Western diamond engagement rings and wedding bands can capture a spirit of American romanticism for couples. Do you dream of riding off into the sunset and living merrily ever after? Western-theme engagement and wedding rings may be just ideal for you.

Among these Western themes wedding and engagement rings are horseshoe rings. For the horse-riding couple or the people who wish to invoke good luck in their marriage and life, these horseshoe rings capture the essence of American and Western romance. They can capture the spirit of the horse or the spirit of the free-roaming cowgirl and cowboy. Or, they might just capture the spirit of rusticana. They may come in a horseshoe shaped mounting of the ring or in the creation of a horseshoe design using diamonds or other precious gems. Anything from a diamond solitaire to turquoise can be used for the stone, while the usual precious metals of choice are sterling silver, yellow or white gold. Couples can get matching horseshoe rings or antique-style rings such as the now very stylish old European cut diamond wedding and engagement bands.

Danny's Jewelry, Bennett Fine Jewelry and Shepler's are among the very best who offer horseshoe rings. They can each provide you many different amazing variations on the decorous use of horseshoes and horseshoe patterns.

But the horseshoe wedding or engagement ring is not the only Western motif that you can get if you want this brand of romance to dazzle your relationship.

Typically, semi-precious gemstones are the ones that fit the Western ring style. Among the most famous of these are:

Hematite; jasper; jade; mother of pearl; pyrite; obsidian; tanzanite; topaz; agate; opal; onyx; turquoise; peridot and coral.

Western style diamond engagement and wedding rings are meant to reflect individuality. Birthstones or colored gemstones and personal symbolism are much easier to accent when one moves away from the traditional diamonds and typical traditional styles. The Western rings can also be an alternative to a couple that doesn't have a lot of extra money to spend on diamond engagement and wedding rings.

The semi-precious gemstones of the Western style rings are much easier to find and give a much wider varietal appeal, making them a lot more diverse to meet more personalized tastes. Remember that semi-precious gemstones are really not different in beauty or in value than the precious gems. Emotional investments in tradition are all that separate them, along with traditional levels of availability. The gemstones that were reserved for royalty -- diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires -- were the "precious" stones. These days, we mostly think of diamonds as the precious stones, even though they have also become more easily attained.

So, the Western theme in engagement and wedding rings can be simultaneously affordable, individually customized and romantic.