ENGAGEMENT RING

Green Sapphire Engagement Rings – What You Need to Know

Green sapphire engagement ring on finger closeup

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While blue sapphires are the most popular colored gemstone for engagement rings, green sapphires are ideal for a unique, non-traditional look. Here’s a look at what green sapphires are and how to choose the right one for your engagement ring.

What are green sapphires?

Loose blue sapphire

The most popular sapphire color. See more blue sapphires here.

Most people think about the color blue when they hear about sapphire. And while blue sapphires are the most popular color for this gemstone, sapphires come in a range of colors including green, pink, orange, and yellow sapphires and are typically called “fancy sapphires”. As rubies are very closely related to sapphires as both are variations of the mineral corundum so, you can view rubies as “red sapphires” too.

Green sapphire stone

Unique sapphire color. See more green sapphires here.

The reason Corundum minerals come in different colors is because of the different chemical inclusions they carry within them. Pure sapphires are actually colorless, but they get their colors depending on what else is mixed in them while they grow. For green sapphires, it’s the presence of iron in the gemstone that gives it its beautiful green color. It’s also worth mentioning that like all other colored gemstones, green sapphires can vary in the intensity of their color so they can range from light green to deep and rich green with the latter being much more valuable and expensive than the former.

Why are green sapphires great for engagement rings?

Green sapphires, while not as popular as their blue counterparts, have garnered a lot of attention over the last decade and look stunning on an engagement ring. The earthly green color of these stones works great with all popular metal colors and they look very well with most types of ring settings.

Sapphires are also very close to diamonds in terms of hardness, as they sit at 9 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale with diamonds being a 10/10, so they are great for every day jewelry such as an engagement ring.

What to look for in a green sapphire stone for your engagement ring?

If you’ve spent some time researching diamond engagement rings you likely know what to look for in a colorless diamond. With colored gemstones such as green sapphires, however, a lot of those rules don’t apply. So, let’s look at the 4Cs of sapphires (Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat Weight) and see what you should know about them:

Color

Green sapphire oval setting engagement ring

Teal green sapphire ring by Oore. Check Price Here.

While with colorless diamonds and gemstones color is often less important than the cut and clarity, in colored gemstones such as green sapphires, color is king. The richer and more saturated the green of the stone is, the more valuable it’s going to be.

Of course, more lightly colored stones can look great too, especially on the right ring, but value-wise, the deeper the color, the better. We’d usually recommend going for medium-range saturation as green sapphires that are too light can seem washed out and deeper greens are not only overly expensive but are often needlessly rich in color as such deep colors are hard to accurately view and appreciate.

Additional color hues are also worth considering as green sapphires can have secondary color hues in them. Most commonly they can have either yellow or blue tinges in them with the blue ones being more valuable than the yellow ones. Either way, we’re mostly talking about single-color green sapphires here but if you prefer a more yellowy or a more teal color, those are gorgeous as well.

Cut

Emerald cut green sapphire loose

Emerald cut green sapphire. Check Price Here.

Note that cut doesn’t refer to shape but to the proportion, symmetry and faceting structure of the stone. With colored gemstones, the cut is often chosen to maximize the beauty of its color. Colored gemstones don’t really offer much brilliance so that’s just not a driving factor with them.

In terms of shape, green sapphires can be cut into all popular gemstone shapes because they are durable and tough enough to withstand the cutting process.

Clarity

Sapphires typically have more inclusions than diamonds and almost all sapphires you’ll find in the market will have the typical long and thin inclusions we call “rutile needles”. Fortunately, the color and cut of the stone will hide them so a green sapphire ring in terms of clarity will be one that doesn’t have any inclusions visible to the naked eye.

Additionally, most sapphires undergo heat treatments to improve both their clarity and color – don’t be alarmed by that, it’s perfectly normal. Heat treatments don’t compromise the beauty of the stone in any way. 

Carat Weight

Like diamonds, sapphires are available in all weight categories and the heavier the stone is, the more valuable and expensive it is.

The cut you choose can have a direct impact on the appearance of the sapphire. In general, experts recommend choosing cuts and shapes such as the marquise cut, oval cut, pear cut or the emerald cut, that maximize the physical dimensions of the stone to make it look bigger for its carat weight.

As long as the color is rich enough to still look great even on a wider and shallower stone, you can maximize the effectiveness of your ring by picking a stone that’s as wide as possible for its carat weight.

How about the ring itself?

Choosing a great sapphire is one thing but you’ll also need to make sure that it’s mounted on a suitable ring. Regardless of whether you’re going for something clean and modest or something overly rich and elaborate, it’s important to make sure it fits well with the centerpiece stone and the theme you’ve chosen. So, let’s go over some of the main things you should consider:

What kind of metal should you choose?

Green sapphire engagement ring white metal

Green sapphire in sterling silver by Luo Jewelry. Check Price Here.

One of the great things about green sapphires is that they go well with any of the 3 major metal colors and types used for engagement rings. Where other colored gemstones don’t fit too well with all types, a green sapphire with a rich, saturated color can look awesome on yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and any other type of white metal such as platinum.

The saturation of the stone matters, of course, as not every green sapphire is the same. Lighter green sapphires may get overshadowed by a colorful metal and look better on a white ring while more deeply colored stones can seem even fuller of color on yellow or rose gold. At the end of the day, personal preference is key.

What’s the best setting for a green sapphire?

Speaking of ring settings, that’s another thing to consider when choosing an engagement ring. There are two main options here:

Bezel setting green sapphire engagement ring

Bezel set green sapphire by ARPELC. Check Price Here.

An engagement ring with no other diamonds or gemstones other than the one green sapphire. This can mean either a type of solitaire setting, like this sterling silver one, where the stone is mounted on several prongs or a bezel setting, where the green sapphire is more protected. Bezel settings are perfect for colored gemstones as they provide protection while maintaining the stone’s beauty.

Green sapphire halo engagement ring

Green sapphire with halo by Orlando Carreno Jewels. See it here.

Alternatively, you can opt for a setting with additional smaller stones, usually diamonds, to add sparkle to the ring and create more contrast between the green sapphire and colorless diamonds. This can mean either a halo setting, where the halo of small white diamonds will not only accent the gorgeous green sapphire but make the whole composition even bigger and more impressive.

Three stone setting sapphire green engagement ring

Three-stone setting by Minimal VS. Check Price Here.

You can also go with a type of a pave setting, like this vintage one, either instead of or together with the halo to add even more sparkle to your ring. Or, maybe a three-stone setting with two bigger diamonds? At the end of the day, as long as the green sapphire remains the clear and impressive centerpiece of the composition and you like how the ring looks, any setting can work.

What is the meaning of green sapphire?

Knowing the meaning of the stone and ring you’re giving to your soon-to-be fiancé is important for a lot of people and understandably so. For green sapphires, the main symbolism and meaning people impart is that of tranquility, trust, integrity, and loyalty – all great meanings for an engagement ring stone.

Other meanings that are associated with the color green can also be applied here. These include:

  • Growth
  • Fertility
  • Relaxation
  • Renewal
  • Peace
  • Nature

Where to buy green sapphires

Green sapphires are not a mainstream gemstone, so finding them can be difficult. It’s best to purchase from a retailer that you can trust, one who has a solid track record and excellent service.

We recommend searching on James Allen for loose green sapphires. While their collection is small, it’s more than what most top retailers offer when it comes to green sapphires. You can also pair these with one of their stunning ring settings for the perfect look. Click here to start searching.

For green sapphire engagement rings, we recommend searching on Etsy. There’s a wide range of rings here from lab-created to natural green sapphire rings, as well as vintage styles and designs. Click here to start searching.