
If you’ve browsed Pinterest or Etsy lately, you’ve probably noticed that sapphire engagement rings are crazy popular — and not just in blue. These days, you can find sapphire colors you didn’t even know existed, from frosty pink to tea green. “Light peach has been a big success for the last few years,” says the owner of Eidel Precious jewelry, who goes only by Eidel. “Now I [have] started to introduce light teal (blue green, close to aquamarine in color) and light jasmine green. Customers who are after a sapphire engagement ring want something different; they want to stand out.”
And stand out, they do — even in the celebrity sphere. The most famous sapphire is undoubtedly Kate Middleton’s iconic blue stone surrounded by diamonds, first worn by Princess Diana. And you can’t miss Jenny McCarthy’s sparkling yellow sapphire or Elizabeth Hurley’s square-cut blue version of the September birthstone.
You may be wondering if sapphires are built to last ’til death do us part. The answer is a resounding yes. On the Mohs Scale of Hardness (the standard used to measure the durability of gemstones), sapphires rank a nine compared with diamonds at 10. “Sapphire is the next natural stone close to diamond in durability and sparkle, but the price is much more affordable,” Eidel says. “People are attracted [to] the combination of variety of colors, brilliance, beauty and price.”
These magical sapphires will change your mind about that whole “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” thing.
1. Green Sapphire and Black Rhodium Ring ($2,750 for setting only): This vintage-inspired ring features a 14K yellow gold setting and black rhodium that perfectly complements the smokey green sapphire in the middle.
2. Padparadscha Sapphire Ring ($15,000): Padparadschas are among the rarest and priciest kind of sapphire, and resemble the pink-orange color of a lotus flower. What’s not to love about this 10.3-carat oval beauty?
3. Green Tea Sapphire Ring ($1,900): This light green sapphire is made all the more beautiful with diamonds surrounding it in a rose gold setting.
4. French Sapphire Diamond Platinum Engagement Ring ($6,999): Those who want an extra-unique ring will fall hard for this art deco design with a mix of diamonds and blue sapphires.
5. Champagne Peach Sapphire Ring ($2,500): Romantic brides will love this soft champagne peach sapphire with rose gold.
6. Sapphire and Diamond Band ($9,025): This sapphire and diamond band is the perfect pick for those who don’t like large center stones.
7. Cultured Blue Sapphire Ring ($1,970): This modern ring features a light blue cultured sapphire that gives it a raw, earthy look.
8. White Sapphire Engagement Ring ($1,490): The diamond halo surrounding this white sapphire makes for quite a stunner at a very affordable price.
9. Lavender Sapphire Solitaire Ring ($815): Don’t underestimate the simplistic beauty of this solitaire lavender sapphire in a rose gold setting.
10. Raw Uncut Pink Sapphire Ring ($195): Brides who want to swap a little sparkle for a modern design will love this raw hot pink sapphire.
11. Blue Green Sapphire Engagement Ring ($1,800): This pear-shaped, peacock-colored sapphire ring screams royalty.
12. Blue Sapphire Wedding Band Set ($640): The minimalist bride will love the subtle beauty of this blue sapphire band.
13. Sapphire Eternity Ring ($300): This blue sapphire ring against classic yellow gold is dainty and stackable.
14. Peach Sapphire Ring ($8,750): The 4.72-carat peach sapphire says it all. But the diamonds on the side don’t hurt, either.
15. Buttery Yellow Sapphire Ring ($2,999): Buttery yellow — even the description is amazing for this sapphire stunner set in platinum and flanked by diamonds.
Do you have (or want) a sapphire engagement ring? Let us know in the comments.
(Photo via Chris Jackson Staff/Getty)
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures