Amethyst engagement rings feature amethyst as the signature stone set in a precious or semi-precious metal. Amethyst is a variety of quartz that is violet in colour. Presenting your loved one with an amethyst engagement ring is a beautiful and meaningful way to propose. Amethyst is also February’s birthstone.
The colour of amethyst ranges from a rich purple to a pale lilac, caused by iron impurities in the crystal’s structure. This impurity can be imitated in synthetic materials, but a true amethyst engagement ring is far superior.
What makes amethyst unique?
The impurities in the quartz are not only purple and it is not uncommon to have a blue, red or pink tone, adding to the ring’s individuality. Amethyst is becoming an increasingly popular stone for engagement rings due to its uniqueness.
The meaning of amethyst
The name of the gem comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “intoxicated”, as the stone was believed to protect its owner from drunkenness. In fact, the ancient Romans and ancient Greeks made drinking vessels out of amethyst and wore amethyst to prevent becoming intoxicated. The stone is still used as a symbol against various addictions.
Some cultures also believe that amethyst has healing powers against stress, headaches and negative emotions. The precious stone is also connected to a number of religions that use amethyst to represent sincerity, spirituality and purity. Even if the couple is not religious, these connections to good certainly bide well with any marriage-to-be.
As a jewel choice for an engagement ring, amethyst is not only a beautiful and unusual stone, but has a revered history of symbolism dating as far back as the ancients.
Another meaning
As the February birthstone, amethyst is also associated with this month. The idea of choosing a stone for each month began in the Middle Ages with fortune tellers who believed that different stones were attached to particular months. They maintained that if someone kept their respective birthstone on them, their life would be filled with luck, good fortune and happiness. If a couple chooses to get engaged in February, using an amethyst engagement ring could be a way of celebrating the anniversary of the proposal, remembered each year with the purple-coloured gem of February.
Designs of amethyst engagement rings
No matter what kind of design you are interested in for your engagement ring, an amethyst stone can likely be incorporated into it. The stone can be used in conjunction with or in place of the traditional diamond in the engagement ring. Remember, however, that you are not using a traditional stone, so you may want to sway from traditional ring designs and create something truly unique to show off the colouration of the amethyst.
Here are some ideas for amethyst engagement ring designs:
- Figural rings that incorporate a figure such as a heart, butterfly or a flower created from clustered amethyst stones.
- Art Deco rings with a bold pattern incorporating the amethyst. For an even more dramatic aesthetic, the amethyst can be set alongside another stone of a complimentary colour, such as sapphire, peridot or pink tourmaline. This would suit a bold bride-to-be.
- Wide Band Rings are a wise choice to the relative affordability of amethyst (compared with diamonds and some other precious stones). Using a wide band will allow you to use as much of the stone as possible to take advantage of its beauty.
- Eternity rings have stones encircling the finger, thus representing love’s eternal continuation. These rings are a good way to incorporate other precious stones such as tanzanite and diamond. This is also a more affordable option than the traditional all-diamond eternity ring, and can be very effective.
- Tri Stone Rings have three stones to represent different periods of the couple life together: the future, present and past. You can choose to use amethyst for all three (consider using different shades of amethyst) or you can incorporate other stones. A Tri Stone Ring is a good idea if you still want to use the traditional diamond as the focal point, but also want to include amethyst.