When addressing the costs associated with marriage, an engagement ring so small can become a looming threat to a tight budget. Finding an affordable option that allows a couple a ring can become a major problem. There are options, but they must be carefully considered by both partners.
The first and best option is to accept a diamond substitute instead of a real diamond. The tradition of a diamond engagement ring is very recent and was created largely as part of an advertising campaign organized by the DeBeers company at the beginning of the last century, while they were fighting to avoid the still active glut of quality diamonds on the market. to crash your profits.
The modern diamond is overpriced and sold primarily because of the mystique created and perpetuated by DeBeers and other diamond dealers. The symbolism involved, of beauty, clarity and durability, can be applied to many other stones and diamond substitutes without loss of meaning.
If you and your partner really want to wear a “real” diamond, it’s time to start looking at your options. The first is actually often overlooked: resetting an already existing stone in one of the two families. Even if purchased from the current owner, the price is often lower than a new stone, and the resulting ring will carry additional heirloom significance—perhaps the old something the bride wore to her wedding! If the setting is attractive and the ring is offered directly as a gift, you will have a diamond that will never break your budget.
Otherwise, consider asking a reputable, established jeweler who sells gemstones if they can find you a good stone at a low price. Understand that your idea of a low price may not match that of a jeweler… but you are far less likely to be scammed by a reputable jeweler than by a fly in the night, or a well-intentioned chain supplier with limited jewelry education .
A trusted jeweler can find you a fine stone at a real estate sale, you can have a nice stone with a minor flaw but a big fire that you love, flaws and all, or you can get in touch with other professionals in the jewelry community. gem dealers. to find you an affordable stone.
A reputable jeweler can also tell you about diamonds, much more so than any other source you can find. However, you may be surprised by what they tell you: many jewelers, fully aware of the price gouging involved in selling diamonds, but unable to beat the market price, will openly tell you what substitutes they consider to be as beautiful, durable and desirable as diamonds without the imposed price increase. Some love cubic zirconia, some Moissanite, some white topaz.
Some, with knowledge of many stones, will recommend some strong, beautiful, but rather unexpected alternatives. Listen and be prepared to consider their advice. Jewelers are not happy to sell diamonds at extreme prices to people who will never have the training to love them for more than their brilliance and value as “traditional stones.” Many feel like swindlers, but they must charge enough to make a profit on what they themselves spend. They will be happy to help you find a better option that will still make them a profit without damaging your reputation or your satisfaction.
One last remote option, not recommended but certainly possible, is to take advantage of pawn shops and auction sites like eBay. The problem is that there is no quality control or guarantee that can overcome the blind spots that these forms of acquisition imply.
Even a dealer offering a stone or piece of jewelry in good faith may “cheat” you simply through ignorance, and the buyer is in a poor position to confirm the value before buying. There are many things to bet on in life. Your engagement ring shouldn’t be one of them.