30 Oct Same Sex Engagement Ring Ideas – La Jolla, San Diego
Same sex couples in San Diego have a lot of freedom in deciding how to celebrate an engagement. One partner might propose with a ring, both might exchange rings, or a second ring might come later. The rings can match, borrow a few design elements from each other, or look nothing alike. The Knot’s guide to LGBTQIA+ proposals makes the point that it all comes down to what the couple wants, including whether each partner even wants to wear an engagement ring.
The same openness applies to the designs. A classic diamond solitaire, a sculptural band, a cluster of colorful gemstones, or a ring with vintage touches can all do the job. Being in a same sex relationship doesn’t dictate a particular shape, metal, or gemstone.
If you’re looking for same sex engagement ring ideas, Victoria and Starr’s custom rings show how the pieces can come together. Carl Blackburn of C. Blackburn Jewelers in La Jolla designed both. The two platinum rings share materials, colors, and private details, and each still has a character of its own.
Victoria’s Ring: A Diamond Within a Colorful Bouquet
Victoria’s custom engagement ring, given to her by Starr, is built around a 1.51-carat natural round brilliant diamond with H color and VS2 clarity. Carl set natural sapphires in pink, purple, and lavender around it, with smaller natural white diamonds scattered between them.
Most of the ring’s personality comes from where those accent stones sit. Elongated marquise shapes read as leaves or petals, and small round gems fill the gaps. The colors shift in depth too, from soft pink to a richer purple to cool lavender.
Carl skipped the usual uniform border around the diamond. Instead the gemstones gather in an uneven, asymmetrical cluster. A few reach out away from the center and others sit tight against it, so the whole thing looks like a bouquet that has just been gathered, with the looseness and movement that make flowers so appealing.
The white diamonds add small flashes of brightness among the colored sapphires. They also link the outer cluster to the large center diamond, so the different stones read as one composition.
A polished platinum band keeps the setting grounded. Because the band is fairly simple, the cluster stays the focus, and the white metal runs through the prongs and the structure under the gemstones.
Developing the Design Through Hand Illustrations
The process began with a series of hand illustrations. Sketching let Carl and his client try out different compositions until one felt right to her, and that concept was then built out in 3D.
Sketching first is particularly useful with an asymmetrical ring. The position, shape, and angle of every accent stone affect the balance. Nudge one elongated sapphire or change the gap between two gems, and the arrangement can tip from graceful to crowded or scattered.
The finished engagement ring shows that an unconventional layout can still look carefully planned. The two sides don’t match, but the colors and repeated gemstone shapes keep the design cohesive, and the round center diamond still stands out within the bouquet.
A Hidden Flower With a Ruby Center
The floral theme carries on beneath the center diamond, where Carl worked a small flower into the platinum structure. A natural ruby sits at its center.
In the photo of the underside, the petals are crisp around the red stone. It’s a miniature design of its own, tucked under the larger arrangement of diamonds and sapphires.
The ruby brings one more color to the ring, in a spot only the wearer is likely to see. From above you see pink, purple, lavender, and white. Turn the ring over and the red center of the hidden flower appears.
It also helps the ring hold together from every angle. The bouquet suggested by the visible stones becomes a recognizable flower under the diamond.
Starr’s Ring: Pink Sapphires and a Personal Star
A few months after the proposal, Victoria ordered an engagement ring for Starr, to be given on their anniversary.
The center stone is a 1.56-carat natural round brilliant diamond with H color and VS1 clarity. Natural marquise-shaped pink sapphires flank it on either side, and the whole ring is platinum.
You can see the connection to Victoria’s ring right away: a natural round diamond, pink sapphires, and a polished white metal setting. The arrangement is what sets it apart. On Starr’s ring the side stones are balanced, and they draw the eye straight to the center diamond.
The marquise sapphires add pointed, petal-like shapes next to the round stone. Their pink makes a soft contrast with the diamond, and the polished band keeps the silhouette clean.
The two center diamonds are also nearly the same carat weight, at 1.51 and 1.56 carats. That’s one more link between the rings, and it didn’t require identical specifications.
A Five-Point Star Beneath the Diamond
The most distinctive feature of Starr’s engagement ring comes from her name. Carl shaped the center basket, the structure that holds the diamond, into a five-point star.
From the side and from below, the platinum framework rises into points under the center stone. The star turns a purely functional part of the setting into something personal and builds Starr’s name into the ring’s structure.
At the middle of that star, under the diamond, sits a tiny heart holding a natural purple sapphire. It’s a second private detail inside the larger motif.
The purple sapphire also echoes Victoria’s ring. Victoria wears purple and lavender sapphires in her visible cluster, while Starr’s purple stone is hidden beneath her diamond. You only notice the connection on a closer look.
Ideas to Take From Victoria and Starr’s Rings
Couples thinking about custom engagement rings can pick up several ideas from these two.
Connect the Rings Through Materials and Color
Using the same metal is an easy way to tie two designs together. Victoria and Starr’s platinum settings do that, and the pink sapphires and round diamonds strengthen the link.
The approach works even when two people’s tastes differ a great deal. A shared gemstone color, a repeated shape, or a matching finish can be enough to make two distinct rings feel related.
Explore Color Beyond the Center Stone
A diamond center leaves plenty of room for color elsewhere. Victoria’s ring uses several shades of sapphire to build a varied floral composition, and Starr’s puts pink sapphires at the sides and purple underneath the center.
Sapphire comes in a wide range of colors and rates 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, according to GIA. That makes it a good gemstone to bring up when you’re planning a colorful engagement ring. Just keep the setting and care needs of the specific stones in mind.
Give the Underside Its Own Design
The profile and underside of a ring leave space for details with more private meaning. Victoria’s ruby-centered flower and Starr’s star, heart, and purple sapphire show how much thought can go into an area that mostly stays out of sight during everyday wear.
You could also consider a meaningful initial, a small engraved motif, or a gemstone tied to a shared memory. The best choice will be something specific to the wearer or the relationship.
Let Each Ring Have Its Own Occasion
Victoria and Starr’s rings were commissioned months apart, and the second was meant for their anniversary. Couples who want two engagement rings can give each gift its own timing and meaning.
The second design can also respond to the first. A color or shape might carry over while the new ring heads in a different direction.
Create Your Same Sex Engagement Rings in La Jolla
Maybe you picture two coordinated diamond rings, colorful sapphire designs, or a personal detail hidden under the setting. Whichever it is, Carl Blackburn can help you work through the options.
Contact C. Blackburn Jewelers in La Jolla to book a consultation and talk through your same sex engagement ring ideas. Bring your inspiration, the details that matter to you, and any preferences you’ve already settled on, and start shaping a ring (or two) that you’ll love wearing.
📞 Call 858-251-3006 or text 619-723-8589.
