Purple engagement rings

The complete guide to the enchanting tones of purple gemstones

As colour gemstones grow ever more popular, one colour in particular is emerging as a stand-out favourite for our customers. Purple is a luxurious and calming colour, deriving from the combination of blue and red—a duality of calm and passion. Purple is associated with many wonderful qualities such as creativity, wisdom, and ambition. Rarely found in nature, purple is a symbol of precious love. A beautifully designed purple engagement ring would be perfect for someone who appreciates romance and magic.

Purple Sapphire

While people usually associate a sapphire with a deep, navy blue, these versatile gemstones actually come in a rainbow of colours, and the purple sapphire may be the most unexpectedly exquisite of them all. A purple sapphire is a rare precious gemstone made of the mineral corundum. Sapphires register as a 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamonds, making them an incredibly durable stone and as such, perfect for an engagement ring.

Purple sapphires come in all shades and hues, ranging from a soft pale lavender to a deep rich violet, similar to an amethyst. Often, a purple sapphire is confused with an amethyst, as they can be similar in tone and lustre. However, a purple sapphire is not only more durable than a sapphire, but contains more brilliance and sparkle than an amethyst. When a customer requests a purple gemstone, we strictly use purple sapphires as we believe this is the most durable type of purple gemstone available for an engagement ring.

Amethyst

Amethyst is a semi precious purple gemstone, ranging in colour from a pale lilac colour to a rich violet. Purple amethyst is mined primarily in Siberia, Brazil and Uruguay, with the deep hue of violet traditionally being the most desirable colour.

The amethyst gemstone is a purple variety of the mineral quartz, and registers as a 7 on the Mohs scale. An amethyst isn’t the most durable of gemstones which is why we don’t use the gem to create engagement rings. While it’s perfect for earrings or a pendant, an engagement ring is a piece of jewellery that is worn everyday meaning that it endures quite a few knocks and kicks during its lifetime, so we only use the most durable gemstone to create an engagement ring. An amethyst ring would potentially make a wonderful cocktail ring, but we recommend a gemstone that is more durable for an engagement ring.

Purple Diamonds

Apart from the classic brilliant white, diamonds also come in a rainbow of colours. Fancy coloured diamonds are beautiful stones that are revered the world over for their beauty. Yellow diamonds are the most common, and can be quite affordable for a diamond engagement ring. Pink and blue diamonds are rare yet in high demand in the diamond market. Purple, green, orange, and red diamonds are extremely rare and therefore carry a high price tag for their colour.

Purple diamonds come in a range of hues, from purplish-red to bluish-violet. The saturation of a purple diamond ranges from light to vivid and intense—the latter demanding a higher price point. Of all the purple gemstones, a purple diamond will have the most brilliance, sparkle and fire, and is the most durable, registering a 10 on the Mohs scale.

Stone shapes available for purple stones

Purple sapphires are most commonly cut into oval and round shapes, followed by a cushion cut. Octagonal shapes are very desirable, but less commonly available in purple. Purple diamonds tend to be cut in a similar way, usually cushions and round brilliant cuts. Rounder shapes tend to have a bigger surface area when viewed from top down, so the gemstone will appear larger. Round shapes also are less prone to chipping, as they don’t have a sharp edge that can be susceptible to knocks.

Cushion cut purple sapphire engagement ring

Ring styles for purple engagement rings

Purple gemstones tend to be produced in either round or oval shapes, so they can be held in a number of different settings. For those who prefer something chic and minimal, a solitaire would be perfect as the colour would be enough to make a strong impact. Solitaires are also budget friendly, so if you prefer a simple sapphire ring this is another advantage. Halos and trilogies are a great way of adding another coloured gemstone into the mix. Contrast your purple sapphire with a white diamond halo, or another colour.

Dark purple round sapphire engagement ring set with platinum

Dark purple round sapphire solitaire set in platinum

Light purple oval sapphire with round side diamonds set in platinum

Purple oval sapphire set in platinum with diamond pave

Pear shaped grape purple sapphire with pear shaped side diamonds set in platinum

Round purple sapphire set in platinum with filigree detail

How to personalise your own purple engagement ring

There are many different ways that you can personalise your purple engagement ring, from diamond accents to engravings, or with different metal colours. The most popular ways to customise a purple engagement ring is to add accent gemstones, such as diamonds, emeralds or rubies. Fancy cuts such as pears, baguettes and round diamonds make the perfect accent gemstone shapes.

Coloured gemstones

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Unique engagement rings