An engagement ring is something that you are going to wear for the rest of your life, it should be an extension of your personality and be as individual as you are.

There are no rules to what an engagement ring is supposed to look like. Well yes, there are popular designs, but there is no obligation for you to choose one of those if you don't wish to. Today, many people are looking for an engagement ring that stands out, that screams their personality, that says 'this is me'. It's all horses for courses, different people need and want different things, why should your engagement ring follow another person's rules? Besides, wanting an alternative engagement ring doesn't mean you are unconventional, it just means you are an individual. What's normal for one person could be described as screamingly alternative to another. Perhaps you have always worn fossilised dinosaur teeth for jewellery, or you have always had a hankering for skulls or a penchant for feathers or a taste for the gothic? Then why would you consider anything but what you are passionate about to adorn your finger for rest of your life?

It doesn't have to be, "way out there" of course, alternative could mean just not going for a white diamond solitaire ring and choosing a coloured diamond instead - or not a diamond at all.

Sapphires, emeralds and rubies make stunning wedding jewellery centre pieces - where, if you wish, you can still have the popular solitaire setting but with a little bit of colour to stand out from the crowd. How many people in 10 years are going to ask you about your white diamond solitaire engagement ring? - unless its huge of course. But if you choose a blue sapphire or pink or yellow sapphire, or perhaps a heart shaped ruby or a baguette cut emerald, people will notice it for the rest of your life, and probably always ask about it. Stones like tourmaline, opal, amethyst or lapis lazuli can all be used in wedding jewellery and look stunning, or how abandoning the full circle ring and choose an open cuff ring instead? What about no stone at all? Lots of jewellery designers are now using enamel to decorate jewellery, and the effect is as individual as it is stunning.

You see, the possibilities are endless.

Alternative is following your own rules, your own passion. Choosing an engagement ring that reflects your style and your individuality is not a duty, it's a necessity.

So go forth and search for that engagement ring that is "so you", it might as well have your name stamped upon it!

If you would like to reach out to a trusted jeweller to discuss your ideas, feel free to contact us and a member of our design team would be happy to bring them to life!