Cubic Zirconia

@Lauren: Any jeweler will tell you (or even a basic quick search, for that matter) that silver is NOT an heirloom quality metal. Sterling is far too soft and tarnishes very easily, making it much easier for stones to fall out of settings, and for the ring to bend and get scratched. Alloyed silver often has the highest ratio of nickel compared to other jewelry metals, making reactions, allergies, and green patina marks much much more likely than with other metals. Silver is fine for someone who isn't wearing their ring more often than an occasional night out, but many women continue to wear their engagement ring daily after the wedding as well, and that means chances of damage or lost stones skyrockets.

There's a reason they don't make 24k gold rings, and it's the same reason: pure gold is too soft to wear well and stand the test of time. This is also why many ring makers will make the prongs of their rings with platinum no matter what the rest of the ring is made of, because it's a stronger metal than gold.

I think it depends on you and your FH.

My brother worked three jobs and spend months saving up to buy the engagement ring for his now wife. She loves it and they're both happy. He felt good having worked so hard to purchase something so special for the woman he loves, and she felt good knowing how hard he worked for her.

For me though, I told my FH that I would kill him (obviously not literally...) if he bought me a diamond ring. I have always been a "miser" with money, and can't fathom spending that much on a ring.

However, this has been something that I have always felt, even as a little girl. I would rather use that money on something else and have a ring that costs 1/10 the price and looks just the same to me. None of my friends have noticed or cared either.

I didn't feel that FH cared any less about me just because he didn't spend months saving and working for a stone--but I also know that if I had wanted that, and if it was important to me, he would have been willing to put in the work to do that. Since he knew I didn't want that, he lovingly bought me a beautiful ring with a CZ stone.

I have a moisannite and I absolutely love it. Working as a nurse I run into constantly worrying about losing the stone in my gloves. I've jammed my fingers between the walls and patient's bed during codes, so I really didn't want to take the risk of ruining something so expensive. I have a two ct forever one and it's flawless and super clear. I always get comments on the size and how sparkly it is. I think that if you want a fake stone then you should go for it. I couldn't be happier. My FH also was happy with the low cost since we plan on making traveling a priority

Who cares? My ring is a pink sapphire surrounded by diamonds. When it comes to the ring don't worry about what others think.

Personal preference; but spook would have gotten a no with a Cz ring.

Mines morganite and it is exactly what I wanted. It's your ring, if you like it, go for it. I think diamond erings aren't as much the norm anymore and a lot of people are going nontraditional. Trust me I get a lot of compliments on my ring, and they always ask what kind of diamond it is and I always tell them it's not and no one looks at me any different because it doesnt take away from how it looks.

Punkin. that is beautiful!

I still wear my engagement ring and my wedding band (I'm divorced and widowed) ; both are beautiful art deco style rings and the center stone of my ER is a white sapphire. It could be a piece of glass honestly; the point is that my husband bought them when we had no money because we were building a business. I love them; they remind me of the path we took together and what we accomplished.

I'm in the camp that spending thousands of dollars on a ring doesn't prove love, commitment or anything else. I have a dozen blingy rings that I bought on Wish for under 10 bucks, and they look fabulous. Will they look fabulous forever? Probably not, but they're cute and pretty and look like the cost a fortune.

So do what works for you. (And Moissanite , probably misspelled) is a real thing. It's made from meteors, and it's very cool in a geeky kind of way) And Morganites are freaking gorgeous!

I'm not gonna lie here. I have a diamond e-ring and I while I truly appreciate FH working his ass off to buy it (because I do love it), I wish I had considered less expensive and more unique options when we started talking about marriage. While diamonds and diamond stimulants are pretty and sparkle in the light, the sapphire (with which I have a slight obsession), morganite, and other gemstone rings really stand out to me and I definitely don't side-eye women who don't have diamond rings. So OP, or anyone who may feel bad about your non-diamond ring, don't. It's just as pretty and you'll stare at it just as much. I know I stare so hard at the gemstone e-rings when people post ring threads.

@Celia, Karen S., thank you!! Every time I see I squee!

It's a little hard to tell in this pic but there are "petals" around the center stone, and there's ivy and leaves around the ring. I have a flower ring lol.

I agree that it's about what will make you happy. I think diamonds are overrated and overpriced anyway. The problem I've heard about with Cz though is it doesn't last all that long. I hear it can start to cloud over after time. I have moissanite and it will last just like a diamond would. I also recommend you go with a gold or platinum setting as silver isn't the best choice for a ring you will wear all day every day.

If that's what you want then go for it! You'll have to buy a new ring eventually, since CZ does not wear well. 99% of people aren't going to be able to tell the difference as long as you don't go overboard.

@mna @Lauren mna is completely right. I did not want a gold/white gold ring and FH said every jeweler told him it was impossible to put it in silver. He got some alternative (that I can't remember).

It's whatever you are comfy with. There are beautiful CZs out there. If you get a quality setting, you could always change out the CZ to a real stone at a later date if you want.

It's totally up to you and your FH. While I am obsessed with my diamond, I don't think other stones or a CZ is tacky. I guess I wouldn't go overboard with a massive CZ though bc people are going to assume it is real, and they'll comment- could be a little awkward. But, hey, you do you.

Moissanite is really good alternative to diamond. While diamond is the hardest, then comes sapphire and ruby, and then moissanite. It's the closest thing you'll get to diamond without it actually being diamond. On some diamond testers it will even test positively as diamond unless the tester is new enough to identify moissanite.

CZs are fine, and definitely a super inexpensive option, but keep in mind they don't have the strength that diamond has. Wearing a CZ e-ring is super different than wearing a CZ in say a pendant or earrings. Your engagement ring that you wear every day gets subjected to a lot of wear and tear no matter how careful you are, and that CZ is going to get scratched up. We get people all the time in our store that want us to clean their CZ, but it's not dirty, it's just scratched and there's nothing that can be done about that. So if you want something that will stay sparkly,

I wouldn't go this route. If that's not important to you, then it doesn't matter.

White sapphire is also a good option. It's not as expensive as blue sapphire, and it's not as bright and brilliant as diamond or moissanite, but it gives you a nice hard white stone for a low price tag.

I prefer moissanite or morganite to cz. I think they look neat.

But my first engagement ring (exH) was CZ. It wasn't quite as sparkly as my real diamond, but it wasn't ever an issue for me. Just don't get a giant 3 ct. one and I'm sure it'll be fine.

I have a yellow saffire and i adore it. Look at other stones, they're much less expensive than a diamond.

Buy what you feel comfortable with. However, do not buy a big CZ just so it appears you have a huge diamond. That's not what it's about...it's about the love behind it.

I would not have been happy with anything but diamonds, if I'm being honest. I have tons of jewelry- topazes, sapphires, etc. The diamonds make my bridal set that much more special. Your bridal set should be something that will stand the test of time and can be passed down as an heirloom, which a CZ ring is not. I also feel like when people get very large CZ rings, they are bring disingenuous. That's my opinion.

I have a morganite ring and I love it. Really, get whatever you want and like. The notion that a man having to work crazy hard to pay for a diamond on order for someone to say yes makes me feel icky as fuck. We are beyond the days of dowry and all that garbage. No one needs to buy a proposal.

I have a diamond. My fiancé would never given me anything less.But I'm going to look into getting a CZ for my travel ring. If it gets lost I won't care.