Have you ever wished you had a few insider tips before shopping for something important? At Emily Amey, we want to ensure that everyone gets exactly what they want while staying within their budget. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of several ways to save money on engagement rings—shop smarter, not harder.
Shopping for an engagement ring is similar to shopping for a new car in that you start with a base model and add features as you see fit to achieve the desired product. Shopping for an engagement ring is the same: you start with your preferred setting style or center stone, then build your sapphire engagement ring around the features that best suit your partner's preferences.
The difficult part? Trying to figure out which features are worth the money and which aren't without jeopardizing the integrity of your ring? We talk about how you can save money when shopping for an engagement ring. These insider tips will help you save money while still impressing your partner on proposal day.
Tip #1: Solitaire Engagement Ring is Absolutely Gorgeous
Setting style is one of the first decisions you must make regarding your partner's engagement ring. A solitaire engagement ring (a center stone with a plain band), a pavé setting (tiny diamonds lining the band), a halo design (small, pavé diamonds surrounding the center stone), or a three-stone engagement ring are all options.
While pavé settings and three-stone engagement rings are stunning at first glance, they are inappropriate for every bride. In their simplicity, solitaire engagement rings are timeless in their beauty, focusing solely on the center stone. This effect can be striking, especially if you choose a larger carat lab-grown diamond.
Tip #2: You Can Compromise on Color or Clarity
If you choose a natural or lab-grown diamond for your center stone, a few color and clarity workarounds can save you a lot of money.
While choosing a colorless diamond with very slight inclusions has merit, these are not necessary features for a stunning center stone, especially if you are trying not to spend all the money in the bank.
Furthermore, diamond clarity has some wiggle room when it comes to budgeting. You want a flawless diamond with no visible flaws and inclusions that make a diamond appear cloudy, hazy, or scratched should also be avoided. At this point, the clarity grade of an eye-clean diamond is less important, especially if the gemstone is brilliant-cut, which effectively hides imperfections.
Tip #3: Avoid Round Cut Diamonds
Round brilliant cut diamonds are the most expensive diamond shape, costing up to 25% more than other diamond shapes, such as the popular oval shape and the increasingly sought-after radiant cut diamond.
Why is this the case? Much of the raw diamond is lost during the cutting process of round-cut diamonds to achieve the perfect symmetry that we know is characteristic of this timeless diamond shape.
Tip #4: Lab-Grown Diamonds are Real Diamonds
If your partner is set on a diamond center stone, or if you prefer the look of a diamond over a color gemstone or moissanite, you can choose a lab-grown diamond.
The only difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is their origin and price. Natural diamonds are romantic because they are formed over billions of years and are in short supply. However, lab-grown diamonds have the same chemical composition, hardness score, and physical appearance as natural diamonds at a fraction of the cost.
Lab-grown diamonds are priced 50-70% lower than natural diamonds, allowing you to choose a larger carat weight center stone for a glamorous aquamarine engagement ring while saving a lot of money. When it comes to natural diamonds, going from one carat to two carats results in an exponential increase in the final price. Pricing for lab-grown diamonds is more linear, with a consistent increase in price from carat size to carat size.
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