The choice of the stone set in an engagement ring is a longevity factor with major importance. We don’t just want to have the stone in place in 20 years - we certainly want it to retain its beauty too. At the top of the hardness scale the diamond is the undisputed king of the engagement ring gems. It has two shortcomings though. It is extremely expensive and it is rather common. As much as the diamond industry is trying to convince the modern jewellery buyer how rare this gem is, it feels like every woman has one. Diamonds of sizes less than half a carat does not appeal to people who love impact jewellery, and when affordability becomes an issue one has to look for gemstone alternatives. Two or three carats of sapphire engagement ring has far greater visual impact than 0.50ct diamond one and the cost is about the same. Looking for vibrant bright colours, which often has special significance is another reason to look beyond the expensive but safe diamond choice. The birthstone engagement ring has additional talismanic value and show attention to detail and personalization. Unfortunately, when looked at from the practical perspective the choices of gems for an engagement ring aren’t so many. Very few gemstones can withstand the effects of everyday long term wearing the engagement ring is exposed to. This is where I have to give the due credit to the diamond. This gem does not change or get scratched and the rare cases when it does are from another diamond, either from sharing common jewellery box or from the diamond ring worn next to it. Although only one point ahead on the Moh’s scale from its closest rival, the sapphire, the diamond is in fact many times harder. Back to the alternatives: There is only one gemstone variety besides the diamond, suitable for everyday heavy duty wear – the corundum. The corundum family is represented by two gemstones – ruby and sapphire. While ruby is always red, the sapphire is found in almost all possible colours. With hardness of nine on the Moh’s scale, ruby and sapphire are the second hardest to diamond and its only viable alternative. Gemstones with hardness of 7.5 -8.5 like emerald, topaz or alexandrite are also sometime set in engagement ring, but they have to be worn with caution and removed more often. Stones under hardness of 7 are not recommended for an engagement ring. They can be scratched by domestic dust and are good only for dress rings, worn on rare occasions and removed immediately after the event.

In a nutshell: Diamonds are forever, although you might find them boring. Even if you are very adventurous don’t look further than ruby or sapphires – the rest of the bunch are not hard enough. Fortunately sapphires can deliver almost any colour you might fancy in your engagement ring.