How to Choose a Colored Stone for an Engagement Ring

Colored stones are very en vogue today, due, in part, to their popularity among the celebrity community. A colored engagement stone can make a perfect engagement even more special as long as you make sure your fiance's a colored-stone type of gal.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet
• Knowledge of stones
• Confidence in your decision
• Feedback from her friends on the colored stone
• A trusted jeweler

1. Research the various shapes and colors that stones can come in.

2. Ask an engagement jeweler which stones and shapes are currently the most popular shapes and which have consistently been popular overtime.

3. Think of your fiance's favorite color and the color she wears the most.

4. Consider your fiance's birthstone and whether her birth stone is important to her.

5. Choose a setting that complements but does not outshine the stone.

6. Think of why you picked that stone, what the symbolism is behind it and why you thought she would like it. It's important to be able to offer these types of explanations to your fiance so she know why you picked something nontraditional.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you're buying her a colored stone because it's something you think she'll want and not because you want to be nontraditional
• If you're not sure whether or not a colored stone is right for her you could always buy a diamond and tell her that after a few years (say, for your five-year anniversary) you'll upgrade her ring and fill the old setting with a colored stone
• Even if your girlfriend is fairly unconventional, many girls are still very traditional when it comes to weddings and the whole fairytale sentimentality. So make sure to do your research and ask lots of people who are close to her before buying such a stone

[tjrobb]

on 11/27/2007 Great advice. Another possibility is to involve your fiance in the process. My husband and I found my green diamond together and I knew it was the perfect ring to represent our commitment.

[CCrock]

on 11/20/2007 Great article. You can also combine a traditional diamond with colored stones. Example, diamond for center stone, with saphires on either side.