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Rings

In simplest terms, a ring is a circular band worn on the finger. But rings are perhaps the most meaningful of all jewelry. Rings have served dozen of important purposes since people first wore them in the third millennium BC. They have expressed friendship, promised marriage, and commemorated the departed. Today, rings are as meaningful as ever. Perhaps that’s why they’re the most popular type of jewelry sold in the U.S.

Popular Ring Styles

Solitaire rings – typically showcase the beauty of a single gem. That gem is often a diamond, although colored stones and cultured pearls are also used in solitaries. The gem is usually the dominant feature of a solitaire ring. This style became popular after the 1880s, when new supplies of diamonds entered the market from newly discovered deposits in South Africa. The custom of the diamond solitaire engagement ring took root in the US in the early twentieth century. The style continues to be enormously popular today.

Diamond Ring Styles

The tradition of wearing both an engagement ring and a wedding ring dates back to the 1800s. But the concept of a matching wedding and engagement ring is a twentieth-century development. The wedding ring in a wedding set can be a plain or decorated band of gold or platinum. Or it can be set with diamonds or other gems. Then there are guards and wraps, which are wedding rings, designed to curve around or partly surround the diamond solitaire engagement ring they set off.

A matching ensemble of an engagement ring, woman’s wedding ring, and man’s wedding band is sometimes called a trio. Matching engagement ring and wedding band sets are sometimes called bridal sets or duos.

Men’s wedding rings have been traditionally made of gold or titanium, but tungsten has become one of the most popular metals for a man’s wedding ring. Due to tungsten’s resistance to scratching and its heft make it a very masculine ring.

Anniversary bands have become popular as a gift from husband to wife on a wedding anniversary. Anniversary bands are set with a continuous row of diamonds or other precious gems, usually of the same size and cut. The gems can extend all the way or only partway around the band. These bands are simply renamed and energetically marketed versions of the ancient eternity ring, so-called because the circle is a traditional symbol of eternity. Today’s eternity rings have gems set all the way around the ring. De Beers introduced the style’s new name in the 1970’s as a promotional effort to sell smaller diamonds to married couples.

Colored Stone Ring Styles

Diamonds aren’t the only gems that are popular in rings. Colored stones are also very much in demand. Their rainbow hues make them versatile additions to any jewelry wardrobe.

Often, the colored stone in a ring is accented with diamonds. There are many variations on these two main styles: the cluster ring, with a large center stone entirely surrounded by diamonds, and the three-stone ring, featuring a colored stone in the middle of a matched pair of diamonds.

Anniversary (or eternity) rings might feature colored stones instead of diamonds, or colored stones alternating with diamonds. These are ideal for the customer looking for a companion for a colored stone solitaire ring.

The colored stone in a ring is often one of the “Big Three”: ruby, sapphire, and emerald. But this isn’t always the case. Vibrant colored stones like tanzanite and tourmaline are also excellent choices for occasional wear in cocktail or fashion rings. They can provide the spectacular effect of a large stone without the expense of a comparably sized diamond.

Many designers use colored stones in contracting colors and shapes to create dramatic jewelry styles. The bold green of tsavorite garnet or peridot makes a striking statement when combined with the rich red of tourmaline or rhodolite garnet.

Colored stones can take the starring role in high-priced, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Set with a modestly priced amethyst or garnet, they can be part of a lovely birthstone ring. Colored stones are also popular in men’s jewelry, where gems like jadeite and cat’s-eye chrysoberyl provide a strong, masculine look.

New styles such as colored stones and tungsten are a vital part of the jewelry marketplace.

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Source by Kevin Jardim