Are Diamonds Really a Girl’s Best Friend?

Looking for an engagement ring? Diamond as the ultimate sign of love was a notion created in a crazy successful ad campaign 80 years ago. Maybe it’s time to use other beautiful gemstones to show our love?

Diamonds have been the ultimate symbol of romance and marriage for decades.

But it wasn’t always like that.

Have you ever wondered why engagement rings usually are diamond rings? It’s no coincidence, but actually a pretty wild story about creating a diamond craze out of nothing!

Thanks to a very successful ad campaign in the US in the 1940s, diamonds have become the standard gemstone for any engagement ring.

Check out our custom-made rings here.

A Diamond Is Forever, But So Are Other Gems

Now, that is thankfully all changing, but first, listen to this: Diamonds weren’t particularly valuable in the early 1900s, nor were they in demand.

At the turn of the century, a company called De Beers owned most diamond mines in the world. They set out to change people’s perception of diamonds, which, at the time, was considered only for the rich and powerful because it was thought that diamonds were rare. But the diamond rush that began in South Africa in the second half of the 19th century flooded the market with diamonds, killing demand.

To control supply and demand—and thus, prices— De Beers created distribution arms through "The Diamond Syndicate," including "The Diamond Trading Company" in London and "The Syndicate" in Israel. Diamond claim holders and distributors joined up with De Beers because their interests were the same: create a scarcity of diamonds and high prices will follow.

Additionally, De Beers needed to link diamonds with something emotional, socially valuable and everlasting, so they wouldn’t be resold easily and would keep up the value.

See our sapphire rings here.

They started pushing diamonds to celebrities, and, together with ad agency N.W. Ayer, they came up with the legendary slogan

“A diamond is forever”

—marketing the sentiment that a diamond, like your relationship, is eternal.

Boy, did it succeed! From only 10% of engagement rings being diamonds before the ad campaign, diamond sale went up 55% in just four years.

Ever since, the world has been convinced that diamonds are the ultimate gift of love; essential to romantic relationships and the standard gem for engagement rings.

Forget That Old Diamond—Get a Sapphire Instead

But hello! We live in the 21st century now, it’s about time we stop this diamond craziness.

There are plenty of great alternative gemstones out there. Don’t waste money on a mainstream diamond ring—switch it up with a unique sapphire ring instead!

Sapphires, contrary to common beliefs, come in an infinite number of colors. They can be any shade of blue, but also sassy pink, divine champagne and lush green.

Have a look at our green sapphire rings.

Sapphire is a high-quality stone as it’s very resilient. Okay, not as hard as diamonds (10), but pretty damn close, ranging at 9 on Mohs hardness scale. That makes sapphire rings perfect for an engagement ring meant to be worn every day.

If you’re looking for a unique and alternative engagement ring, why not spice it up with a fancy jungle green sapphire ring?

A sapphire engagement ring will look amazing on any hand, and will be way more appreciated than any diamond ring could ever be in this day and age.

The undeniable beauty of sapphires will surely melt anyone’s heart!

Nangi’s alternative engagement rings.