Diamonds and diamond rings are iconic symbol of love, commitment and everlasting beauty. Today, brides are offered a wide array of styles to choose from that say everything about their personalities and style. From classic round brilliant cuts to more unique shapes like pear-shaped natural fancy yellow diamonds or rose-gold accented solitaires, there is a diamond ring for every kind of woman.
But it wasn’t always this way. Historically, engagement rings were more of a symbolic token of ownership. Women would wear metal rings while at home, and their husbands would present them with a diamond one to mark their engagement. Diamonds were only introduced into the picture as a gemstone for an engagement ring in 1947, following the launch of an advertising campaign by De Beers with the now-famous slogan “A diamond is forever.”
It was this durability and enduring quality that helped transform diamonds from just a precious jewel into a symbol of love and the deep, unbreakable bond between two people. And it is this durability that carries over into today’s Best Diamonds In Australia engagement rings, as they are worn every day and subject to more knocks and scuffs than other pieces of jewelry.
The popularity of diamonds has also been fueled by their brilliance and the fact that they can be engraved with personal messages, as well as the storied association to royalty and wealth. For example, royal families and aristocrats frequently display their vast collections of jewelry that include diamonds in necklaces, brooches, crowns and more.
As a result, diamonds have become a powerful status symbol that represents power and elegance across cultures. They are also a popular gift for special occasions, especially as an anniversary or birthday gift for a loved one.
There are many different types of diamonds, and each of these are classified by their color, clarity and cut. The most common is the round diamond, which remains the most popular engagement ring shape to date. Other diamond shapes include oval, princess and cushion cuts. The most expensive diamonds are usually the rarest, with some of the largest known being a whopping 3,106 carats in weight!
Another factor that adds to the allure of a diamond is its hardness, which ranks a perfect 10 on the Mohs scale. The diamond is the hardest naturally occurring mineral on earth. But despite its amazing strength and endurance, diamonds are still brittle and can be chipped just by dropping them on a concrete floor, which makes them a less-than-ideal choice for everyday wear.
Because of this, there is a huge fashion jewelry market for fake diamonds that use various diamond simulants or substitutes, such as cubic zirconia or moissanite. It is also possible to purchase lab-created diamonds that are more ethically and ecologically sourced than those found in mines. In recent years, however, we’ve started to see a shift in engagement ring preferences with more and more couples opting for colored gemstones and other unique materials in place of traditional diamonds. For example, Blake Lively recently wore a light pink oval diamond in a rose-gold setting from Ryan Reynolds, and Katy Perry debuted her unique ruby sparkler from Orlando Bloom.