Wedding Rings: Diamond Alternatives

Series Summary

The most popular wedding tradition across many cultures is the exchanging of rings. Wedding rings symbolize the marriage and indicate a marital commitment to fidelity. Originally a European custom, this tradition of wearing marital rings has spread into many cultures across the globe. The wedding ring is the last of a string of gifts, sometimes beginning with a promise ring, followed by an engagement ring and ending with a wedding band. Traditionally, an engagement ring is set with diamonds. However, many engagement rings today are set with colorful stones and gems. In this free video series about wedding planning, a jeweler discusses wedding and engagement rings. Learn about choosing the right jewelery store, whether it be a giant mega store or a quaint jewelry shop. Find out how to pick out the right diamond for a diamond engagement ring, the right diamond size and the right metal. Also, get ideas for alternatives to diamonds for an engagement or wedding ring, and tips on choosing a wedding band for both him and her.

Video Transcript

"There are a lot of alternatives to diamonding an engagement ring. My name is David Kruger. I'm with Kruger's Diamond Jewelers in downtown Austin, Texas. Some of the choses that people make are color stones for center stones in their engagement ring. It's totally a matter of personal preference and wear ability and also there maybe a consideration as to the style that somebody wants a much larger center stones and that will lend itself maybe a four carat diamond but a four carat sapphire or a four carat blue topaz. So, there are a lot of alternatives and if you're not interested in a diamond as center stone, it will be important to go to a jeweler who will work with you to select a center stone other than a diamond that will work. The other alternative to an all diamond engagement ring is colored side stones. So, you can have your chose of almost any sides or shape of a number of size stones in any gem stone that you want and a diamond center or you can have diamond side stones and colored stone center. So, those are some of the options other than a diamond that you might want to consider. My name is David Kruger. I'm with Kruger's Diamond Jewelers in downtown Austin."