What Are My Options For Affordable Engagement Rings?

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Even though the engagement ring itself is tiny, its expense is a significant part of your overall wedding budget. Finding an affordable option that allows a couple a ring can become a major issue. It's important to discuss all of your options with your partner before making a decision.

A diamond substitute is the best choice over a true diamond. The De Beers company launched an ad campaign early in the last century that sought to make diamond engagement rings traditional so that the glut of good stones could be addressed profitably.

De Beers and other diamond sellers perpetuated the myth that the diamond is the only stone to have and thus have led to diamond rings becoming outrageously expensive.  Diamond alternatives can be just as durable and convey the same beauty, clarity, and symbolism.

A genuine diamond comes in a variety of designs. The first is actually often overlooked: resetting a stone already existing in one of the two families. Often purchasing an engagement ring from a current owner, or accepting one that has been a family heirloom, will result in the price being lower than a new stone, or in the case of one handed down through the family, the important "something old" that the bride traditionally wears for her wedding.  If the setting is attractive, and the ring is offered as a gift outright you will have a diamond that never dims your budget.

If that does not work, you should try speaking to a jeweler with a long-standing reputation for quality work, and see if he or she can locate a reasonably priced stone of high quality for you. Understand, your idea of low price may not match a jeweler's…but a jeweler of repute is far less likely to cheat you than a fly by night, or a well intentioned chain supplier with limited jewelry education.

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The best source of information about diamonds is a good local jeweler. Lots of jewelers know about and may even discuss the price fixing that occurs with diamonds; they are not able to skirt the problem, but may suggest other beautiful, less expensive stones. Some individuals really like cubic zirconium, while others enjoy Moissanite, and still others like white topaz. 

There are some people, with a good knowledge of many different stones, who will suggest a beautiful and unique alternative. Listen, and be prepared to consider their advice. Jewelers do not want to sell their diamonds at a crazy price to anyone who will not appreciate the stone for more than its shine and traditional place in wedding and engagement rings. For a lot of people in this business who charge a markup, there is a tendency to feel they are guilty of gouging; however, one must charge enough to make a profit for what they themselves have paid out. They will be glad to give you a hand in helping you find a better selection that still makes them money without taking away your satisfaction or their reputation.

A final, long-shot option, not recommended but certainly possible, is to take advantage of pawn shops and such bidding venues as eBay. These forms of acquisition entail some blind spots and   there is no quality control which can over weigh them.

Even a dealer offering a stone or a piece of jewelry in good faith can "cheat" you simply out of ignorance, and the buyer is in a poor position to confirm the worth before purchase. There are all sorts of opportunities for taking risks. Your engagement ring should not form a part of them.

For more please see affordable diamond solitaire engagement rings and cheap diamond princess cut engagement rings.