Engagement/Wedding Ring Question

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I just got engaged, but for now have a "stand in" ring so my fiance can save up and get me a "better" (read: more expensive -- it's what he wants and I'm fine with that lol) one. Well I've been looking, and I found one that is absolutely gorgeous, but it's morganite which some people say is too soft for a job such as nursing where you use your hands a lot. Opinions?

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
I was asking only ​about the specific stone, not about whether I should wear a ring to work or not...just if the stone I'm thinking about will be tough enough to handle work.

Then why ask nurses? Nurses are not experts on stones. We are experts in nursing here. If you want expertise on stones, ask a gemologist.

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I'm not sure if this is helpful at this point, but have you ever heard of moissanite? It's a gemstone that's created in a lab (no blood diamonds/conflicts here!) and it was first found in a metorite that crashed in Arizona or New Mexico I believe?

It's got the same look as a diamond, it's hardness on the MOH scale is 9.5 and it has more fire (throws more sparkles) than a diamond. It's also a lot​ cheaper. Look in to it and let me know what you think! :)

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Specializes in clinical in SNF, SubAcute, Med-Surg.

Looked up "qalo" - lovely alternative to gold/silver.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
Then why ask nurses? Nurses are not experts on stones. We are experts in nursing here. If you want expertise on stones, ask a gemologist.

Nurses can be well versed in many other areas?

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Nurses can be well versed in many other areas?

Right! Such as this guy.

OOooh...ooo...I love this question!

Morganite is pink beryl. Beryl is Beryllium Aluminum Silicate; with no trace metals it would be colorless beryl; add some chromium and you have emerald; add some iron instead, and you have Aquamarine (blue); add some manganese and you have Morganite (pink). Almost all Morganite comes from Brazil (except as explained later—some comes from CA).

Morganite comes in various shades of pink to violet. The orange or yellow tints are undesirable and are treated (virtually all Morganite is heat-treated)(and I have no problem with that) by heat). The proper heat-treatment drives off the orange/yellow leaving a purer pink/violet.

Some might say that Morganite is not expensive. Well, some Morganite and some Emerald and some Aquamarine is also not expensive, but top color pure pink or pink-violet can run hundreds and even into the thousand per carat. The same holds true with all gems. Even amethyst, for instance from Four Peaks Arizona which looks more like a garnet can run many hundreds of dollars a carat. And I can sell you as much emerald or ruby as you want for $1 per carat, but I suspect you'd say: eww.

It's hardness is about 8. It's a bit harder than quartz (as in Amethyst) and not quite as hard as topaz (which by the way is almost all (99.99%) heat treated too. A bit” might not really be a bit since it may be 3-4x as hard as Amethyst, it's a log scale.

It's not brittle as zircon (the mineral not cubic zirconia a lab made diamond simulant) and so would survive fairly well in a ring. I think it's a lovely choice and I think it would survive with some care with no problem. It's a neat choice. It even has a history. It was named by the Acadamy of Science in CA in 1910 after JP Morgan, a financier who enjoyed gemstones. JP Morgan bank still exists today. If it was good enough for JP Morgan it's good enough for anyone.

Back in 1977 I was rock-hounding on Hiriart Hill in Pala, CA. I was breaking apart big, ugly quartz crystal clusters with a 3lb hammer. At the last second, too short to react I saw a flash of intense pink, a fraction of a second later I looked at perhaps a 1” Morganite laying in pieces upon the ground. Very frustrating does not describe my feeling then, or now. A 1” Morganite from Hiriart Hill today would fetch several thousand at an auction today, an identical appearing crystal from Brazil, perhaps a few hundred. Origin matters a lot to collectors). The worst part is that I did not collect the shards because then, I had no idea that each of them would cut a (in my mind small) 2-6 carat amazingly intense pink Morganite. I left the pieces there…wah! In short I left perhaps a thousand dollars' worth of potential faceted gems on the ground. We live and learn.

OK, as an FYI, I'm GIA certified in colored stones and spent most of my pre-nursing life as a goldsmith and am still fascinated by gemstones. Amazing what we old nurses know….eh?

Many places allow no rings for good reason. And then there are nursing jobs where contamination or cross-contamination is no issue, as in, for instance a nurse educator. It's fine to leave it at home--but hide it!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

Has anyone mentioned rings on a necklace yet? When I got married I had my heart set on a sapphire and emerald ring that I could

put on a necklace. Then I got distracted by everything else in my life, and I haven't thought about it till now (Still no ring, clearly not that important).

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Has anyone mentioned rings on a necklace yet? When I got married I had my heart set on a sapphire and emerald ring that I could

put on a necklace. Then I got distracted by everything else in my life, and I haven't thought about it till now (Still no ring, clearly not that important).

I think one poster mentioned they have rings on a bracelet.

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I think one poster mentioned they have rings on a bracelet.

I believe it was adventure_rn

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Very interesting post! I have an expensive engagement ring and wedding band. My husband and i are not wealthy but I always dreamed of having expensive rings (they are my first and only "real" jewelries). So i totally get that you want a specific ring and would save up for it.

Anyway, i just want to share to OP that i do not wear both rings at work (even if i know it could withstand anything that my nursing job may entail). I am just one of those "germophobes"! Even though some nurses say that the jewelry store you got it from could clean it every 6 months, the idea of germs around my stones is making me very anxious! Even seeing someone wear shoes inside our home gives me palpitations and depression, lol. I have insurance that would cover the rings for damages though. So if you are not a germophobe, you should get a really good insurance before wearing any type of ring at work.

I have a "fake" ring that looks exactly like my wedding ring. I wear that for work! I can toss this fake ring anytime (especially when it decides to give me palpitations or "that uneasy feeling" hehe).

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A lot of nurses in my hospital wear their wedding rings on a necklace for display and to keep the horny doctors away :D

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A lot of nurses in my hospital wear their wedding rings on a necklace for display and to keep the horny doctors away :D

Too funny

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
A lot of nurses in my hospital wear their wedding rings on a necklace for display and to keep the horny doctors away :D

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!

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