So, you’re in the market for an engagement ring. But after countless hours of research, jewelry store visits, and expert style stalking (your friends on Facebook and the celebs you admire most, to name a few sources), you’ve decided that the traditional diamond look just isn’t making you feel the way you thought it would. Don’t worry, you don’t have a fever. And no, you’re completely, totally not alone in your desire for something just a little different. Though the diamond continues to have the strongest showing in engagement ring styles (with no end to its reign, likely, ever), there is a growing interest in the demand for alternative engagement ring styles (read: not a diamond).

But if the “alternative” engagement ring is merely a passing trend (only time will tell), how do you choose the best engagement ring to suit your current tastes? More specifically, how do you choose the ring that both fits your current style choices and promises to stand the test of time? There’s a stone for that.

Say hello to the sapphire: a rather classic choice for a bride, actually, while still being a departure from the traditional diamond ring: just enough to be different, while not going wholly off-the-rails. The sapphire is one tough cookie: a 9 out of 10 on the hardness scale to be exact, making it perfect for daily wear (which is a very serious factor to consider for a ring intended to be worn for a lifetime). Add to that its long list of admirers that already sport the stone on their left hand (Duchess Kate, who now wears the ring that once belonged to Princess Diana, is just one elegant example), and it’s quite surprising that you don’t see more brides getting engaged in blue.

Wait – what’s that, you say? Blue isn’t your color? And we had just started to convince you that sapphire was the way to go? Well, we also excel at delivering good news. Because if you prefer to find your something blue in a place that isn’t your engagement ring, and you’re looking for something say, pink, orange, yellow, or green – yeah, sapphire can be that, too. Actually, sapphire comes in all the colors of the rainbow (though in red, it’s considered a ruby), and you’ve probably even come across a number of jewels featuring a rainbow of sapphires more often than you think. So go ahead, pick your passion. If you’re feeling peachy, go for a padparadscha – a rare variety of sapphire in a pinkish-orange hue that’s so juicy you’ll drool for it. Aim for the sky and pick a star sapphire, a stone that features a celestial ray at its center (often imitated, but rare in its natural form). Feeling chameleonic? Choose a sapphire of the color change variety: Depending on the lighting, this stone will fluctuate its shades like a grown-up mood ring (but better).

This just in: Diamond-dedicated bride-to-be really wants sapphires now, too (told you we’re convincing). No problem–have your cake and eat it, too (as one should!), with sapphire accent stones. The combination of diamond and sapphire is hugely popular, and it isn’t hard to see why. A bride can don that classic engagement ring style destined to be passed down for generations, while soaking up a bit of color from the blue (or pink, or green…) sapphire side stones. With such marvelous qualities, it’s a stone that we wouldn’t blame any bride for wanting a piece of – no matter which way you slice it (did we mention how amazing sapphire slices are, too?).