Aquamarine Engagement Rings

A blue to greenish-blue variety of beryl, aquamarine is related to emerald and morganite. The limpid, soothing blues of aquamarine are often associated with the still, clear waters of lakes and oceans. While greenish-blue aquamarines were incredibly popular during Victorian times, pure blue stones are currently more popular, especially among ocean-lovers and those who enjoy the stone’s fairy-blue sparkle.

Brazil is the largest producer of aquamarine and has such an abundance of top-quality stones that it is known as the Land of Aquamarine. Most aquamarines are light in tone, but those from Santa Maria, Brazil tend to be a fine, deep seawater blue. Since the Santa Maria source dried up, aquamarine-lovers have looked to Africa for deep blue stones. Aquamarines that are deep sea-blue in color are often called “Santa Maria,” regardless of their origin.

Aquamarine has historically been given by grooms to brides the day after their wedding, as it is said to absorb the aura of young love. In recent years, it has become a popular center stone for engagement rings and anniversary rings. In fact, the most famous aquamarine ring of the last few years is the one that Prince Harry gifted to Meghan Markle from Princess Diana’s collection, which she famously wore to their wedding reception. The famous royal ring sets an enormous emerald cut aquamarine with diamond accents on a delicate yellow gold setting.

Aquamarines tend to have greenish tints when they come out of the ground. Since most modern consumers prefer pure blue aquamarines, traders often heat aquamarines to remove the yellow tones. It is nearly impossible to tell heated stones from un-heated ones, however, since the treatment is stable and permanent. So no need to avoid heat treatment unless you're specifically looking for a greenish-blue hue to your aquamarine.

Aquamarine typically have extremely high clarity, and you should expect to select a gem that's free of blemishes and inclusions. This is important as aquamarines are mostly light in tone. Their high clarity combined with their hardness make them durable and easy to maintain. Unlike its more delicate sibling, emerald, aquamarine can be cleaned in ultrasonic and steam cleaners, unless the stone happens to have liquid inclusions or fractures. A rare few aquamarines might be fracture-filled, in which case the stone should only be cleaned with warm soap and water and dried with soft cloth. It is always a good idea to keep any gemstone, including aquamarine, away from harsh chemicals, especially acids.

Aquamarine’s availability in large sizes make it versatile and affordable. They are most often set in white gold, which enhances the cool, clear blue appearance of the stone. If a stone is pale in color, however, white gold may make the stone appear washed out. Yellow and rose gold both underscore the color of the stone, making pale aquamarines stand out and vivid aquamarines pop. If a stone is too shallow however, and has a window, the yellow or rose gold may shine through and give the stone a yellowish or greenish tint.

Typically, your custom piece will be in your hands 2-4 weeks after we've finalized your design. However, because each project is different, the time it takes to complete your project may vary. Here's a rough breakdown of how long each part of our process takes:

When it comes to creating your design, we'll work at your pace. Some customers only need to exchange a few messages with us - we'll often be ready to make their piece within a few days. Others may prefer to design and iterate with us over many weeks, or even months.

Once you've approved a design, we'll manufacture your piece, finishing all the details by hand. When it's ready, we'll send you photographs of your finished piece so you can give us your seal of approval before we ship it to you.

We offer free shipping within the US via FedEx or USPS, and we ship international packages via DHL Worldwide Express, one of the fastest services available. Depending on location, international shipments can sometimes be delayed by local customs for inspection, which can extend the delivery time.

In general, our custom rings are the same price as similar rings off-the-shelf ('similar' meaning a comparable selection of metals and gemstones used, which are the biggest factors in price). Our aim is to make high-quality custom designs accessible to everyone.

Each ring we produce starts off as a brand new concept. Because of that, it’s difficult to know how much a piece is going to cost without knowing a bit more about the idea you have in mind.

The easiest way to figure out how much your ring will cost is to start a consultation with us and let our team know what you're looking for - we can provide an estimate with only a few details.

There's no charge to discuss your design, and price out options with our team. In many cases, our jewelry designers will also create artistic sketches of our design concepts for your piece. We request a deposit prior to producing 3D models and renderings of your design and that deposit goes toward the final cost of producing your piece.

Unlike most jewelers, we don't keep a huge inventory of gems. Since every piece we make is custom, we prefer to source each stone individually, to suit the design and the specific needs of each customer.

As with the rest of our design process, our team will guide you through the gem selection process. We start by figuring out what's important to you in a gemstone, whether it's budget, origin, size, color, or simply the overall look. With that in mind, we research and prepare a set of options that we think would work for you. Some come from our curated collection, others from a network of trusted suppliers, and in some cases, we may opt to have an expert lapidary custom cut your gem. You'll make the final decision on the option that best meets your needs, and we'll make sure you have everything you need to make the best choice.

Our primary goal with gemstones is transparency. The center stone is an essential part of the look of your ring and it can be a big financial decision. Trust is built on honest communication, so we work hard to give you all the information you need to make a confident choice.

We stand behind our jewelry 100% and we offer a comprehensive set of warranties so that you can purchase with confidence.

We guarantee our workmanship and take responsibility for any structural defects.

All the materials (metals, diamonds, and gemstones) we sell are authentic and properly specified in your proposal agreement.

If any small accent gems (<$100 value) break or fall out of their settings in the first year after we create the ring or within a year of us performing maintenance on the ring, we’ll replace them free of charge.

Read more about our warranties.