Nowadays, the modern bride has several options when it comes to choosing engagement rings.  Women who know that they’d rather not have a traditional ring should not be shy about letting their significant other know their preferences. Weddings are stressful enough with the multitude of decisions that have to be made but choosing a ring should be a choice that doesn’t involve compromise.

A helpful suggestion for women who know they are soon to get engaged is for them to drop helpful hints to their significant others.  If wedding ring shopping is stressful for the husband-to-be suggest going shopping for the ring together.

Sometimes a traditional solitaire ring can seem impractical, especially if it is to be worn daily.  An increasingly popular non-traditional choice is the black diamond engagement ring. Black diamonds are diamonds that weigh a bit more than colorless diamonds.  Although they lack the sparkle of colorless diamonds,   black diamonds are still highly reflective. As the character Carrie Bradshaw from the show Sex and the City exemplified, black diamonds are an elegant choice for the non-traditional bride.

Adding gemstones to  band is an option if you would prefer not to wear the traditional diamond. Some of the stones that can be used are sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, and gemstones are a great way to add color.

Other options to consider include perhaps going for a band instead of a diamond, choosing a less precious stone, or even designing your own ring.

With all the options for rings today, the modern bride can have the engagement rings that represents who she is and her personal tastes.

I’ve always been a lover of rings. Jewelry is fab in general, but necklaces and bracelets were never really my thing.

Given my minor ring obsession, I’m sure you can guess how excited when I got a left-hand-ring-finger rock of my own! That is, of course, on top of all the excitement over getting engaged to my very best friend! But, as our wedding date approaches, I’ve started to think about wedding bands more and more.

I stumbled across 77Diamonds.com and found some fabulous inspiration (though they have everything from engagement rings to wedding rings, eternity rings, and other sparkly jewelry). I’ve always loved eternity bands and found some great options/inspiration here!

The top left is just a simple band (most likely what I’ll start out with ). The top right option has gorgeous channel set baguette diamonds, the bottom left has round diamonds in claw settings, and the bottom right has bar set round diamonds. I love the first two – they are a little more traditional – but the “bar set” option looks so modern and unique!

What are you doing for your wedding bands? Are you going with something classic and simple, or something with a little more sparkle? We want to know! Leave some love in the comments.

For as much as I love jewelry, I don’t wear enough of it!

Earlier in the week I posted about Prismera’s watercolor fashion illustrations and wanted to share some more of Laura Su’s creations. Enjoy!

And before you go, check out Prismera between Monday, March 29 and Saturday, April 10 – they will be having an anniversary sample sale! Jewelry will start at $4 and hair accessories will start at $1. Nice!

Sources: Men’s Suits: Jaeger, Merona Bar Stripe Necktie: Target, Wedding Dress: Vera Wang, Cake: Martha Stewart, Green Dresses: kaboodle, Bellas Florida, Net-A-Porter, Liz Claiborne, Navy Shoes: Kate Spade, jildorshoes.com, Candy Says, Dorothy Perkins, Headband:Target Lilly Pulitzer, Stationary: Crane & Co, Tiny Prints, Grosgrain Ribbon: mohop, Vintage Car: Tweed Limousines, Bouquet: Chestnuts in the Tuileries, Candle Arrangement: Crate & Barrel, Chivari Chair: 1 Stackable Chairs, White Flower Arrangement: teleflora, Gold Charger: Crafts Etc!