Weddingbee Blog

I’m not much of a help…I’m still out there searching for the perfect ruby engagement ring.

Just an FYI that pearls are very delicate and cant stand up to lotions, perfumes, being knocked, etc. There are some very pretty pearl rings out there but they arent the sort of thing that can be worn every day because they are so easily damaged. Youre probably better off going with something inorganic like a mineral (ruby, emerald, sapphire, etc)

Look into shops that sell estate jewelry, there’s lots of gorgeous rings made with different stones that are antiques - they were bigger about the different stoned diamonds then than we are now, so my guess is there would be a lot of gorgeous options. Good luck and have fun!

Another alternative if you wanted to go the “white sapphire ring” is to go with man-made diamonds. I know a few of my friends who are engaged who have gotten these from their fiance’s and they are gorgoeous! RussianBrilliants.net is one very reputable site that uses man made diamonds in their jewelry. They also have colored stones as well, and their price is way way lower then what it would have cost if it was a mined diamond.

This company is also affiliated with Hadar Diamond Corp. which is a very reputable jeweler…but thought of an alternative for people just like us who can’t afford a really big diamond ring, but would still like something nice.

My friends who do have rings from there, are always getting compliments…and they can actually say that is a real diamond..because it is! It’s just man-made.. not mined. It’s stronger than moissanite, better quality then CZ and has the identical qualities of a real diamond..but is harder when tested. So it’s less prone to cracking or breaking, cuz that happens sometimes.

Hope this info. helps in some way!

i wouldcheck out man-made diamonds. and second what alisa says… it’s not a fake diamond. It is a diamond… and it is affordable!

Please do your research before trusting all of the comments on this site.

The stones from Russianbrilliants are high quality cubic zirconias, NOT real diamonds (cultured or mined).

Also, there are cultured (man-made) diamonds currently available, but they still cost thousands of dollars per carat and are mostly fancy colored diamonds (pink, yellow, blue).

I would suggest having a non-diamond center stone in a gemstone, like sapphie, ruby, emerald, toapz, peridot etc. etc. and having some smaller diamonds around it. You can geneally find lower prices that way. My ring is actually from Zales and cost

Couple of points -
I’m pretty sure that man-made diamonds are not commercially viable in reasonable sizes yet as jewelry. There has been hype, but no product.

How about a beautiful eternity band that you can use as your wedding ring too, and then get a big rock for a later anniversary.

Or, get a really nice ring (those can easily be 1K+) with a synthetic center stone now, and plan to replace it with diamond at a future date. You can get just a cubic zirconium or they have some out now that are more durable than normal CZ (and more $ than CZ - but much less than diamond).

Or go for a sapphire or other colored gemstone instead of diamond.

I’m just going to play the mother’s role here and remind you that this is the ring that you will have forever. It should be what you want to wear on your finger for the the rest of your lige. Other stones are indeed beautiful and there are many reasons to choose a less traditional ring, but if you WANT a diamong engagement ring, I would recommend researching financing options before alternatives. You can also always add to the ring later when finances are less of a concern. I realize your fiance may still be in law school, but one day, you two will have the financial security you’re working so hard now to attain, and you might still wish that you had received the ring you had imagined when daydreaming about the proposal. Perhaps your fiance has school debt, but there are resources…major chains and independant shops have financing options….even for long periods of time. In two or three years, he could pay it off entirely with a portion of his signing bonus.

But, if you WANT a different type of ring, then you should get it. I’m just saying - a couple years of financing the engagement ring is not a huge burden. Men, smart men I go to business school with, do it all the time.

if you want a diamond, I’d get one. You don’t want to feel like you got something because of money. You can get 3 stone ring or have a smaller center stone to save money.

I have a purple sapphire e-ring in a pave setting and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But I think you have to want a color e-ring.

I also agree pricescope.com has awesome forums where you can get really informed answers to your questions - a lot of jewelers frequent the boards there.

Hope this helps!