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With an increasing number of brides opting for non-traditional engagement rings, gemstones are becoming very popular and of these, purple gemstones are an intriguing option to consider.
Purple gemstones are associated with royalty, nobility and sophistication. After all, this is a color that was at one period in history restricted to the upper echelons of society. Let’s take a look at the best purple gemstones for your engagement ring.
Top Purple Gemstones for Engagement Ring
1- Amethyst
Pros of Amethyst:
- Inexpensive
- Typically has excellent clarity
- Gorgeous color
- Beautiful vitreous luster.
Cons of Amethyst:
- May fade if exposed to direct sunlight
- Brittle which can result in chipping
- Can scratch easily
By Rimon Fine Jewelry. Check Price Here.
The quintessential purple stone, amethysts are what most people think of when they think of a purple gemstone. While today amethysts are considered inexpensive and are not highly valued, this semi-precious stone was once as highly sought after as diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.
Amethysts range from pale to vivid purple but the most valuable are the vivid amethysts, with saturated color. These stones rank at 7 on the Mohs scale, and with reasonable care can last a lifetime.
This video shows the luster and sparkle of an amethyst.
2- Purple Sapphire
Pros of Purple Sapphire:
- Affordable
- Typically has excellent clarity
- Rare color
- Extremely durable
Cons of Purple Sapphire:
- No major cons
By CD Gemstone. Check Price Here.
Blue sapphire is the most popular colored gemstone for engagement rings, but this stone also comes in a wide variety of hues. Purple sapphire is very rare and little-known, with excellent transparency and attractive natural coloring. Most purple sapphires are untreated, unlike their blue counterparts, meaning that what you see is what you get.
Sapphires, which in their pure state are colorless, get their purple color from chromium if present during the stone’s formation process. Purple sapphires can also have asterism (the star effect seen in the image above) in rare cases, if cut en cabochon.
One of the best things about purple sapphires is its excellent durability. Ranking at 9, this is a stone that’s extremely hard to scratch and that’s even tougher than diamonds. They’re not prone to damage, which makes them great for daily wear.
3- Purple Spinel
Pros of Purple Spinel:
- Not typically treated
- Rare choice
- Excellent luster
- Excellent durability
Cons of Purple Spinel:
- Can color shift depending on lighting
By Pristine Custom Rings. Check Price Here.
Not the first stone you think of when you say engagement ring, but purple spinel is definitely one to consider. Purple spinel is plentiful and comes in a range of hues, although lilac and mauve colored spinel are the most sought after. Spinel has stunning luster and eye-catching brilliance.
This stone ranks at 8 on the Mohs, making it a good option to wear on your engagement ring. Spinel is rarely, if ever, treated meaning that most spinel on the market is natural. There are synthetic versions of spinel, which look and feel like the real thing, so double check the origin of the stone when purchasing.
4- Purple Topaz
Pros of Purple Topaz:
- Affordable
- Somewhat rare
- Often treated
- Good durability
Cons of Purple Topaz:
- Needs regular cleaning
By Hidden Attic Antiques. Check Price Here.
While blue and white topaz are the most popular of topaz varieties, purple topaz, although rarer, makes for a non-traditional and uncommon choice. These stones range in hue, with lavender, lilac and pinkish-purple topaz as some options. You’ll also find mystic topaz, which is a natural stone that’s subject to chemical treatments which result in a colorful coating, often purplish in color, like this purple mystic topaz ring.
Topaz is a hard gemstone (8 Mohs) and can be worn daily. However, if not cleaned regularly, the gemstone can look dull and cloudy as it tends to attract grime and dirt.
5- Purple Tanzanite
Pros of Purple Tanzanite:
- Extremely rare
- Valuable
- Good transparency
Cons of Purple Tanzanite:
- Limited options
- Lower durability
- Easily cracks
By Mercy Madge. Check Price Here.
Although typically blue, tanzanite can also be found in purple shades. It’s often dichroic, meaning that it can show off two colors depending on the angle and light it’s viewed at. Tanzanite is so rare, that experts believe that primary supplies of this gemstone will run out in the near future, which makes it a great collectible stone and possibly a good investment.
Tanzanite has good clarity and luster but is not very durable as it has strong cleavage and lower hardness (6.5 to 7). Even so, reasonable care will ensure your tanzanite lasts a lifetime.
6- Purple Tourmaline
Pros of Purple Tourmaline:
- Excellent luster
- Good sparkle
- Good durability
Cons of Purple Tourmaline:
- Limited options
- Not very popular
By Ring Tique. Check Price Here.
While pink tourmaline is one of the most sought after tourmaline colors, purple tourmaline is not as popular due to its darker tones and more blackish appearance. Even so, this wine-colored gemstone is a beautiful sight when placed in an engagement ring.
Purple tourmaline can exhibit different colors when viewed from different angles such as pink, which gives the stone a vibrant look. It interacts beautifully with light and has very good luster and sparkle. In terms of durability, this stone ranks at 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, which makes it sufficiently durable for daily exposure. However, make sure your ring is periodically cleaned to have it looking its best.
Purple tourmaline is almost always treated for best color and as this is a common treatment for most gemstones, it doesn’t compromise the value of the stone.
7- Purple Alexandrite
Pros of Purple Alexandrite:
- Color-changing property
- Highly sought after
- Excellent durability
Cons of Purple Alexandrite:
- Commonly lab-created
- Expensive
By Blue Rocks Jewelry. Check Price Here.
Alexandrite is purple but it can also be green – at the same time. This is because alexandrite is a color-changing stone, with a unique crystalline structure that interacts with light in a different way which produces this color changing property.
Alexandrite is very rare in nature, so a large proportion of alexandrite on the market is lab-created. This shouldn’t be an issue, though, as synthetic gemstones are sustainable and have the same chemical and optical properties of their mined counterparts. Because of this rarity, natural alexandrite is very expensive, sometimes more so than even diamonds.
The stone has a Mohs hardness rating of 8, and very good luster. It’s a dynamic gemstone, one that’s bound to keep you staring at your engagement ring!
Watch the color changing nature of alexandrite in this video.
8- Purple Diamond
Pros of Purple Diamond:
- Supreme durability
- Highly valuable
- Prestigious
- Synthetic options available
Cons of Purple Diamond:
- Expensive
By Diamonds of Color. Check Price Here.
Purple diamonds are the best of all the purple gemstones listed here – but they’re also the most expensive and often beyond the budgets of most people. These are colorless diamonds that contain hydrogen, present during the stone’s formation. As a result, the stone has all the benefits of a diamond with the additional rare purple color, which make it very valuable and sought after. Most high-quality purple diamonds are snapped up by investors or collectors.
Luckily, there are synthetic options available, which are the same as mined purple diamonds, except in origin. Purple diamonds come in a range of hues, with some shades being lavender, lilac, grape or plum.
Here’s a video that shows the beauty of
Best Setting Types for Purple Gemstones
Amethyst Set in Rose Gold Setting with Halo. Check Price Here.
Your setting is important because it is what makes the stone look amazing and it also provides protection for the stone.
While solitaire settings are the most popular for colorless diamonds, halo, bezel and pave settings tend to be more sought after for colored gemstones as these provide more sparkle and balance.
In terms of color, purple gemstones look exceptional when set with rose and yellow gold, as the contrast of the warm metal tones with the cool hue of the gemstone makes for an appealing look. This combination also gives a vintage, classic vibe to the ring design.
White metals, like platinum, white gold and silver are also gorgeous paired with purple gemstones, but have a more modern, crisp look.
There’s no right and wrong about the metal color you choose – it’s all a matter of preference.
Before You Choose
Now that we’ve had a look at our list of favorite purple gemstones for engagement rings, it’s important to note that when selecting a gemstone, durability is a very important consideration. Not every stone is meant to be worn daily, but if carefully mounted in a well-crafted setting, even a soft gemstone (2.5 Mohs) like a pearl can be worn in your engagement ring, as Emma Stone proved to us.
When choosing a gemstone, check the stone’s hardness, toughness and cleavage (no, it’s not what you’re thinking). Hardness refers to how likely the stone is to acquire scratches, toughness is the stone’s resistance to chipping and cleavage is the stone’s tendency to crack down a natural fault line.
But while gemstones over 8 on the Mohs scale are typically considered the best for engagement rings, due to the daily wear and tear that these rings go through, note that it all comes down to the type of setting, how well you take care of the ring and how often you wear it.
