If you’re a colourful person, why not have your engagement ring to reflect that? Instead of opting for the standard diamond, go for something unique and unexpected. Colourful stones have been trending in the wedding world for a few years now.
While rubies, sapphire and tanzanite are popular alternative choices, how about something less popular but equally beautiful? Aquamarine is slowly growing in popularity as an engagement ring stone. Here’s why.
Aquamarine is a light blue stone reminiscent of crystal clear ocean waters, making it a fitting option for your ‘something blue’. This stone falls in the beryl family, calling morganite and emerald sisters. It’s name comes from the latin aqua marinu, meaning “water of the sea”.
Aquamarine scores 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, making it less durable than a diamond, but is more suited for everyday wear.
The stone is typically a light greenish-blue, but can range in shades and colour saturation. The more vivid the colour, the more expensive the stone. Instead of size, the price of the stone is dependent on clarity, depth of colour, and to a lesser extent the purity of colour.
Speaking to Brides.com, jewelry expert Lauren McCawley explains the interesting legend of this dazzling stone.
“Legend has it that the aquamarine gemstone originated in the treasure chests of mermaids,” said McCawley. “Mariners have long carried the stone for protection against the wrath of the sea.”
As such, aquamarine makes for an amazing gift for anyone with a deep love for the ocean. It is also the birthstone for March, so anyone born in that month will appreciate this stone.
Some rules are meant to be broken. While tradition states that men are meant to propose to their future brides, many modern women are taking back the power and popping the question themselves.
Here are a few stars that popped the big question to their male partners:
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor is no stranger to marriage. Out of her eight marriages, she popped the question once to British actor Michael Wilding.
Throughout the course of their five-year marriage, the pair had two children: Michael and Christopher. They divorced in 1957.
Credit: Pinterest
Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell and partner Dax Shepard would not marry until same-sex marriage was legal in the US. In 2013, the Supreme Court legalised same-sex marriage in California and Bell immediately took to Twitter to pop the question.
“.@daxshepard1 will you marry me? Xo #marriageequality #loveislove,” she tweeted.
“F*** yes!!!!!!!!!!!”, he replied excitedly.
Credit: Pinterest
Judge Judy
She’s a no-nonsense judge on our TV screens, so its no surprise Judy Sheindlin, more famously known as Judge Judy, would propose to her husband.
“I did propose to him,” Sheindlin told DuJour. “I said to him, ‘Where is this relationship going?’ And he tried to weasel out of it, with his, ‘Well, you know, why do we have to get married?’ Whatever. He finally capitulated. I told him to pick a date. He picked Flag Day.”
Credit: Pinterest
Britney Spears:
Spears randomly popped the question to baby daddy Kevin Federline while aboard a flight from Ireland to New York.
“I’d finished the European part of my tour and I was going home. I was ready to get back to the States. I was really happy. Kevin was with me, so I’d had a lot of fun on the tour,” she told People back in 2004. “We were a couple hours into the flight, and we’d been talking the whole time, stuff about life, wanting to have kids, the future and everything like that. It was an intimate conversation. And we’d always talked about how some people don’t have to get married when they’re in love. Then all of a sudden I said, ‘What if you want to get married?’ And I kind of went from there to asking him if he would marry me. I asked him… He said no because he thought it wasn’t the right way to do it,” she said.
Federline initially turned the proposal down, then asked Spears to marry him a few minutes later. The pair were married for 3 years before divorcing in 2007.
Credit: Pinterest
Pink
Pink had an exciting proposal up her sleeve for partner Carey Hart. Back in 2005, she asked Hart for his hand in marriage while he competed in a motorcross competition. As he entered his third lap, Pink held up a board that read “Will You Marry Me?”. When Hart failed to pull over and respond, Pink added the word “Serious!” to the bottom of the board. Finally, Hart hopped off his bike and said yes.
The pair married 6 months later and have been together ever since.
Credit: Pinterest
Diane von Furstenberg
Fashion designer and creator of the iconic wrap dress, Diane von Furstenberg asked now-husband American media mogul Barry Diller to marry her after turning down his many proposals.
“One year I didn’t know what to give him for his birthday, and I called him and said, ‘You know, if you want, for your birthday I’ll marry you,’ she told O Magazine. He replied with “Let me see if I can arrange it.”
The pair married in 2001.
Credit: Pinterest
Jennifer Hudson:
Jennifer Hudson was already engaged to WWE wrestler David Otunga, who proposed on her birthday, but she decided to reciprocate and ask him to marry her. Five months after their engagement, Hudson went down on one knee to propose to Otunga on his birthday. She didn’t come empty handed, her proposal featured a 5-carat engagement ring.
The pair were engaged for 10 years before splitting. They share a son together.
During lockdown, couples have to make do with what they have to keep the love alive. One man, Mark Oakes from Gauteng, wanted to ask his beloved Maxine to marry him but of course, no jewellery stores were open.
So, he decided to get creative and make a ring himself! “One can’t let a pandemic stand in the way of what your heart wants,” he said on local radio show Breakfast with Martin Bester.
He planned a beautiful picnic in the garden, got out some wine (another rare commodity these days) and popped the big question. “We had a proposal picnic with an arts and crafts ring. Our friendly chefs at Woolies provided us with a great meal,” he said.
The ring, complete with a little golden bell in place of a stone, won Maxine over and she said yes.
Michael Watson’s plan to propose to his girlfriend were foiled by the nationwide lockdown. According to Good Things Guy, with a ring that wasn’t yet finished, Watson had to improvise.
Watson’s engagement plans went ahead without the original ring. Instead, he decided to craft an engagement ring at home using natural clay. He then set off to mould the ring without his soon-to-be fiancé Lara de Stadler finding out. Speaking to Good Things Guy, Watson said: “Once I had the final ring, I took the dried clay and used sandpaper and sanded down the sides to get everything to a final thickness. I whittled it down from the rough shape into something more refined. Cleaned up all the edges and made it nice and neat.”
Once he had the correct shape and size, the drying process began. He would stealthily move the ring from place to place, so that it could dry without being discovered. Once the ring was dry, Watson needed to paint it.
He explained to Good Things Guy that their favourite colour is teal so he put a paint set that de Stadler had given him for Christmas to good use. After a few colour trial runs, he managed to mix the desired teal colour. He then left the ring to dry and sealed it with clear nail polish, swiped from de Stadler’s stash.
Watson decided to propose after the couple had streamed Sunday Mass, after four days of preparing the perfect ring. Watson ensured the pair dressed in their Sunday best for both occasions.
Watson proposed while the final Hymn was being sung. de Stadler was in awe of her fiancé’s efforts to make the moment as special as possible. She said: ““It was the perfect time, we had music, we were in our happy space, it was a special space, it was the nicest place in the house with the light streaming in from the garden, so yeah, it was as special as we could make it under the circumstances.”
For the couples having a tough time being separated for such a long period, we understand your pain! Being away from your significant other is never easy, and now you have no choice about the matter.
This may leave you feeling down and out, as the distances puts strain on your relationship. Maybe you’re fighting more, or maybe you’re just dying to be by each other’s sides. Whatever the reason, you’re probably looking for some solutions by now! Especially since we’re unsure of how long the stages of lockdown will last, and in which stage we will be able to visit people socially.
To help you ease the longing for each other, there are some apps and devices that you could download or buy (respectively), to help your relationship during lockdown.
Here are some of our favourites, to ensure you’re feeling the love no matter the distance:
Apps:
Loklok
For those couples who enjoy leaving little notes for each other, this ones for you. Essentially, the app gives you access to each other’s lockscreens, but not in a creepy way!
It allows you to upload photos, do doodles or write cute messages on your partner’s lockscreen. When they look at their phone, they’ll see the sweet message you’ve left for them. The app is only available for android users.
Rave
Just because you’re separated in distance, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a movie together. Rave allows couples to stream videos together, and gives you a chat bar underneath the video for your running commentary.
You can use it to watch Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo and more. If you’re wanting to watch something you own a copy of, upload the video to Dropbox or Google Drive and you’ll be able to watch it together!
Available for iOS and Android.
Lovedays
Using this app, you can see countdowns to all important events in your relationship such as your anniversary, upcoming vacation, or the next time you’ll see each other.
Available on iTunes and Google Play.
NUJJ
A simple app, but probably the most adorable. All you do is shake your phone when you’re missing your love, and they will receive a little vibration on their end. Cute! Right?
Tech:
Friendship lamps
Similar to the NUJJ app, but with a more visual expression of emotion, a friendship lamp will let you know your partner is missing you. When one of you touches the lamp, the other’s lamp lights up. It will melt your heart to know that you’re being thought of.
If you don’t like sleeping alone, then this device has got you covered. Pillow Talk is a wristband you wear when you sleep, it recognizes your heartbeat and sends it to your partner in real time.
You download the app, slip the band around your wrist, and put the speaker under your pillow, and there you go! It’s like you can hear them sleeping next to you.
Today’s brides are unique, and deserve a ring to match. Rather than going for the expected diamond, modern brides are turning to alternative stones to adorn their ring fingers. For a sweet, soft look, why not consider going for morganite? This pink gemstone has become a trendy alternative in recent years.
Morganite is a semi-precious stone in the beryl family, making it related to emerald and aquamarine. While it is typically light peach in colour, it can range in shades from orange to pink.
The stone was discovered in Madagascar in 1910. It was named after famous financier J.P. Morgan, who was well-known for his love of gemstones. Today, the majority of morganite comes from Minas Gerais, Brazil.
According to Crystal Vaults.com, morganite “cleanses the emotional body of stress and anxiety, old wounds and hidden traumas, and enkindles lightness within the spirit, as if a burden has been lifted.”
The stone also encourages and maintains loving thoughts.
The stone has slowly grown in popularity over the years.
“While diamonds are still the most popular gemstone used in engagement rings, other gemstones, including morganite, are becoming increasingly sought after,” Brilliant Earth co-founder and co-CEO Beth Gerstein told Vox. “We continue to see an increasing interest in pink engagement rings following the rise of millennial pink in 2017.”
Morganite scores 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, making it softer than diamond yet still quite durable. However, it is more susceptible to scratches and damage.
Besides being unique, morganite is also way more affordable than diamond, making it a great choice for an engagement ring.
If you lose your ring in the ocean, you most likely would be sad but accept that you’ve lost it forever, right? It seems impossible for a mere human to scour the ocean floor in search of one ring, no matter how big the diamond. But for creatures who are native to the sea, it may be a bit easier.
Annika Parkinson-Dow was swimming in Howe Sound off Bower Island in British Columbia, Canada on Friday evening, April 26. The shining bioluminescence was visible, and this led her to run her hands through the water. Little did she know that her engagement ring had fallen off in the ocean.
When she eventually realised, she was already back on dry land. Of course, she was upset. The ring was an heirloom from the 1930’s. “I was pretty sure that there was absolutely no chance [they’d find] it, a needle in the haystack. I wasn’t even sure of the exact spot that I lost it,” she said to CBC News.
The ring. Credit: CBC news / Annika Parkinson-Dow
Trying her luck, she asked a few divers to have a look in the ocean. They searched for an hour, but gave up as the water conditions were unfavourable.
As they decided they would call it quits, they caught sight of a baby octopus and as unbelievable as it may sound… the little octopus led the divers to the ring!
Scientists have reported that octopuses have a keen interest in shiny objects. So, it may be possible that the baby octopus found the ring and intended to keep it as part of a little collection of rocks and shells.
It would be nice to think that the octopus intentionally led the divers to the ring, knowing that’s what they were looking for. However, it’s more likely that it was a massive coincidence. Either way though, it’s an amazing story for Parkinson-Dow to tell for the rest of her life!
Quarantine and social distancing has brought out the creatives and comedians in everyone. With little to no chance of going outside, many turn to Twitter for social interaction and some laughs.
Married couples seem to be a bit stir-crazy, as they’re getting absolutely no time apart. Of course, the love remains stronger than ever but everyone needs some breathing room every now and then.
As a result, many comical situations are taking place in the households of married couples spending more time than ever together as they’re stuck inside.
Here are some of our favourite tweets, documenting the silly situations:
If my husband farts one more time it won’t be a virus that takes him.
— Dadalorian — Hold my Corona (@DadWithABeer) April 23, 2020
Last night, my wife said she wanted to go fishing with me. We’ve been together 8 years and have never discussed anything about fishing. Quarantine day 30, we’re starting to lose it
Me, to my husband, on day three of quarantine: “Okay, so, here is a list of the annoying habits that I can usually tolerate but will result in your death by day five.”
Diamonds are forever, yes, but they’re also a bit…expected. If you want to make a statement with your engagement ring, why not opt for a unique stone? From ruby to sapphire, there is no end to colourful stones to say yes to.
Another unique option is onyx, perfect for someone wanting to take a walk on the darker side of life.
Onyx is a semi-precious gemstone, a sub-variety of the microcrystalline quartz called chalcedony. This gemstone is typically black with white lines, although can sometimes also be green or reddish-brown. The stone is perfect for fans of the art deco or Victorian style as that’s when it was most popular.
The name is derived from the ancient Greek word for claw. Speaking to Brides, New York City-based fine jeweler Ashley Zhang explains the mythology.
“The story is that while Venus slept, her fingernails were trimmed, and the gods turned these clippings into the stone known as onyx,” she says.
Its beautiful striped appearance symbolises the various phases of the planet. Black represents the night, gray is dawn and white is day. Together, these colours stand for the interconnectedness of the world and the yin-yang of the universe, helping to restore balance to life.
The transformative power of onyx is what makes it perfect for an engagement ring. Onyx is said to stamp out fear by absorbing and transforming negative energy, thus helping to prevent the drain of personal energy. Onyx also helps develop emotional and physical strength and stamina, especially when support is needed during times of stress, confusion or grief.
Seems like the perfect stone to have on hand, literally.
When you hear the words “diamond ring”, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably an engagement ring, right? These days, the gems are closely connected to love and romance. However, as with many wedding traditions, it has a not-so-romantic beginning.
According to Marie Claire, the first recorded bride to have received the sparkling surprise for her engagement was Archduke Maximillian of Austria’s bride-to-be in 1477. However, this was not the inception of the diamond ring proposal.
That achievement is attributed to the jewellery giant, De Beers. Insider reports that diamonds have become the world’s most popular choice for engagement rings as a result of a marketing ploy by De Beers.
Early in the 1900s, diamond production was low. Engagement rings were often given to women for the purpose of marriage, however for the most part the gem was not a diamond. By 1938, the diamond had become more popular for this purpose. But, as its value dropped with the Great Depression, their popularity dropped once again.
In 1947, De Beers launched a clever advertising campaign. The slogan for the campaign was “a diamond is forever”. De Beers built their marketing around the idea that diamonds – with their brilliance, unbreakable character, and everlasting nature – are symbolic of the commitment of marriage, which is forever.
De Beers’ tactics were elaborate, as they targeted the psychology of human beings. In 1982, an investigating journalist named Edward Jay Epstein wrote an exposé in The Atlantic about the campaign.
In this tell-all, 20 000 word piece, Epstein revealed shocking truths about the advertising campaign. “Even though diamonds can in fact be shattered, chipped, discolored, or incinerated to ash, the concept of eternity perfectly captured the magical qualities that the advertising agency wanted to attribute to diamonds,” he wrote.
According to Epstein, part of the advertising strategy included sending lecturers to schools to ensure children knew the value of diamonds. He said that they also created a weekly service called “Hollywood personalities” which “provided 125 leading newspapers with descriptions of the diamonds worn by movie stars.”
The campaign was so rigorous and aggressive that it spread across the ocean to other countries. It may, however, not be that surprising as they had spent millions a year on the campaign which even reached Japan, a country that had not included engagement rings in their traditions prior to this. The campaign lasted about 4 decades, and remnants of it can still be seen today in some advertisements.
These days, however, diamonds are falling in popularity. Many refuse to participate in the diamond business for ethical reasons. De Beers is a massive, powerful company though. Who knows what their next ad campaign will achieve.
