For brides to be, the future is brightly coloured. With more and more women choosing a coloured sapphire to adorn their engagement ring over a traditional diamond, we discover just nine of the countless reasons why future brides are ditching the diamonds.
The outcomes may make you wonder, are diamonds really a girl’s best friend?
1) Sapphires stand out from the crowd
Today, with such a great portion of our lives being shared on social media, future brides are more eager than ever to stand out. Modern women want to possess something unique, and due to many defining factors including the sheer range of colours, no two sapphires are alike.
So, in a world full of look-alike diamond rings, it pays to be as unique as a sapphire.
2) Diamonds are predictable, but you’re not
For too long, diamonds have been portrayed as the only socially acceptable stone for engagement rings. Fast forward to 2019, couples are doing things differently; having children before tying the knot doesn’t turn heads and towers of donuts often replace traditional wedding cakes.
Modern brides are rewriting the rules with a number of their wedding choices, and a bold, exciting sapphire is proving itself to be the perfect alternative to a diamond.
3) You can add a splash of colour with a sapphire
From perfect peaches to terrific teals and beautiful blues, there truly is a sapphire to appeal to everyone’s palette. A coloured stone offers the opportunity to showcase one’s personal, artistic flare and make a serious style statement. We can’t think of a better way to pay homage to your favourite colour.
4) Sapphires are a more ethical choice
Guidelines and procedures have been carefully put in place to ensure that the sapphire industry remains as ethical as possible.
Reputable companies work with suppliers that adhere to the standards set by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO). In Sri Lanka, the sapphire capital of the world, the government prohibits any form of mechanical mining to ensure that no local jobs are lost.
5) We’re finally seeing past the marketing strategy surrounding diamonds
The popularity of diamonds all started with the De Beers ‘A diamond is forever’ campaign. It wasn’t until around 1938 that diamonds became the favoured choice for engagement rings.
Demand for diamonds soared and if you didn’t have a diamond, your love wasn’t deemed real. Today, we’re all a little savvier when it comes to identifying sneaky marketing campaigns, however good they may be.
6) These colourful stones mean a lot
Whilst all engagement rings symbolise love, sapphires have special symbolic meanings including wisdom, sincerity and fidelity, not to mention their strong links with loyalty.
7) You can size up without stretching the budget
Without compromising on beauty or quality, sapphires are often far more reasonably well priced in comparison to diamonds. In short, a sapphire would be larger than a diamond of the same price.
With a more affordable price point, a sapphire is a great option for modern couples who are looking to get more for their money.
8) Sapphires are as strong as your love
Strong, ever-lasting love deserves a ring that can go the distance. Sapphires are part of the corundum family and are an impressive 9 out of 10 on the Moh’s scale of hardness. So, whilst many gemstones may not last a lifetime, incredibly durable sapphires say ‘I do’ to standing the test of time.
9) Sapphires tick off ‘Something Blue'
Whilst the beauty of the sapphire engagement ring is that it allows the wearer to express themselves, these vibrant gemstones are still capable of lending themselves to a few wedding traditions.
‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’, is a notion that most brides will take in to consideration, even just partially. As luck would have it, blue sapphires are some of the most rare, beautiful and sought after in the world, making seriously easy work of ‘something blue’.