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Purple Engagement Rings: Amethyst vs Purple Sapphire
Love the majestic color purple and thinking about putting it into your engagement ring? I’d love to help you make it happen! There are a few different purple engagement ring stones for you to consider, but the gems I get asked about the most are amethyst and purple sapphire. So let’s dig in!
Amethyst
Amethyst is the purple variety of the gemstone quartz. So, its siblings are citrine, smoky quartz, ametrine, and prasiolite! Ranging in shades of light lilac (called “rose de france”) through royal purple, this gem is loved by many. When first discovered, amethyst was considered a precious stone, and was only available to the very rich. However, as we continued to explore the globe, major deposits of the stone were located, making it accessible to many! Today, we’ve found that amethyst is actually one of the most commonly found gems. As a result, it’s very affordable! However, it does have one specific drawback that I’ll talk about below.
Purple Sapphire
Did you know that sapphire can be purple? So exciting. In fact, sapphire comes in every color of the rainbow except red (which is reserved for ruby)! Sapphire is a rare gemstone, which is considered by most to be “precious.” In fact, there are multiple royals wearing sapphire engagement rings! Purple sapphire ranges in tones from dark to light and often has modifying colors like blue or pink! So, while you really only see true purple-purple amethyst, you can see violet sapphire, fuchsia sapphire, and lavender sapphire. So, sapphire can be a great choice. Because natural purple sapphire can be quite pricey to source, we now grow lab created purple sapphire! Lab purple sapphire is stunning, bright, and super affordable.
Other Purple Gems to Consider
In addition to amethyst and purple sapphire, there are a few other purple gems you may wish to consider! These include purple garnet, purple spinel, and purple diamond.
Purple Garnet
When people refer to purple garnet, they typically mean rhodolite. This gem is more of a reddish-purple, and is quite lovely! Around a 7-7.5 hardness, rhodolite is fairly durable for daily wear, and relatively affordable. So, if this pretty purple-red stone speaks to you, it may be a lovely choice.
Purple Spinel
I love spinel! I’m a bit biased, because my purple engagement ring is spinel, but I think you should fall for it, too. Spinel is a beautiful multi-color gemstone with 8/10 hardness and crisp brilliance. It ranges in color from light lilac to deep off-black purple, and often has gray or red modifiers. Grayish purple spinel is having a moment right now, and I think it’s a beautiful. It also matches all of my outfits! Read more about my purple spinel engagement ring here.
Purple Diamond
Yes, diamonds can be purple, too! Natural purple diamonds are among the most rare in the world, and are often medium to light in tone or darker brownish-purple. The most famous natural purple diamond was an 8 carat stunner given by Kobe Bryant to his wife, Vanessa! Fortunately, for those without an NBA salary, gem scientists have also learned how to turn normal diamonds purple. Isn’t that neat? More of a reddish-purple in color, color-enhanced purple diamonds are a great choice for someone looking for a unique color at a more reasonable price.
Issues with Amethyst Engagement Rings
Unfortunately, amethyst isn’t as durable as the other gems discussed in this post. It is only a 7/10 on the hardness scale. While this may sound pretty hard, the problem lies in that dust is also mostly made of 7/10 quartz. So, dust can scratch amethyst. As a result, the daily wear and tear on an amethyst engagement ring starts to show very quickly. This will dull sparkle and beauty. While choosing a protective setting like a halo will help protect the stone from chips along its edge, surface scratches will still appear over the years. Consequently, choosing an alternate, more durable gem is recommended for most brides, unless you are open to replacing your center stone occasionally.
Amethyst Engagement Ring
So, which stone is best between amethyst vs purple sapphire?
Because longevity is such an important part of an engagement ring, durability is super important. So, between amethyst vs purple sapphire, purple sapphire wins the prize for being both beautiful and durable. Lab purple sapphire has made this choice easy. A lab purple sapphire engagement ring is both durable, beautiful, and affordable! Couples wanting a purple engagement ring should also consider purple spinel and purple diamond!
Custom Purple Sapphire Engagement Ring
Would you like help designing a purple engagement ring?
I’d love to help you! My name is Corinne, I’m the gemologist, and I absolutely love sourcing special gemstones. Please contact us below and tell me what you’re looking for!
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