Bad Alternative Engagement Rings! (what gems to avoid)

[avithegemguy]

Check out my website avithegemguy.com for high quality jewelry at unbeatable prices 💎

[vortetty]

actually good advice not just "diamond or nothing"
gj man

[jerdua]

I appreciate you tossing that fluorite for us. Even if it didn’t cost a lot.

[HumanBeingAtLarge]

Have a black opal and a boulder opal ring. I only wear them occasionally and I never put them in water. An opal will craze over and lose its color over time if not worn gently. Best for earrings and pendants. I love my opals

[celestialblueceleste]

I wouldn't use opal at all except for earrings or a necklace. Learnt my lesson with a ring I bought. 😢

[sabrinafletcher]

and if you INSIST on having tanzanite, like i did (i work at a jewelry store and knowingly accepted the risk lol) GET IT BEZEL SET! a bezel set has metal all the way around the stone with the stone set "into" the ring itself. the stone is much more protected that way. at the very least, have it in some sort of protective setting where the metal will be likely to take any hits instead of the stone. also, take it off anytime you're going to be doing anything that involves getting your hands slammed around or getting stuff on your hands. and i mean ANY stuff, even water. take it off for food prep, scrubbing surfaces with any kind of chemical, showering, swimming, putting on lotion, even washing your hands. i've been wearing my tanzanite ring for like a year, and my stone is still in great shape 🤞🏻 you also need to be prepared to replace your stone at some point in your life, as it will wear down over the years even if it doesn't break.

another solution i recommend for those with the means is to have a "daily" ring with a suitably durable stone and a "special occasions" ring in your preferred softer stone.

[sydneydejong]

I have tanzanite as my center stone. It's got a few scratches on it but not horrible. I knew it was a softer stone when we got it in 2016. I told my husband that I'll enjoy it while it lasts and when the day comes we will replace it.

[jacobmeisner]

My ex wife wanted an opal ring and i went with an Australian opal in a ring from a local jeweler. Ex wife jokes aside. I was very pleased with the longevity of the ring and stone. I think another would be quartz or any coloration due to harness. Also a lover of geology and crystallography 😊

[juliatheinternetuser]

I had an opal engagement ring and this is exactly what happened, broke my heart bc it was so gorgeous when I first got it. We ended up replacing it with a lab grown emerald, which really fits the rose gold setting well. It looks beautiful, and it's quite hard so it hasn't scratched yet. Emeralds are fairly brittle, though, so I'm careful to take my ring off when doing any vigorous activities where my hand could hit things a lot.

[RheverendJ]

🤣🤣🤣 what he said about tanzanite makes me think about that TikTok couple with the stolen $10k tanzanite problem

[reedcampbell]

Good advice. He’s helping set you up with a lifetime choice, he’s not knocking the stones just pointing out not the best for lifetime rings. Plus he buys and sells these all the time on his channel so you know he’s really not being a scum bag like most jewelers

[Phnix]

This is why diamond is still the preferred gem. There are gemstones that look better, but few things are as durable as diamond.

At the end of the day, wedding and engagement rings are usually worn all day, every day, and they will be in contact with everything from cloth to sand. With diamond, your great grandchildren could use the gem, and it would look the same as the day you got it.

[beastshawnee]

Also a Jeweler:
Ez to remember
Diamond or SAPPHIRE.
That’s it for Tough durable daily wear engagement ring. Sapphire comes in all the colors- Pinks, Oranges, blues, greens etc Ruby is just Red “Sapphire”. Both are corundum- tough stuff)
If you insist on a different stone- sometimes a tender stone can be protected by design elements.

[eMDTee]

My stepdad got my mum a tanzanite ring (with a pretty large tanzanite set in a rather ornate gold ring), and it is absolutely gorgeous, the design is lovely, but the stone is so scratched up it barely shines anymore, after about 10 years.

The ring she wore for my entire life (that now sits on my finger) has a small 1/4 carat diamond set in a very simple gold band that looks as beautiful as the day it was new.

Tanzanite is lovely, but you’re right about it not being durable!

[dangitbobby]

I was just about to a buy a ring, and lowkey I was thinking I didn’t want anything to chip. THANK GOD FOR THIS VIDEO

[Mary-bcfm]

Thank you
A lot of these stones are being sold on tv
I was fixing to drop a dime on a ring until i saw this

[katiesquadroni]

I have an opal engagement ring! I just didn't wear it unless it was a special occasion or I was going to visit someone I know would want to see it. The color in it changed slightly depending on the humidity, it's a very cool effect. It returned to its normal state after being in its ring box with silica gel packets. They are Very fragile, so do be careful. Ultimately, GET WHAT YOU WANT! <3

[callioscope]

You are so right about the tanzanite. I broke my hand and my wedding ring never fit again. Years later I found a gorgeous tanzanite ring at an antique/jewelry store. It was gorgeous, old mine color, and just about two carats. I saw red flashes and called my husband to say I found a new wedding ring. The gentleman who owned the store said I could wear it every day, and so I did, but I noticed it had an imperturbable scratch I could feel but not see unless I looked through my loupe.

It was only then that I started researching the gem and realized tanzanite has no business being in a ring, especially if worn daily. I took it off and put it away, then spent a decade looking for another wedding ring. In 2021 I ended up getting a blue-green sapphire with a halo, very traditional, as my forever (finally!) ring. I had gone through phases of wanting a tension-set bypass ring, or its opposite, a very ornate setting like those Kristin Coffin designs, but finally realized I always went back to rings like the sapphire/halo. The color of the stone I found sealed the deal. Not too dark or the traditional blue, but filled with fire and eye-catching precisely because the color was not expected.

I would love to have a pendant made out of the tanzanite, and since I have a big birthday coming up, I may ask my husband for it. It does me no good put away.

Moral of the story: Not all stones are suitable for daily wearing. Check the Mohs Scale and ask a gemologist about suitability.

As for fluorite, I bought a ring with a bi-colored fluorite and had it removed from the setting altogether. I will wearing fluorite earrings and pendants, but NEVER rings. i wish, though, that I had realized fluorite cannot withstand sun for long periods. I owned a beautiful carved rainbow fluorite in the shape of a butterfly and had it put inside a glass frame to sit on an end table. When we moved a several years later, I realized most of the rainbow had faded into purple and green. It was not expensive but it is irreplaceable. I see bulky fluorite butterflies on Etsy all the time, but have never found one as dainty as mine. Live and learn.

[raefaye]

Can confirm on opal! My engagement ring from my ex-husband was so pretty, and I wanted an opal, but I dropped it when I was at a nail appointment, and it cracked immediately.

[amber]

I have a beautiful blue sapphire on my ring. I love it. Got it 17 years ago, married 16 years back in June.