Engagement Ring Substitutions

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

inanoyster

inanoyster

O.G.
Nov 30, 2008
66
0
#1
Hi everyone! I'm a long-time lurker of TPF, but really wanted to post today because I had a question. If a man were to propose to a woman but was not able to get her an engagement ring (in debt from grad school) and the woman is totally OK with it (she'd rather start their life together by helping him decrease debt rather than increase it), and he wants to purchase an engagement ring substitute (like maybe a ring but not with a diamond), are there any good websites/suggestions to look at?

Thanks so much!
 
#2
One of my best friends recently got married to a wonderful guy that just entered his PhD program (so he'll be a grad student for a while). He gave her a beautiful pink sapphire ring. It's different, blingy and was within his budget.

I personally love thick gold bands. My boss has an awesome gold band with a tiny cognac (brown) diamond in it. I think it is very cool and modern. I would check stores like Barney's for cool, fine jewelry.
 
#4
Perhaps a diamond band from Signed Pieces/FacetsCollection? A smaller ct. weight would be nice, and could be used later as a wedding ring. Here are some options, though go through the site because they sell other shape stones (princess and asscher for example) as well as colored stone options and such.

http://facetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=2173
http://facetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=2599

or half eternity:
http://facetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=3663
http://facetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=2693
 
#5
Have you been to Pricescope.com? Depending on your budget, you might be able to get a smaller diamond in your budget for now (then upgrade later, use it as part of an earring set later, etc.), if that is what you want. Or, you could do a colored stone ring. Pricescope has tons of information on jewelry and recommended vendors for both colored stones and diamonds.
 
#7
Just my 2 cents, but you don't actually need an engagement ring. I never wanted one & never got one. I have a plain gold band wedding ring, I really like the look of a simple band by itself. At that time I was just graduating from college with loans & we were paying them off. As I recall we had to take out a loan just to buy the bands back then.

These are all great suggestions for an alternate ring though, I think it's admirable to think about your future together. Good luck and congratulations to you whatever you decide!:yahoo:
 
#8
Moissanite , my sister has one and its stunning, plus she always tells me this cute story about how it was "born from a star",(seems romantic) some sort of meteor, crashed and thats where it comes from, One thing about it is if you go larger then 1 ct, it tends to have a yellow/green tint, comparable to say j/k color diamond
 
Last edited:
#12
It would help to know what kind of budget you have. Gemstones can be pricey too. There's always the option of a smaller diamond now, with an upgrade later. Or a band now and maybe a solitaire for a future anniversary, if you want one. Or a sim, or moissanite, or an antique something-or-other...lots of fun and beautiful possibilities exist for all budgets!
 
#13
I second the eternity ring from The Facets collection- that is what I just chose and we had the budget for something else. The nice thing about them is they look so nice with multiple different ones stacked together. For birthdays or anniversaries later on you could add to her collection.
 
#14
i think i'm going to ask for an eternity ring as my wedding band; and then a few years later, after training and schooling has settled down, we'll look for an engagement ring. for now, though, i decided on the atlas band ring from tiffany's - it's something simple and pretty and definitely very inexpensive. thank you so much for your input, ladies! i truly treasure this community.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top