Diamond vs. gemstone vs. cubic zirconia

I feel the same! My fiancé and I were together nearly 7 years before before we got engaged. We would have gotten engaged much sooner but neither of us were making a ton of money at the time. We browsed Tiffany & Co. one day and I fell in love with an aquamarine center stone ring with a double halo of diamonds. I tired it on and on man 😍😍!! The price tags was somewhere in $10,000’s. Obviously not happening. I eventually looked on Etsy and found a ring very similar. I showed my now FH. He ended up buying the ring for me and I couldn’t be happier. It’s handmade, one of kind and he saved his money to get me exactly what I wanted!

The photo doesn’t do it justice!

Hello! My only caution with CZ is the overall quality but I know places like moderngents offer really nice ones that seem to be good quality. I feel like for such a sentimental piece of jewelry I want it to last forever and I would be nervous that with CZ you might not get that. I will say that there are other gorgeous gemstones out there though. I LOVE the idea of moissanites for instance!

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This is beautiful!

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Holy hell your ring is gorgeous!!

Most people don’t look at rigs close enough to even know if it’s a diamond or a cz! I love my ring, while it is a diamond, it’s a half carat and it’s perfect. It’s the only diamond I own, I’m not much of a jewelry person anyways and they don’t hold a lot of weight for me so him spending a large sum of money on one piece of jewelry was weird for me.

I have to admit that I do like diamonds but I did say to my future husband that he did not have to spend a lot on my ring. However, it is all about what you like and want for your ring. Everyone's rings are beautiful no matter what kind/type of ring it is and all rings are sentimental and special because your love one gave it to your from their hearts.

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Thank you!

Mine is a moissinate and I absolutely love it! Sparkles like crazy in the sun. I say go for it. It’s all about what you want to wear!!

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much

I love Diamonds and really any fine jewelry (my dad’s thing my whole life has been to make sure me and my mom get fine jewelry)! I think non-Diamonds are very pretty, but that just wasn’t what I wanted for my engagement ring. My FH got my e-ring & wedding band during a sale and ended up saving about $900, though. 😊

I’ve actually always heard your ring should be 3 months salary. I guess the saying varies? I love my diamond! We just started band shopping and I thought about the idea of a band with a mix of diamonds & sapphires or diamonds & rubies. But I just love the way my diamonds sparkle. I also have a job that can be rough on my hands, so for that, I have a Quelo that I wear when needed & my diamond is still in excellent condition.

It honestly didnt matter to me the price of the ring or flashiness. What mattered to me was he took the time to pick the ring he loved. He wants to marry me. And the bind of love is far more important then the price tag of a ring

I made him promise he wouldnt spend more than half of 1 paycheck, so no more than $500...and all the styles I sent to him for ideas were around the $200 to $300 mark. I prefer things out of the ordinary, so I asked for a black diamond in a white gold setting. He ended up spending $400 on it 😉 it's not about the cost or the size, it's about what he felt getting it for me and what it means to him that I accepted it!

I think I'm the odd one out here. Im very much a tomboy and dont wear jewelry, definitely never had any "real" jewelry or diamonds before but I knew I wanted a real diamond for my ring, I guess I figured an engagement ring was the perfect thing to step out of my comfort zone. I never even wore rings before I got engaged, so it was weird to get used to....but we both wanted something real, high quality, and unique...after all I'm supposed to wear it forever. FH designed my ring and he asked for my input on the diamond. We basically looked at diamonds and went up in quality until I couldn't tell the difference. I love my ring, but its probably the only real diamond I'll own.

If I had to go with any gemstone it would be morganite. For a period of time I was obsessed with the idea of a morganite ring! So pretty. I think gemstones are beautiful. I love my diamond.. But it isnt all about the ring. It is about the love behind it !

I was all for having a gemstone or a ring not from a major jewelry store. Did FH listen or bring one of my friends to shop? Nope.

I love my ring, it was just a surprise to me that he bought a diamond ring. It's a solitaire with a gold band: timeless. Maybe one day I can pass it down or upgrade for an anniversary. But for now it's mine.

My set is lab grown diamonds! Engagement ring and wedding band for $95. So affordable that we decided to purchase a second set as back up (right after we got engaged I had a scare where I thought I lost my ring). Real, mined diamonds are unethical and also just a dumb purchase. They are intrinsically worthless.

View Quoted Comment Totally not arguing. Defending my opinion because a lot people on this site prefer Nondiamonds.

Mines “diamond stimulant” AKA prob cubic zirconia! But it’s beautiful. I told him he has the rest of our lives to get me a diamond. (And he’s also given me a diamond promise ring in the past).

I have always been one for the traditional diamond engagement ring. DeBeers did a stunning job with the marketing of the 1mo salary for a Diamond... Before the campaign in the early 1900's gemstones were the Stone of choice.
However, I have always seen the ring as an outward symbol to everyone of how much the person loves you, thus getting a ring that is a style that suites the wearer & is something that is noticeable.
And I guess I do go with the salary thing- if your SO has one that can support him doing that! Even if they layaway it till they can!
I like large rings, delicate other jewelry tho, so my dude got it right when he picked my ring.
Large center stone, halo and sparkle on the band. Platinum that is a vintage style but modern twist.. And a slight Irish look- nice since we got engaged in Ireland on my 40th birthday.