Engagement ring designs - using your birthstone

Engagement ring designs have changed considerably over time. The Romans first introduced the ring as a plain, iron hoop. Often this was replaced by a more valuable gold ring for special occasions. Depending on a person's financial status, words or messages might have been engraved on the inside of the band.

When jewels started to be introduced to engagement rings, sapphires and rubies were first used. But a new tradition was born when Archduke Maximilian of Austria compared the strength of a diamond with the strength of his love for Mary of Burgundy, and had the first-known diamond engagement ring commissioned.

At first, elaborate designs such as rosettes were introduced to compensate for the dullness of diamonds due to poor early cutting techniques, but as more diamond sources were discovered, supply grew and skills improved.

The increased availability and demand of diamonds called for more and more alternative designs to be introduced, and in the nineteenth century cutting skills became so good that complicated settings were no longer needed to make the ring beautiful. As a result the diamond solitaire was introduced, still the most popular design in the UK today.

One long-standing engagement ring design that is upheld even today is for the woman to wear her birthstone: a gemstone specific to the month in which she was born.

Since ancient times, birthstones are believed to represent the characteristics of the person born in a particular month, and it is thought to be particularly lucky if your engagement ring contains your birthstone.

Nowadays, these stones are often used as side stones alongside the main diamond stone of an engagement ring. If you are thinking of including your birthstone in your design, whether for superstitious reasons or just for the beauty of it, here is a guide to each month's associated birthstone and supposed meanings:

Month of birth	Birthstone	Stone's meaning
January	Garnet	Truth, constancy
February	Amethyst	Sincerity
March	Aquamarine	Courage and wisdom
April	Diamond	Purity and innocence
May	Emerald	Happiness, success in love
June	Pearl	Beauty and health
July	Ruby	Love and forgiveness
August	Peridot	Joy, married happiness
September	Sapphire	Wisdom
October	Opal	Hope
November	Topaz	Fidelity and friendship
December	Turquoise	Success, prosperity in love

 

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