is the perfect time to start a new family tradition by creating an heirloom engagement ring that you can pass on to your eldest daughter. The fact that there is only one in the entire universe will add to the fascination.