You’re Going to Love Bario Neal’s New Collection of Alternative Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands

By Carrie Denny Whitcraft· 9/4/2015, 12:27 p.m.

Some of our fave pieces from the new Bario Neal collection, accompanied by a quartz crown from Elemental Child. Photos courtesy of Bario Neal.

We have long been fans of local jewelry brand Bario Neal, the Bella Vista-based sparkly brainchild of designers Anna Bario and Page Neal. The ladies use ethically-sourced stones, reclaimed metals and fair-mined gold, and handcraft all of their jewelry right there in their Philly boutique (which is also an open workshop). Their distinct pieces are the kind that will haunt your wish list (er, or so we’ve heard) until you have them in your hot little hands.So we are always happy to see what the ladies are working on—we especially love to see non-conventional bridal jewelry for all those brides who aren’t looking for the usually seen left-hand bling—and their latest collection has got us drooling over their alternative engagement ring and wedding bands.

What’s extra cool about a few of the standout pieces in this collection is that they feature responsibly sourced white sapphires, which make for a gorgeous (and more affordable) alternative to diamonds. “White sapphires make a pretty stellar diamond alternative,” says Page Neal, “because they are naturally formed, unlike moissonite, and are much higher on the Moh’s scale for hardness and durability (diamonds are a 10, sapphires are a 9) in comparison to other colorless gemstones like moonstone. Plus, these non-traditional, original cuts are very cutting-edge.”

The stones themselves come from a small, family-run mine in Sri Lanka that can pretty much source sapphires of any color, which then get cut on-site. The ladies are planning to release even more pieces later this year featuring shades of apricot and yellow, as well.

You can get most of the rings in either rose, yellow or white gold and some, in platinum. Take a look below for a few of our favorites; you can view the new fall lookbooks here, shop engagement rings here, wedding bands here, and all jewelry here.

Half Moon ring in rose gold