Using Color in Engagement Rings

While I will always keep a special place in my heart for the incomparable beauty of an all-white diamond engagement ring (so chic!), when a client broaches the subject of potentially using color in their engagement ring, it’s always exciting to plan. Color can be used to differentiate your ring when you have a more traditional design, it can be used to draw the eye directionally, or it can be a subtle, secret touch of personality for your piece. I’ll walk you through some of the ways our clients have integrated color into their engagement rings and the elements to consider when planning your own unique design.

Colored Gemstone Engagement Rings

Using color as the primary stone

Selecting a colored primary stone for your design likely the most impactful way to integrate color into your design. If you’re hoping to wear your ring most days, we highly recommend selecting a ruby, sapphire or colored diamond for your feature stone since these will provide the best durability for daily wear. Sapphires come in all hues (pink, orange, green, blue, purple) and can be sourced at range of affordability. Highly valued hues include Ceylon blue (shown in the grid in the lower right-hand corner) or Padparadscha peachy-pink (show in the upper right-hand corner) while greens, teals, yellows, or light hues are usually less expensive. Colored diamonds vary tremendously in pricing. Lower-valued hues will include less saturated browns, light yellows, and salt & pepper varieties while highly saturated reds, yellows, and blues will be extremely expensive. Sapphires are a fantastic option for people who want a bit more transparency in their gemstones, as there are many options for ethically considered sapphires with point-of-origin certification. If you are open to a less durable option for your center stone, there are plenty of semi-precious options to select (such as the alexandrite shown above in the lower right-hand corner). These will likely have a much lower price point, but you should be prepared for the prospect that your gemstone will get abraded or chipped over time, depending on how your wear the ring. A great place to start is to share your budget with your lead designer, and they can walk you through your options to find the gemstone that suits your lifestyle best.

When you use a colored gemstone as your primary stone, you are guaranteed to draw the eye immediately to the stone rather than to the overall design. Often, clients will opt to pair sapphires or other semi-precious stones with diamonds in order to create a more highly refractive look, but it’s definitely not required. You can create a stunning yet understated effect by selecting a single, striking colored primary stone and letting that gem do all the talking for the ring.

Using Color as Accents

Using colored gemstones as accents to your design introduces a whole world of possibility. We pulled some of our favorite interpretations of this method, but as you can see you have fairly limitless options for employing color in your design. The most classic styling would use color in a bookended fashion, like the first two designs employ above. The bold sapphires and rubies serve to “contain” the center diamonds in each design, and this is a beautiful way to employ lots of color impact while still having a diamond center stone. A more contemporary styling would use an ombre effect, where you can play with color tonality to introduce an added element of interest. The color can saturate as you move away from the diamond as shown in the wrapped green design, or you can reverse the direction and place the deeper-hued stones closest to the diamond to provide a strong contrast to the center diamond. We also love using color in more selective ways, whether in a tonal scattered layout as used in the pear cut design or as small points of articulation to an otherwise white-dominant ring. And, finally, we deeply love this toi et moi styling that uses a single Padparadscha sapphire to accent a stunning Old Mine Cut diamond in a wholly non-traditional way.

In each of the above rings, the reasons for using color in the design differed. For some, it was a matter of finding a home for heirloom gemstones that they wanted to employ in the design. For others, it was a way to add personality to an otherwise classic design. The expense and durability of each of these options also differed tremendously. The large sapphires accenting the round diamond in the first photos were not inexpensive, but because of their hardiness the client should not have any issues with durability over the years. The ombre green ring features a mixture of colored diamonds and green tourmaline at a more approachable price point, but the tourmaline is a fragile gemstone that will likely need to be replaced over the years. The green tourmaline is easy to match and should not pose problems for replacement over the years.

Using Color in Other Ways

Of course, there are other ways to bring color into the ring without displaying it in the engagement ring. The most obvious option would be to integrate color into the wedding band or into an anniversary band down the road. Again, sapphires, rubies, or colored diamonds will be your best option for anything you plan to wear every day, but you’ll also see rings here featuring pink and green tourmaline, blue topaz, and aquamarine. Hidden design details are a sweet way to add a birthstone or color element, such as the hidden sapphire in the petal-shaped engagement ring above or such as the hidden ruby in the diamond wedding band. I particularly love the 1/2 black diamond 1/2 white diamond spread featured in the upper left-hand corner, which gives our client the flexibility to display whichever side suites her best each day.

Adding color to your design is a fabulous way to bring personality and narrative to your design and we’re always happy to walk you through ideas in person to see what might fit your lifestyle and design aesthetic the best. We can source nearly any type of gemstone for you via our custom sourcing process and create the perfect design to accent the colors you love. Whether you want to employ heirloom stones or just think creatively about your engagement set, there are options to be had. Many traditional jewelry stores will direct you towards more conventional options but we think it’s key to meet with a designer who will think outside the box to find a way to make color work for you. Schedule an appointment, and we’ll get started!