HOW TO BUY A GREAT ENGAGEMENT RING ON A BUDGET

Weddings are expensive business and first year of marriage setting up your nest together is going to cost a pretty penny.

The old "guideline" that recommends you invest the equivalent of two months' salary on the cost of the ring is pure marketing gimmick. You should deeply consider whether that amount could be better spent on your house down payment or a trip together or building a nest egg

When you are on the lookout for your engagement ring on a budget you would do well to keep the following ideas in mind.

Explore different gemstones-Diamonds are so expensive not only because they are rare in nature, but because their supply is tightly controlled by diamond cartels,which keep price artificially high.

Diamond in engagement ring is a recent phenomenon & for centuries simple gold rings have sufficed.But keeping the current trend for bling in mind I'd suggest you explore Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, Pearl engagement as the center stone for your ring.

Try diamond stimulant like high quality cubic zirconium. High quality cubic zirconium lasts a long time and well polished stones have exceptional brilliant, cost a tiny fraction of diamond and give the same bling factor

Try Synthetic diamonds- Man made diamonds are a great substitute to natural diamonds.Try rings from Gordon Max set in Gold /Gold finishing for your perfect piece of ice!

Try moissanite-If there is anything more blingy than diamonds it is moissanite.Even most jewelers can't tell the difference between diamonds & moissanite without lab testing. 

Good quality moissanite in 1 carat and above can cost 1/10th of cost of similar diamond (though moissanite doesn't has any resale value).

Smaller moissanite stones cost almost as much as diamonds but the price difference is huge in  larger stone. Celebs like Beyonce have made moissanite very popular & if you want a big piece of rock on a budget, moissanite is the way to go!

However If your heart is set on diamonds 

• Try  look for designs with cluster of small diamonds, Some pressure set diamond clusters can give appearance of solitaires also. 

• Diamonds rate jumps at 0.5 & 1 carat mark, if you look for a slightly lesser carat weight example a 0.9 carat diamond, its very difficult to telll the difference in the ring but price difference can be substantial.
• Get rings in halo design, a small central stone flanked by tiny diamonds around can give appearance of a bigger diamond
• Try a fancy wedding band with intricate metal work and lesser numbers of stones.Bands are much more comfortable that Solitaire ring on everyday wear basis.

Instead of Platinum Try 14 or 18 karat Gold or Silver for the ring band.

Use a family heirloom ring and get the gemstone or the ring reset Recycling is great for nature & for your budget.

Hope these tips help you find your perfect engagement ring on a budget. If your found this post helpful hit the follow button & leave a comment behind :)