Engagement Rings That Look Like Real Diamonds for Cheap Prices
- Go the scientific route and buy a ring that's chemically identical (or even superior) to the real thing. Lab-created diamonds are nearly indistinguishable from "real" diamonds for about 1/10 the price. You generally have the option of either buying the ring or, if you're feeling extra-innovative, buying a loose stone (or stones). If you go with the second option, you should be able to find a jeweler in your area with a variety of custom settings.
- Bypass cubic zirconia for the more modern alternative. A rare compound in nature, as it is found only in meteorites, moissanite is almost always created in the lab. Moissanite or, as chemists call it, silicon carbide, is nearly as hard as a diamond and has a similar refractive index. These properties make moissanite a far more realistic diamond substitute than cubic zirconia. A jeweler can tell the difference, of course, but chances are no one else can.
- Find a white sapphire ring in a jewelry store and see if you can tell the difference. If you can, you may not want to go with white sapphire. If you can't, research your options. Like diamonds, sapphires come in two varieties: mined and lab-created. Also like diamonds, sapphires can be prohibitively expensive if they are mined and surprisingly affordable if they are lab-created. If your fiancée prefers a colored gemstone, sapphires are probably your best bet, as they come in every color from red to purple.
- Save your funds with a white topaz ring. Of all the diamond alternatives, topaz is easily the most affordable. Though it may not have the shine factor of a lab-created diamond, white topaz is still a gorgeous stone in its own right. Its clear depths recall the calm luminescence of high quality crystal. Usually, white topaz settings include smaller, colored gemstones to highlight the size of the centerpiece and up its shine factor.