Emerald Engagement Rings

The highest-selling gemstone by value in the United States, emeralds are a medium to dark green to bluish-green variety of beryl. They are the ultimate green stone and are so well-known for their lush green color that the term “emerald” is actually used to describe green things. Emeralds have been beloved for thousands of years and were worn by the likes of Cleopatra, the Mughal emperors, and the Duchess of Windsor.

The most well-known emeralds are from Colombia, which has mines that have been in operation for centuries. Zambia, Afghanistan and Pakistan also produce gorgeous gems, many of them in a highly-desired, saturated bluish-green hue. Emeralds of any tone are lovely, but stones with too light of tone are known as green beryl rather than emeralds. It is wise to be aware of the distinction when picking out these stones.

Emerald is a versatile gem that can be incorporated into jewelry in a variety of ways. Stones with high clarity are faceted, while stones with somewhat lower clarity are polished into cabochons. A large percentage of faceted emeralds are cut using emerald cut, which shows the color of the stone beautifully. Both faceted and cabochon emeralds make striking pieces of jewelry. The difference is that faceted emeralds show more sparkle while polished emeralds demonstrate more of a luscious gleam.

In addition to making fine center stones, emeralds also serve as striking accent stones. Smaller emeralds are much more affordable than large ones and can still be highly-saturated. Whether used as center stones or accents, emeralds tap into rich history and are sure to catch the eye.

Emeralds tend to be highly-included and most are oiled or fracture-filled to make the stone appear clear. The finest emeralds have no oil or have insignificant oil, while many have moderate to significant oiling or resin-filling. Although emeralds have good hardness (8 on the Mohs scale), the fractures in a typical emerald mean that special care must be taken of them while cleaning. It is typically not safe to clean jewelry with emeralds in an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaner. Instead, an emerald setting should be cleaned with warm soapy water and a soft brush or cloth. In addition to this careful cleaning, emerald fractures might also need to be refilled after a few years. To emerald-lovers however, this maintenance is worth it in exchange for a beautiful stone.

Lab-created emeralds are a budget-friendly alternative. Lab-made emeralds are exactly the same genuine emerald material, just created by a man-made process. Because of the controlled environment of the lab, these are typically created with much higher clarity and without the fractures and inclusions that are common in natural emeralds. As a result, they are at less risk of being damaged with daily wear and are a bit easier to maintain. Man-made emeralds are also far less expensive, which makes them an appealing option for someone looking for the beautiful green color of emerald with high clarity and lower cost. But some find that the look of lab-made emerald is too clean, lacking the beauty of a natural emerald's fracture pattern.

When choosing an emerald, it's important to consider how its color will interact with the material around it. Yellow gold tends to bring out the yellowish, grass-green tones of the gem, while white gold can make the stone appear cooler in hue. Rose gold, which is almost complementary to emeralds in color, can add a contemporary twist to an emerald ring and really makes the green of the emerald pop.

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.