Alternatives to Diamond Engagement Rings

So much excitement comes with shopping for engagement rings, whether your partner is in on the fun or you’re surprising them when you pop the question. It brings plenty of stress and uncertainty as well, though.

There are plenty of great alternatives to diamond engagement rings, whether you want something more affordable or without the ethical concerns. Maybe you just don’t feel as if a diamond speaks to your unique love story - we get it!

Alexis Russell showcases so many amazing diamond alternatives for engagement rings, from unique sapphire engagement rings to emeralds, salt and pepper diamonds, opal, moonstone, tourmaline, and spinel - the list goes on and on.

We’ll help you weigh your options and pick the perfect diamond engagement ring alternative below. Better yet, our customer support team is a click or call away, ready to talk it over one-on-one. Let’s work together to help you find the unique engagement ring of your dreams!

Gemstone	Color Range	Durability (Moh's Scale)	Why Choose It
Sapphire	blue, teal, peach, green, yellow	9	colorful, regal, and extremely durable
Salt and Pepper Diamond	icy grey to charcoal with inclusions	10	raw, unique, and modern character
Emerald	green (light to deep)	7.5 - 8	elegant and full of vintage charm
Tourmaline	green, pink, watermelon	7 - 7.5	earthy, expressive, and naturally vibrant
Spinel	red, pink, violet, blue, grey	8	bright, bold, and highly durable
Opal	white, pastel with color flashes	5.5 - 6.5	ethereal with a magical play-of-color
Moonstone	milky white, blue glow	6 - 6.5	glowing, soft, and emotionally resonant

Why You Might Consider Diamond Alternatives for Engagement Rings

We want to make it clear diamonds could be the perfect stone for your engagement ring. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them!

Here at Alexis Russell, we source all our diamonds in a manner that complies with the Kimberley Process, so you can get a beautiful diamond engagement ring without compromising on your morals!

Do engagement rings have to be diamond, though? Definitely not! They aren’t for everyone. There are three reasons our customers end up going with diamond alternatives for engagement rings.

Not Every Love Story Resonates With a White Diamond

Your relationship is unique, so why shouldn’t your engagement ring be too? Diamonds have long been the go-to gemstone for engagement rings, but that doesn’t mean they speak to everyone.

Some couples want something more personal that feels like their story, not just a symbol of tradition. Whether you’re drawn to vibrant color, natural inclusions, or stones with unexpected sparkle, there’s space for your individuality to shine through in your ring.

Cost Transparency and Value

The diamond rings we sell here at Alexis Russell are worth every penny for their price-to-impact ratio - but other stones can offer just as much presence (sometimes more) at a more affordable price point.

This opens the door to larger stones, custom settings, or premium design elements that might otherwise be out of reach. This is perhaps the biggest reason we have customers interested in our alternatives to diamond engagement rings: you get beauty without compromise.

Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing Concerns

Again, this isn’t a concern with Alexis Russell diamonds (or any gemstones we use in our rings, for that matter). But traditional diamond mining has been linked to all sorts of environmental and ethical concerns.

Many diamond engagement ring alternatives are easier to trace and may carry a smaller environmental footprint. From lab-grown options to naturally mined stones with clear sourcing histories, diamond alternatives can provide peace of mind without sacrificing design.

But what diamond engagement ring alternatives are right for you? Let’s help you weigh your options below.

Our Favorite Alternatives to Diamond Engagement Rings

The engagement ring of your dreams is just a click or call away at Alexis Russell, whether you’re trying to design your own engagement ring or one of our ready to ship engagement rings catches your eye and wins your heart over.

Our advice is to get in touch with our experts so we can talk about your vision and budget, and from there, we’ll be able to narrow it down to 1-2 diamond engagement ring alternatives. In the meantime, these are a few of our popular alternatives to diamond engagement rings:

Sapphire

So why is sapphire a good engagement ring? Its rich, expressive color and undeniable durability is impossible to ignore. These aren’t just the classic deep blue stones you might envision, either - you can find sapphires in a wide spectrum like teal, peach, green, and pale yellow!

Sapphires rank 9 on the Mohs scale, so they’re more than capable of standing up to daily wear. They look stunning in everything from vintage-inspired halos to sleek modern solitaires. It’s just a matter of designing a ring that resonates.

For instance, rose gold softens cooler tones, while white gold or platinum enhances contrast and clarity. In any case, sapphire can be a meaningful choice if you want a ring that feels regal, symbolic, and bold without following the diamond crowd.

Salt and Pepper Diamonds

Maybe you’re looking for alternatives to diamond engagement rings just in the traditional white diamond sense. Look no further! Salt and pepper diamonds break away from tradition while staying grounded in authenticity.

These unique stones are celebrated for their natural inclusions, with flecks of black, white, and gray forming speckled or smoky patterns. They’re absolutely perfect for couples who see beauty in imperfection and want their ring to reflect that mindset.

The stones look stunning in minimalist settings, especially paired with warm-toned metals like rose or yellow gold. Whether you want a light, icy speckled look or a darker, more dramatic storm-cloud aesthetic, salt and pepper diamonds offer endless visual possibilities.

Salt and pepper diamonds are still natural diamonds, just not polished into uniformity - that’s the appeal.

Emerald

Emeralds have long been associated with elegance, growth, and timeless beauty. Their vivid green color brings a bold, luxurious quality to engagement rings. Every single emerald forms with natural inclusions, which are known as “jardin” - that’s French for garden.

While emeralds are softer than diamonds or sapphires (ranking 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale), they can still be excellent engagement stones with proper care.

Emerald engagement rings look best in vintage or art deco settings, especially when framed in yellow gold or surrounded by delicate accent stones. This is one of our favorite alternatives to diamond engagement rings for unmatched personality and richness.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline is one of the most versatile gemstones in both color and personality, yet it’s not as prominent as other diamond engagement ring alternatives above. That doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect for the right person, though.

It forms in shades ranging from earthy olive and forest green to vibrant hot pink and bi-color watermelon. No two tourmalines are exactly alike - and that’s the appeal of these alternatives to diamond engagement rings.

Tourmaline ranks 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, so it’s not the strongest gemstone but it can still work just fine for daily wear as long as it’s placed in a protective setting.

It works really well in vintage or boho-inspired settings. We love it set in warm-toned metals to bring out its natural vibrancy. Pair it with a bezel or low-profile design to maintain its beauty over time.

Spinel

Spinel is often the hidden gem in the world of fine jewelry - quite literally. It was actually mistaken as ruby or sapphire for centuries because of its vivid color and impressive clarity.

But spinel is very much its own stone, deserving of consideration for those seeking out diamond alternatives for engagement rings. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale which is fairly solid, and it also brings brilliance and color variety to any ring.

From cobalt blue and rich violet to fiery red and steely grey, spinel offers the saturation of more well-known stones with fewer sourcing concerns and a far more approachable price point. Spinel often forms naturally with excellent clarity unlike some other colored stones, too. That means more authentic brilliance.

It’s an ideal choice for someone who wants color, but doesn’t want to sacrifice sparkle or practicality. Whether set in a clean, modern solitaire or paired with antique-style detailing, spinel feels refined, rare, and entirely intentional.

Australian Opal

Australian opals are all about mood, color, and movement. They don’t have much traditional sparkle, but there is plenty of inner fire to love. It’s something gemologists call “play-of-color.” It shimmers in flashes of red, green, blue, and violet depending on how the stone catches the light.

You quite literally cannot recreate an opal, so these feel deeply personal - perfect if you want a ring that’s one-of-a-kind, just like your love story. Just be aware opals are on the softer side at just 5.5-6 on the Mohs scale. They need to be worn with care and placed in protective settings. Despite that, opals feature undeniable charm. We frequently suggest them for intuitive, romantic, or whimsical couples - people who want their ring to feel like a dream made tangible.

Moonstone

Moonstone doesn’t sparkle, it glows. It puts out an ethereal, milky shimmer called adularescence, emitting a soft light that moves beneath the gem’s surface. It’s subtle, magical, and often shows best in calm, cool tones of white, peach, or blue.

It ranks about 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale, so like opals, you’ll need to be careful about setting design and how you wear the ring in day-to-day life.

Nevertheless, it’s a remarkable choice for anyone who wants energy, intention, and mystique in their jewelry. It works best in delicate, minimal designs or paired with tiny accent stones for a layered, celestial effect.

More Diamond Engagement Ring Alternatives to Consider

We could go on and on about the unique gemstone engagement rings we have in store for you at Alexis Russell if you wanted to keep exploring diamond engagement ring alternatives. Here are just a few other noteworthy gems to consider:

• Garnet: Deep red and rich in symbolism, garnet brings warmth and intensity to any ring.
• Tanzanite: Vivid bluish-purple hues with a velvety glow; striking and rare.
• Morganite: Soft peach or blush pink; pairs beautifully with rose gold for a romantic look.
• Sunstone: Sparkling with metallic flashes, sunstone adds an earthy, radiant vibe - we source all of our sunstone from Oregon, USA
• Aquamarine: Icy blue and oceanic; a calming and elegant alternative.

But no matter which of these alternatives to diamond engagement rings resonates with you, Alexis Russell is here to help bring your vision to life.

What to Consider Before Choosing Diamond Alternatives for Engagement Rings

You might be left with more questions than you came here with now that you know all the top diamond alternatives for engagement rings - so narrow it down by considering these factors:

• Durability: Some stones (like opal or moonstone) are softer and need extra care or protective settings.
• Color Preferences: Consider how bold or subtle you want your ring to look.
• Meaning & Symbolism: Each gemstone carries unique associations - sapphires for loyalty, emeralds for growth, moonstones for intuition, etc.
• Budget & Priorities: Some alternatives support larger center stones or more elaborate settings without the diamond price tag.
• Sourcing & Ethics: ALL of these diamond engagement ring alternatives from Alexis Russell are ethically sourced.
• Ring Design: Not every stone works in every style - choose a setting that supports your stone’s durability and look. This is something we can help you navigate.

Or, just get in touch with the experts at Alexis Russell for one-on-one support today.

Discover All the Diamond Engagement Ring Alternatives at Alexis Russell!

We specialize in engagement rings that break the mold, whether you’re drawn to moody salt and pepper diamonds, colorful sapphires, or softer, more ethereal stones like moonstone or opal.

Every ring we sell, be it a custom work of art or one of our carefully curated ready-to-ship styles, is ethically sourced and handcrafted in our New York studio using recycled gold and conflict-free gemstones.

Let’s work together to design a ring that captures your story from stone to setting. We’re here to make the process feel personal, transparent, and entirely stress-free - no templates, pressure, or frustrating one-size-fits-all approaches. Connect with our experts today!

Final Thoughts on Alternatives to Diamond Engagement Rings

In closing, there’s no rule saying your engagement ring has to be a basic white diamond. There are so many stunning alternatives to diamond engagement rings, from sapphires and spinel to tourmaline, opal, and beyond.

You can find more tips on how to shop for engagement rings in our blog if you’re ready to take the next step. Or, get in touch with our experts for one-on-one support picking the perfect diamond engagement ring alternatives.

Find the stone that speaks to your story and let us craft something truly one-of-a-kind. Your next chapter in forever starts with a ring that’s anything but ordinary!