During the recent months, many of the laboratory's visitors expressed an intent of proposal with regards to the stones they brought in to have checked. Engagement rings are perhaps one of the most widely popular reasons people familiarize themselves with diamonds and the jewelry industry.




The currently long-standing market acceptance of diamond as the stone for engagement rings, has its roots in the landmark campaign of the De Beers Trading Company. They gave the public a vision of everlasting love, through associating marriage with diamond's unique natural properties. "A diamond is forever"- the popular slogan echoed throughout the decades by everyone who has ever felt passionate about the renowned sparkling gem, although we must ask ourselves the question: what more can we learn about the brilliance behind diamonds (and their lookalikes)?

Today we'd like to shed a bit of light on the stones most commonly used for engagement rings. A lot of people seem to show some confusion when it comes to stone-selection, and we wanted to share some information to help them understand the differences between popular choices.

First of all, what is known to be 'diamond', is divided into two significant categories today- natural diamond and synthetic (or man-made) diamond. Both of these are essentially composed of pure carbon (with some trace elements like nitrogen, which causes color). They also have an atomic structure that follows the isometric or cubic crystal system. Basically to cut things short, the main difference is that synthetic diamond is grown in a factory setting, and not mined from the ground.

This makes it very hard to differentiate the two, even for experienced gemologists, which is why laboratories like ours have a wide selection of spectrometry-based instruments and specialized gemological equipment to separate one from the other.

Natural diamonds, and synthetic diamonds may both be diamonds, speaking atomically, however their prices as we've come to observe- are not the same. In 2017, our research team inquired with several synthetic diamond wholesalers and retailers at the Hong Kong Gems and Jewelry Fair. Prices for synthetic diamond were still hefty, but only about 60% the price of a natural diamond counterpart with the same grade. Nevertheless, they were also very beautiful in their own right.


Next up, we have to talk about simulant diamonds. Now simulant diamonds are not the same as natural or synthetic diamonds. Simulant means 'imitation', and a simulant diamond in actuality is not a diamond, but something else entirely. It can be man-made, or mined from nature- but regardless of its source, it is not atomically the same as diamond.



The most popular man-made simulants used today are cubic zirconia and moissanite. Both of these can be easily separated by gemologists from diamonds. Some other people also prefer to use natural colorless stones as simulants- like colorless or white sapphire.

Do be very careful when buying a diamond engagement ring today. Because of technology, some people around the world do try to fool buyers into purchasing something that's not what they advertise. Natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds are of a particular concern, due to their difficulty of separation.

These days, many people also opt to have colored stones set into engagement rings. Princess Diana (and now Kate Middleton's) engagement ring had a large cornflower blue sapphire as its centerpiece, surrounded by smaller accent natural diamonds.



We've also seen some engagement rings that use phenomenal stones with interesting visual effects- such as color-changing sapphires, or cat's eye chrysoberyl. Even pearls are now used by some people as symbols of marriage, due to their natural feminine beauty and association with purity and grandeur.

Regardless of the stone you choose for your ring, make sure that it connects with you and your fiance's feelings toward one another. The greatest value in a marriage is not the worth of the stone, but the commitment and trust within the relationship.

The adornment of colored stones is becoming a lasting trend within the halls of many monarchs from the West. From princess Diana's ocean blue sapphire ring, to the ruby engagement ring Prince Andrew gave to Sarah Ferguson when he proposed. A movement towards large and valuable colored gemstones seems to be gaining traction as more and more of the public markets flock to the admiration of their vibrant hues.



Princess Eugenie, age 27, had recently just announced her upcoming wedding to James Brooksbank at the Windsor venue that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are also scheduled to be using earlier in the year. While the two royal couples are most likely going to plan some of the most extravagant celebrations in history, we can see an early glimpse of that grandeur from the elegance of their wedding jewelry.

Gem experts and gemologists have valued Eugenie's Padparadscha sapphire engagement ring to be worth around £100,000. Padparadscha is a term in the gem trade that refers to sapphires that possess a pinkish orange to orangey pink hue, and finely intense saturations. This range of color has grown in popularity over the recent decades as a fine variety of fancy sapphire. While blue hues are vastly more common (and popular), Padparadscha hues are more totally associated with the finer markets and high-end jewelry pieces. Some even tout it to be worth more than its high-end blue counterparts, given its scarcity and relatively modern rise to fame.



Eugenie's center sapphire is also surrounded by a total of 12 diamonds, two of which were cut into pear-shapes to give a more contemporary feel to the design. Like her mother's and Princess Diana's ring, this particular center gem was also fashioned into a brilliant oval-cut style, pursuing the classical elegance of royalty, while deviating slightly from the traditional round shape most commonly seen in the trade.



Meghan Markle's own engagement ring, hosting three brilliantly cut earth-mined diamonds, is estimated to be worth around half of Eugenie's, probably fetching around £50,000 at current market prices. Diamonds have indeed come a long way, and are even being transitioned as a commodity investment- like gold or platinum, by some big named companies. Despite their growth, colored stones seem to be pacing faster in terms of overall increase in market reception and demand.

Royal wedding jewelry has since deviated from the realm of large solitaire diamonds, ever since the unveiling of Princess Diana's famous blue sapphire. Her descendants and many other monarchs across the world have been venturing into the realm of sapphires and colored gemstones for their precious gifts.

Corundum varieties like ruby, blue sapphire and Padparadscha colors are all the rage these days, blending beautifully with high fashion collections, royal engagements and even celebrity preferences. Many who choose to use these rare and illustrious stones tend to seek out something just outside the realm of traditional luxury, developing their taste for a more diverse type of lifestyle.