Fess up...

sabatron

Who has a CZ ring here? I do, I do!

I told my fiance he could put the money he would normally put toward a ring (a couple thousand) into an investment account for us for the future. I'm happy with the decision... and the best part is, everyone thinks the ring is real. I feel like I'm getting away with something and it's such a great secret. Anyone else with man-made diamonds or cz's?

AllAboutTheBenjamin

I don't, but my aunt does.

I wouldn't care what size the diamond was - either a tiny thing you can barely see or a large, 2+ carat rock like my mother has.  I'd want the real thing.

But to each their own as long as they're happy!

sabatron

I'm too afraid of losing expensive jewelry!

luckyme502

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_fess-up?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:683Discussion:635242bf-1f30-4411-aae3-4ca6c7b1ec1cPost:45a845e2-34d0-4358-baa6-88dbc06a7a46">Re: Fess up...</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm too afraid of losing expensive jewelry!
Posted by sabatron[/QUOTE]

That is what insurance is for.

sabatron

I guess it's just my unromantic frugality taking over... I'd rather have a down payment on a car or a house. But it is very sparkly!

AllAboutTheBenjamin

There's nothing wrong with that!  Just means you're practical.

Don't get me wrong, I want the house payment and the car payments and whatever too... but I'm a little bit romantic too, I guess.  I love the idea of a real diamond.

But if it's sparkly and you're happy with it then that's great!  Even though I prefer real diamonds, the only ring I care about is mine.  No use in comparing or stacking up each other's rings - just hurts people's feelings and makes others look like jerks.

sabatron

I was considering getting moisanite for my wedding band... supposedly it's very similar to diamond. Might also just get a plain band. I don't see myself wearing my engagement ring forever... the solitaire isn't my style. Is a plain band too boring?

future-mrs

Everyone is different, that's why they make 4839294785493 different types of rings.  Get what you want/are comfortable with/can afford.

skyler1108

I do not have a CZ but I do have a man made stone. The stones in my ring are moissanite. I chose moissanite for a few different reasons:

    Price- Moissanite is about one tenth the price of diamonds. I priced similar rings out in diamonds and found that the ring I wanted would cost around $10,000 if not more. My e-ring with the matching band is less than $2,000. I wanted the extra money to go towards a house or our wedding. Also I did not want to go into debt from my ring so I did not want FI to fiance my ring in anyway. FI was able to pay for my ring in cash because of the price. Diamonds are way over priced because one company controls most of the world's supply of diamonds and I did not want my e-ring to be part of that industry.

    Moral and environmental- I wanted a ring that had stones in it that were both morally sound (not blood diamonds) and environmentally sound (mined in a more eco friendly way). While I know there are companies that do practice these two things, their stones were more expensive than we wanted to spend.

    Quality- I chose moissanite because it is guaranteed never to get cloudy, change color or loose any of its brilliance. Moissanite is also a strong gem stone. It is the second hardest gem stone with only a diamond being harder so I knew that my ring would be able to stand the test of time.

I am very happy that we decided to go with moissanite and I love my ring. I am very proud to tell people that my ring is moissanite (not that too many people ask if my ring is diamond or not)  because most people that I have told are not aware of moissanite. I like being able to educate people on their options when it comes to an e-ring and open their minds up to the fact that there are other options out there other than a diamond.

Edit- Also moissanite is not a fake diamond, it is a gem stone just like a ruby, emerald or sapphire. A white sapphire is not a fake diamond it is a white sapphire just like moissanite is not a fake diamond, it is moissanite. Moissanite is more rare than a diamond. It is a naturally occurring gems stone but is so rare in nature that is has to be man made because you will never find moissanite in nature large enough to make a ring out of. It was discovered a very long time ago but only recently have we been able to produce jewelry quality stones in a lab setting.

sabatron

I'm definitely on board with not supporting the diamond monopoly. I'm also wary of blood diamonds and the effect that corruptly mined diamonds have on developing countries. Moissanite rings are really pretty and worry-free. Where have you shopped for them?

skyler1108

It's nice to talk to someone who feels the same way about the diamond industry as I do sabatron. I don't see the point of spending so much money on a stone when you can get a beautiful ring that is not a diamond like we did. I love having a beautiful ring at a fraction of the price and not have to worry about it's background and I'm sure you feel the same about your ring. It is all too often that you run into people who are critical of your ring because it is not a diamond. For some reason people have this preconceived notion that an e-ring has to be a diamond and that is not the case at all. It is the meaning behind the ring not what it is made of. I am happy and get satisfaction from my ring because it is my e-ring that my FI gave me, not from what it is made of. I have see posts on other boards (not this particular one) that say having a diamond makes them feel all warm and fuzzy. I would feel warm and fuzzy about any ring my FI gave me and I think those girls focus on the wrong thing when it comes to an e-ring. Like I said before, it is what it stand for. That being said  I actually found my ring online at moissaniteco.com. They were great, so friendly and so helpful! I know that some stores sell them like JC Penny and Helzberg does but this website had the style I fell in love with and the type of metal I wanted. Do you have a photo pf your ring? I would love to see it.

kirstenr

Mine's an imposter too! Moissanite, like Skyler, and for lots of the same reasons.

I think it's gorgeous, and really, an identical ring with diamonds substituted would have cost like $8000 from the same vendor.  Mine + wedding band will rack up less than $1500.  And I hate knowing that there's any possibility that someone was hurt or killed or lost a family member so that I can wear something pretty on my finger.

(P.S. this is not to say that people who wear diamond jewelry are heartless. I don't think it's wrong to wear it, I just think my imagination and guilt would get the better of me.)

flyjawn

i would be happy to have a moissanite stone but i'm getting a diamond because that option is available to me.

also, i very much want to support the diamond industry in Botswana (which is where the diamond for my ring will be from).  botswana's diamond industry is considered the gold standard and the country's people have profitted immensely from the remarkable agreement that is in place with the mining company.  it's a rare success story in africa.

that said, i've seen some moissanite stones that are out of this world and i think they're a fantastic option.

imagine9

My ring is sterling silver and cubic zirconia.  It's just shiny metal and sparkly stones, so why pay hundreds or thousands for gold and diamonds when you can get silver and cz's for less than 50? My ring is beautiful, and I love it.  

luckyme502

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_fess-up?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:683Discussion:635242bf-1f30-4411-aae3-4ca6c7b1ec1cPost:a7e19b74-07b1-4cf1-b276-6ec41311fb79">Re: Fess up...</a>:
[QUOTE]My ring is sterling silver and cubic zirconia.  It's just shiny metal and sparkly stones, so <strong>why pay hundreds or thousands for gold and diamonds when you can get silver and cz's for less than 50?</strong> My ring is beautiful, and I love it.  
Posted by imagine9[/QUOTE]

Because we want to and because we can. 

jlbarbone

I have a man-made stone from Diamond Nexus and I am very happy with it.  I would rather have the symbol of our love be something that no one was harmed for.  Hopefully the need to have real diamonds is something that will go out of fashion sometime soon, though that's probably wishful thinking...

flyjawn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_fess-up?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:683Discussion:635242bf-1f30-4411-aae3-4ca6c7b1ec1cPost:02976675-7b7f-49a4-88a5-ddcd722c3bd6">Re: Fess up...</a>:
[QUOTE]I have a man-made stone from Diamond Nexus and I am very happy with it.  I would rather have the symbol of our love be something that no one was harmed for.  Hopefully the need to have real diamonds is something that will go out of fashion sometime soon, though that's probably wishful thinking...
Posted by jlbarbone[/QUOTE]

<div>if that ever happened - it would devastate several african countries and send them back into poverty.</div>

nicleep

My FI and I haven't purchased a ring yet but I've been looking into CZ (and now I'll take a look at Moissanite too ).  I want something that looks realistic- around 1 carrot or less but all the CZ rings I can find are huge!  If you have something other than a real diamond where did you find it?  I don't want some ginormious ring that is super obvious....tia

sakwo

I love Tacori but can't afford their real rings so my ring is from Tacori's CZ line for QVC and no one would ever guess it's fake! It's stunning and I love it. I totally love the idea of a real diamond and would love to have gotten one but then I would have had to give up the style to I loved, I have never been happier with a choice than I am with this one