Already I’m getting amazing responses to my call for Afrobella Brides — thanks for sending in your pictures and questions and businesses that cater to brides! And YES – non-traditional weddings are completely welcome. Love is love. I hope you all know that Afrobella.com is a judgment free place where you can feel free to share everything about your happiest day!
So what exactly IS an Afrobella Bride? She’s a woman in love, who wants to celebrate her special day in a way that also celebrates her unique style and beauty. Maybe she’ll wear white. Maybe she won’t. Maybe she’ll wear a traditional dress and veil. Maybe she won’t! Maybe she wants the whole two-months-salary a diamond is forever type of ring…and maybe she doesn’t. This post is for the woman who doesn’t believe that every kiss begins with Kay, and that celebrating love doesn’t mean sacrificing your unique tastes and interests.
Engagement Ring by Studio of Ptah
I might be in a small, quirky camp here…but I don’t always go gaga for diamonds. Of course they are beautiful. Of course if someone were to give me some diamond jewelry, I would NOT be mad. But if I can be honest here…there are a whole lot of really typical engagement and wedding rings on the market. I’m not completely convinced that a ring you can find at any department store can or should truly represent the unique beauty of your love. When the time came for my husband and I to choose a ring, we went to his aunt Patty — check her out at TheGoldsmith.us — and we designed something customized and special for us and for our relationship. We’ve been married for nine years and to this day, I get gushing compliments and where-did-you-get-thats on a regular basis. All I’m saying is, it’s fun to think outside of the box. And your wedding can be as funky, fun, cool and AFFORDABLE as you want it to be! Allow me to share some amazing wedding and engagement rings that I’ve discovered.
By Studio of Ptah
The Studio of Ptah Jewelry company is based in New York City, but the soul and inspiration for their designs come from African art. If their style looks at all familiar, it might be because of the pieces they’ve crafted for celebrities — Studio of Ptah has made signature ankh rings for Erykah Badu, and have also created unique pieces for Andre 3000 and other such sartorially splendid celebs. If you love ankhs and are afrocentric and self-expressive at heart, these will be the PERFECT rings for you. Click here to browse engagement rings and wedding bands.
For anything truly unique for your wedding, I strongly urge you to familiarize yourself with Etsy.com. You can find truly creative handcrafted designs made by jewelers around the world. And in many cases you can even contact the jeweler to customize something special for you.
By designer Arosha Luigi Taglia
Italian jewelry designer Arosha Luigi Taglia makes some of the coolest contemporary engagement rings I’ve ever seen. Made from sterling silver and various karats of gold, his rings do more than stand out of the crowd. In some instances, they stand up – proud and high on your finger. Take for example his Freedom ring, made with 9K gold and a freshwater pearl that is meant to be movable and make contact with your skin. His gold ring is carved into “beehive lace,” and I think it’s one of the coolest wedding bands I’ve ever seen.
wedding band by Nurit Design by Nurit Levak
Another Etsy vendor, Nurit Design by Nurit Levak, hails from Israel and makes amazing, ornate wedding bands from white and yellow gold. How beautiful is this royal ring with ruby stones? What a beautiful symbol of love.
Fabuluster fingerprint rings by jewelers Brent and Jessica Williams
For something less ornate and more personally meaningful, check out Fabuluster. Jewelers Brent and Jessica Williams hail from Maine and specialize in fingerprint wedding bands. Your fingerprint on their ring, and vice versa. You can get fingerprints on the inside or outside of your ring. I think this is such a beautiful and loving concept. Love is in the air 🙂
wedding band by Jewelry by Johan
And last but not least, maybe you’re over gold and diamonds altogether. If you’re looking for a wedding band that’s made of completely different elements, check out Jewelry by Johan. He specializes in unusual combinations. Rings made of meteorite and titanium, deer antler and wood. Absolutely gorgeous, extremely unique, and totally customizable.
Those are some of the coolest wedding and engagement rings I’ve seen lately! See anything you like? Would you wear something so out of the box? Or are you more of a traditional bella?
This is a fabulous selection.
I really like the rings showcased here. Like you, I’d definitely cherish a diamond if given to me, but my engagement ring wasn’t a diamond. We went for a black pearl. I took good care of it as I wore it and it was — and still is — very memorable. I don’t wear it every day now, but I really love it.
So, what does your ring look like?
I love all of these rings! I think an engagement/wedding ring doesn’t have to a diamond. I’m not a fan of diamonds personally. I think they are far too plain and cost way too much. There are lots of beautiful colored stones that are far more affordable. My engagement ring is a blue sapphire from Kay set in white gold. It’s a ring that I always get complimented on and that I absolutely love.
I love the idea of different types of engagement and wedding rings and I’m always excited to see one. My engagement ring has a colored stone and I love that I don’t see others like it every day.
I can remember months before my engagement as my (now) husband asked me again and again what I liked every single time we passed the window of a jewelry store. The question bothered me a bit because I never saw anything I loved. The jewelry seemed to look the same to me. Then one day we were in a small town on vacation and walked into the showroom of an independent jeweler. I found a ring that made me squeal with delight. It was SO beautiful and felt like ME. I was giddy when it was presented to me months later. Almost ten years later I still get compliments on it.
Not to rain on the parades of the diamond lovers, but we must not forget that there is a very bloody human cost to purchasing those coveted rocks. I love diamonds too, but there are so many Africans that are nearly enslaved while working in the mines of Africa and most diamond companies are run by greedy cartels(which are almost always run by white men) that exploit the people and the land. I know there are ‘conflict-free’ sources, but I’m doubtful if the laborers are receiving a fair, decent living wage for their hard work, that are comparable to the astronomical prices that diamonds ultimately command.
My husband got our Engagement ring and wedding bands done by Studio of Ptah Jewelry and words don’t describe how beautiful our rings are…They even let us customize their designs to our specifications. LOVEEEE LOVE LOVE THEM…
my husband and i got our wedding bands done by from cairo with love (www.fromcairo.com). i absolutely love them. we customized our rings with hieroglyphics and adinkra symbols. another place you might want to check out is jendayi (http://www.jendayicollection.com/).
Oh my gosh these are so lovely. I’ll buy all of them now and look for a husband later. 🙂
YouTube.com/beesohoney
Can you post a picture of your ring Afrobella? I’d love to see it.
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Like in the British tradition, this change of Sri Lankan bridal dress is named the going away dress, which is worn when the wedded
couple are about to exit to their Toronto honeymoon. All customs and traditions are divided into several categories.
In 1800 it was popular to use all the colors of the rainbow, brides in America and Europe went mad
for bright suitable stylish wedding shoes made of new synthetic dyes.