Weddingbee Blog

Champ’s sister is engaged! After ten or so years dating, Champ’s sister is finally planning a wedding! I couldn’t be happier for her, and she’s really found a man who understands what it takes to make a relationship work. I love engagements because it makes me think of how much I love Champ, and how excited I am to marry him! So when I first met Champ’s family, I could see immediately that this sister was a girl after my own heart- she loves the girly girl life but isn’t afraid to get dirty when necessary.

A few months ago when I still lived in Back Bay, Boston (miss it so much!) we were walking in the Prudential Mall and as I always do, I stopped in the jewelry store to get my ring cleaned. We came across the most beautiful pink stone I had ever seen and Champ’s sister was hooked.

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The pink mystery stone is morganite. Morganite actually comes from a group of stones called beryls. Beryls (or more specifically beryllium aluminum silicates) are rich in minerals, and morganite was actually originally known as “pink beryl” until 1911 when it became known as morganite. Today, this gemstone mainly comes from deposits in Brazil, Madagascar, Afghanistan and California. (source)

So although the color and clarity of Morganite are both gorgeous, Champ’s sister was a little wary of an engagement ring that may not hold up like a diamond, so we did some research. As it turns out, Morganite has a hardness rating of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale (for comparison, a diamond is rated 10) and qualifies as an “excellent wearing stone.”

Morganite can actually come in many different shades of pink, and we found that it really looks nice with a gold setting, and of course a few diamonds for extra bling. Here were some of the photos Champ’s sister used as inspiration for her custom made engagement ring.

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This setting is a bit more chunky, but really shows how a gold prong can accent the pink tone of Morganite.

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And only because I LOVE the pear shape, this ring is a morganite center stone with a white gold setting:

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And here’s my FSIL’s ring. Isn’t it pretty?

Extra bling and set in gold… love it.

After seeing the results of her ring, I’m floored and I’m loving the Morganite!

Have you considered an engagement ring without the traditional diamond center stone?