The first engagement rings were far less romantic compared to how they are today. In the past, engagement rings were a symbol of ownership. Women were given engagement rings by their partners as proof that they belonged to their partners. This tradition has evolved over time and it’s now synonymous with love and mutual commitment.
Diamonds were the original gemstones that manufacturers used in engagement rings. These gemstones were discovered in abundance in South Africa. They were marketed as ‘The engagement stone one should have.’
Today, diamond engagement rings are seen in every culture around the world. As time changes, however, people are moving further away from the traditions of the past and adopting a new world of individuality.
While engagement rings were a symbol of ownership in the past, they currently symbolize partnership and commitment. We live in a society where every kind of love is celebrated. So it makes sense that tradition evolves.
Fancy color diamonds, for instance, are a perfect alternative to the traditional white diamond proposal ring. With a lot of colors, sizes, and shapes, it’s no wonder more couples are choosing color as a way to celebrate love.
The Reason Why Diamonds Are Preferred for Engagement Rings
There are certain things in this world that have become icons. In the realm of engagements, a diamond proposal ring is the most important icon. Even children recognize the sparkling diamond engagement ring. But why is this the case? And why are diamonds used for engagement rings? Let’s find out.
1. A Diamond is Forever
This statement is true as diamonds score a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamond is the strongest and most durable gemstone. Considering that your partner will be wearing that engagement ring every day, you want to get a gemstone that’s strong and less prone to scratches.
The eternity of diamond jewelry is a reflection of eternal love and its durability is the ultimate symbol of everlasting love. ‘A diamond is forever’ encapsulates the security and eternal romance that comes with a diamond proposal ring. It marks the sentiment of responsibility and commitment between partners.
A lot of diamond jewelry manufacturers are passionate about their responsibility. They make sure to only deliver the world’s most beautiful, rare, and responsibly sourced gemstone.
‘A diamond is forever’ represents your commitment to investing in the future through your engagement ring. A diamond engagement ring becomes a powerful and binding promise made to a partner. Eternal and everlasting promises made to a soulmate, promises of devotion, care, and a future together.
2. There Are Many Shapes of Diamond to Choose From
When you lay your hands on a diamond, it’s the diamond shape that will grab your attention. There are many shapes and cuts to choose from.
But to begin with, ‘Diamond shapes’ refers to the geometric characteristic of this gemstone. Note that there are two major groups of diamond shapes. There are round diamonds and fancy-shaped diamonds.
The round shape or round brilliant cut is the most popular cut by a considerable margin. That is the reason the round shapes have always been their own category.
Considering that diamonds come in a variety of shapes, you can decide to go with the timeless round cut. This is excellent and in any case, who doesn’t want a stunning engagement ring?
The other popular diamond shapes are the princess, cushion, and emerald cuts. You can also follow your partner’s sense of style and go with the oval cut, for instance.
There are also several fancy diamond shapes. They include pear, heart, and trillion-shaped diamonds. Every diamond shape comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, from its appearance and brilliance to the price you’ll pay per carat.
There’s no secret that some fancy-shape diamonds appear larger compared to round ones. Oval, pearl, emerald, and marquise cuts can appear larger. This can be attributed to their elongated shapes. The rectangular cushion, radiant, and princess cuts also have the same effect.
Even the square radiant and princess cushions seem larger compared to the round ones. That’s because their corner-to-corner length is larger than a round’s diameter.
This doesn’t mean that a round diamond appears small. Despite their compact nature, well-cut round diamonds appear larger due to their intense sparkle. That’s something no fancy diamond can match.
Keep in mind that knowing the basic information about diamond shapes will help you in selecting the perfect lab-created diamond ring. Every shape has a distinct set of recognizable differences. That’s what determines the cost, quality, and overall appeal of diamond jewelry.
3. The Significance and Symbolism of Diamonds
When you think of the rarity and purity of diamonds, it’s no surprise that the stones represent more than a sparkling accessory.
Traditionally, diamonds are seen as a symbol of faithfulness, love, innocence, purity, and relationships filled with love. Diamonds have been regarded over centuries as love-bearing crystals that are ‘dependable in their virtues when received as a gift.’ That explains why diamonds are used in engagement rings and wedding bands.
Apart from the obvious choice of diamonds as a symbol of a loving relationship, this gemstone also holds deeper spiritual meanings. This is thanks to their rarity, purity, and brilliance.
Diamonds have also been used over centuries to open the mind to the new and the possible. Believing the illumination and reflection of a solitaire ring inspires imagination and ingenuity in the wearer. They also bring about strength, fortitude, and courage through the diamond’s hardness and invincibility. Having the power to drive away bad energy or fortitude.
4. Nothing Shines as Bright as a Diamond
Diamonds are the star of many lavish pieces of jewelry. This jewelry is the most desired for its beautiful light reflections. Every facet acts as a mirror that bounces the rays of light back to the viewer, thus creating a sparkle.
The irresistible beauty of this gemstone depends on its brilliance and fire. Note that diamonds get their brilliance from three things. That’s their reflection, refraction, and dispersion. Reflection is the light that hits the diamond and is immediately bounced back up. That is what gives your engagement ring settings an instantaneous shine.
This glimmer may be impressive, but it’s only the tip of the true radiance that a diamond displays. That’s because only a portion of the light hitting a diamond gets reflected and the rest travels through it.
When light moves through your wedding day diamonds, it gets scattered and fractured. This creates the sparkle that diamonds are known for. That is refraction.
Remember that diamonds are tiny and complicated prisms. Light enters through the top and gets angled around inside the diamond. That happens before it gets aimed back towards the top and out through the surface. This creates a rainbow effect referred to as dispersion that adds to the shine.
The refraction and dispersion create natural light and dark areas in the refracted light. This happens depending on where the light hits along the planes of the diamond. The dark areas in the shine may seem counter-productive. But they are the magic needed to achieve the diamond’s trademark brilliance.
The dark magnifies the intensity of the light in the diamond jewelry. Take a candle, for instance. When lit, the flame appears brighter in a dark room compared to how it does in a lighted room.
This all comes down to contrast. A diamond without contrast might shine, however, the shine would be significantly less impressive. That’s because it would be missing the characteristic fire that diamonds need to shine.
Getting a diamond to sparkle and shine in the right way isn’t easy. So trained professionals must know how to cut and polish every stone and get the best results.
The results of such efforts are seen every time you notice how a diamond casts a beautiful display of light and color as it is moved. This intense array of light and colors is a large part of what makes diamonds available and cherished gemstones.
Conclusion
Diamond engagement rings are seen in every culture today. But as time changes people also move away from the traditions of the past to embrace a new world of individuality. Engagement rings once symbolized ownership. Today, however, they symbolize commitment and partnership.
We live in a society where every kind of love is celebrated. As such, it makes sense that tradition evolves with a plethora of shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s no surprise that more and more couples choose them to celebrate love.
