Man-made/Simulated Diamonds

Moisannite (sp?) Is really pretty. I'm not a diamond gal myself, so I wanted and got morganite. There are plenty of options besides diamonds.

@Lizz I got a morganite ring too. I love it!!!

I have a moissanite ring. I found it and wanted it. No one can tell. I would not be offended by my fiance making a financially responsible decision.

We're not engaged yet, and I think he's concerned with not having enough money to afford what he wants to get. I have told him so many times that his love is worth more than any diamond and I will love and appreciate anything he wants to get me. He has been asking me what I want so I've been showing him different styles. I'm thinking that we can save a lot by not worrying about the ring. I would want white gold so it won't turn or tarnish, but I don't think the stone is a big deal.

I have a diamond nexus engagement ring, and no one can tell the difference! I think it looks as good as any diamond out there, and I don't have to worry about it being a blood diamond and I know they didn't rip up the earth for it! Highly recommend it!

I just don't want him to worry about trying to buy an $8000 when he can get something just as pretty for less. As long as it won't make my finger turn green I'm good lol

My ring is a moissonite solitaire with recycled rose gold for the band, and I LOVE it! Everyone comments on how sparkly it is. I wouldn't be comfortable with something super-expensive on my finger.

Mine is 10k white gold, and no green finger, but they do have 14k and 18k gold. I think mine was around $500, and the diamond stimulant on it was 1 carat.

Ugh thanks so much! This makes me feel so much better. I saw some beautiful rings, but saw that they were simulated stones so I didn't know if that was something bad. I know nothing about diamonds.

His#1Lady, just so you know, white gold does turn yellowish (back to the color of yellow gold) after around 10 years, so you will have to pay to have it re-plated unless you buy platinum. I'm not sure how much it costs

I have real diamonds but they aren't a lot of carat weight. He got a ring with a lot of sparkle but he was able to pay cash for it, and for that, I am really proud of him.

Encourage him to shop around, be open to gemstones as opposed to "diamond" or "diamond-like" stones, and don't be afraid to take advantage of some online deals.

I ordered my FH's right from Zales online and was able to get an online discount of like 40% off. The same discounts apply to women's rings. There is nothing wrong with going in store to be sized and ordering offline. They have a greater selection of more varying price points online.

I would suggest being open to "pre-owned" if you are on a budger...Nothing wrong with it.

Both of these Morganite rings are on sale right now at Zales for under $500.

I looked at some pre-owned and clearance rings as well. I'm not against either of these ideas. I'd rather not have gemstones, because I plan to get my wedding band made with our birthstone alternating around the band (something I've been wanting for a very long time). I've looked at the Zales Outlet and Kay Outlet websites. I'm just waiting now. I will certainly post as soon as he pops the question. I'm starting to get a little nervous lol

I don't know how true this is, but when my fiancé and I were at Robbins Brothers the lady tried to explain a man-made diamond to me. She said it isn't a "fake" diamond or one meant to stimulate one. It is made from the same components a real diamond is, just in a controlled setting in a lab a million times quicker. The results are the same, they can't control the color, cut, clarity or size and over a one carat is pretty rare. It's still a diamond, just from a lab. It made me more likely to be open to the possibility.

Danielle is that what you ended up choosing?

My wring is sterling silver and moissenite and no one can tell!! I love it so much. I just ordered my wedding band and it's a sterling silver band with cz's but it's from a 1940s estate sale and very pretty. You can't tell they're cz's at all!

The jeweler we selected only sells jewelry with mined stones, not lab-created stones. Otherwise, we'd have requested a lab-created stone; they're less expensive and they're identical to mined stones.

We had already purchased a diamond before that, we were just looking for an upgrade. I guess I'm in that category of women that the jewelry business brainwashed lol. She told me if I were to upgrade to a lab-made diamond, they would just reset it in my 14k white gold solitaire band.

Agreed with Stephanie. She laid out four diamonds and one lab-made and I couldn't pick which one was the lab-made one. I think the lab-made was the second best one I picked out of the grouping. They were identical.

@Fluffy this is random but is that your dog in your picture?It looks just like my puppy! And we looked at man made diamonds but then he bought one from Zales on Black Friday and we got a $2000 ring for $400!