I got plenty of compliments on my loaner bling. (The center stone was around the equivalent of a 2-carat diamond, so it was borderline blinding.) After people ohh'd and ahh'd I'd tell them the rings weren't diamonds, and every last person was truly shocked. I also took them to an industry event—so around people who see a lot of engagement rings—and while plenty of people noticed the rings, not a single person asked whether the stones were diamonds. So they definitely hold up in the looks department.
Oh, and moissanite rings in at a fraction of the cost of diamonds. The engagement ring in the bottom picture retails for around $1,900. Obviously that's still a lot of money, but a diamond engagement ring with similar setting and center stone costs more than five times that. (I built something similar on Blue Nile—which is kind of my standard for fair diamond pricing—for $10,500.) As with diamonds, a smaller moissanite would be less expensive. I'm especially fond of the engagement rings by Etsy seller KristinCoffin, whose moissanite rings start at $975.
And moissanite feels like an obvious choice if you're concerned about blood diamonds. (See my thoughts on that matter here.)
In case you're curious—I was—a jeweler can tell moissanite from diamonds with a loop. I forget the technical terms, but suffice to say, you shouldn't invest your life savings in moissanite if your plan is to swindle people. But I seriously doubt even a jeweler could tell the difference with a naked eye.
Would you want a moissanite engagement ring?
I'm pretty sure there are several Save the Date readers who have 'em! Thoughts, ladies?
