Typically green and full of sparkle, emerald engagement rings are quite impressive. They are so impressive that Spiderman's Green Goblin would be...er...green with envy.

Emeralds are a particular type of gemstone and are commonly used as a birthstone or in unique engagement rings. They usually come in most shades of green but they can lose color when strongly heated.

Here are some fast facts about emeralds:

• Emeralds are the birthstone for Taurus (Bull) which covers April 20 to May 20.
• Emeralds are the standard gemstone for the 20th, 35th and 55th wedding anniversaries.
• Emeralds symbolize faith, kindness, purity and hope.
• Most of today's emeralds are mined in Brazil, Colombia and Zambia.
• For centuries, emeralds were highly sought after and only the wealthy could afford them.
  

Emeralds aren't the only material in an engagement ring- there's also the ring/band itself to consider. The most common materials used are:

• Sterling silver
  
• Sterling silver with a white gold plating
• White gold
• Yellow gold
• Sterling silver with platinum plating
• Platinum (rare)

When buying an engagement ring such as emerald, you'll definitely want to set a budget first. The prices of emerald engagement rings vary from around $100 to over $3,000.

The more affordable emerald engagement rings tend to be made of sterling silver (cheapest) or white/yellow gold. Prices start at around $100+ and within this price range is a surprisingly wide variety of choices, customization and options.

The higher end emerald engagement rings can run you several hundred dollars up to over $1,000. They typically have bigger carat emeralds and often also include diamonds in the design.

If you can't find an emerald engagement ring that suits your fancy, you might want to take a look at these other affordable engagement rings:

• Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings
• Cheap Diamond Engagement Rings
• White Gold Engagement Rings