2CT Solitaire Tanzanite Ring in Sterling Silver

A solitaire has nowhere to hide. There is one stone, one job, and no side stones to carry it — which is why the stone has to be worth looking at. This one is an oval simulated tanzanite, 9 mm long and roughly 2 carats, in the deep blue-violet the stone is known for, raised on a slim 2 mm band of 925 sterling silver.

One stone, and the case for keeping it that way

Accent stones are a hedge. They fill the space around a center stone and spread the sparkle out, which is flattering to a small stone and unnecessary to a large one. At roughly 2 carats and 9 mm end to end, this center does not need help. Leaving the band bare at 2 mm keeps the proportion honest: the eye reads the stone first, the metal second, and nothing in between.

It is also the easier ring to live with. A plain band has no pave to catch on a sweater and nothing small enough to work loose, so a solitaire tends to be the piece people keep wearing rather than saving for occasions. If you want to see the shape against its alternatives, the solitaire engagement rings collection lays them out, and tanzanite engagement rings covers the rest of this stone family.

Why an oval

The oval is the shape that buys you the most visible stone for the weight. Because it is cut long rather than deep, more of the stone sits face-up where you can see it, so an oval looks larger than a round of the same carat. This one measures 9 mm along its length and 7 mm across, set with the long axis running up the finger — the orientation that makes fingers look longer and slimmer, which is the reason ovals never really go out of style.

The rounded outline is also the practical choice among elongated cuts. There is no point or corner to catch or chip, unlike a marquise or a pear, so it handles daily wear better than its silhouette suggests. Browse the shape across other stones in oval engagement rings.

The color

The center is a simulated tanzanite, cut and selected for a saturated blue-violet that stays consistent from stone to stone. That consistency is the honest argument for a simulated center: the ring that arrives is the color you saw in the photographs, with none of the stone-to-stone variation that makes buying a colored gem online a gamble.

Blue-violet behaves unusually well on the hand. It reads distinctly purple in warm indoor light and leans blue near a window, so the ring changes character across a day without ever looking like a different piece of jewelry. It also suits cool and warm skin tones alike, which is not true of most deeply saturated colors. Our guide to purple gemstones puts it in context, and tanzanite meaning and symbolism covers what the stone has come to stand for.

Solid 925 sterling silver, rhodium finished

The band is solid 925 sterling silver with a rhodium finish, which gives it a bright white luster and an added layer of protection over the silver beneath. Cool white metal is the correct frame for a blue-violet stone: it reinforces the blue and keeps the purple clean, where a warm yellow metal would drag the color toward brown. The ring is 100% nickel-free and hypoallergenic with a comfort-fit interior, and it will not turn green itself or cause your skin to turn green. There is more on the metal in what 925 sterling silver actually means and in does sterling silver turn green.

December’s birthstone

Tanzanite is one of December’s three birthstones, alongside turquoise and blue zircon, and easily the youngest of them — it was identified only in the 1960s, in one small stretch of northern Tanzania. Being new is part of the appeal. It carries none of the inherited folklore that older stones drag behind them, which leaves the meaning entirely to the person wearing it. That makes it a natural December birthday gift and an equally good anniversary or promise ring. The December birthstone guide covers all three, and the December birthstone collection shows the range.

Specifications

Sizing & care

Choose your size from the dropdown above. Our ring sizing guide explains how to measure at home with a strip of paper, and how to size a surprise gift without giving it away.

Clean the ring with lukewarm water, a drop of mild dish soap, and a soft toothbrush around the base of the setting where dust collects, then dry it with a soft cloth. Take it off before swimming, cleaning, gardening, or applying lotion and perfume, and store it in its box rather than loose in a drawer where it can rub against other pieces. Skip ultrasonic cleaners and steamers. Cleaning sterling silver at home has the full routine.