Luckily there is an alternative option to be had. That option can be found with cubic zirconia engagement rings. Cubic zirconia engagement rings are a very affordable alternative to natural diamond engagement rings. A cubic zirconia engagement ring can you you the look of a natural diamond engagement ring without the heavy price tag a natural one carry’s. One good thing is these rings are becoming not only accepted by society but also embraced by many. This means of course these rings do not carry any stigma of being cheap.

Did you know that pretty much only a jeweler can tell the difference between a good cubic zirconia versus a diamond? When a jeweler can tell, he needs his eye piece to do so. Cubic zirconia engagement rings also do not have the imperfections that diamonds do, such as inclusions and discolorations. In fact cubic zirconia stones are prefect in every way, and can often out dazzle any diamond. Also it should be noted this Synthetic gem is very eco-friendly, as no heavy mining has ruined the environment to mine it.

One can also get other colors of cubic zirconia, besides the typical clear and colorless gems. Ever had your eye on a pink diamond engagement ring but found the higher price making owning one a dream? Look no further than cubic zirconia! They can be cut to any standard diamond cut, from the princess cut to a cushion cut and beyond.

If you are looking for an engagement ring with style, class, beauty, fire, that sparkles in the sun like a real diamond would, but cannot afford the price of a natural diamond ring, then a cubic zirconia engagement ring might just be what you are looking for. One can get rather large and flawless cubic ziroconia gemstones for much less than a diamond of the same size. The best part of it is, no one needs to know unless you tell them!

Cubic zirconia engagement rings can also be found online at a significant savings than one would find in a brick and mortar store front. Many of these online shops will have return policy’s as well, so if there is an issue with your purchase you can return it. The reason many people buy these engagement rings online is the online shops do not have nearly the amount of overhead costs that your local jeweler would carry, and these savings are passed onto you, the consumer.

Your love may be blind, but the marriage will eventually become a real eye-opener, and for so many good reasons. By now, your imaginations may already be running wild. Relax. There’s no need to take a step back. Just arm yourself with cubic zirconia engagement rings and you will certainly prove your imaginations wrong.
Cubic zirconia rings are already synonymous to popular wedding jewelry choices. Cubic zirconias (CZs) are regarded as synthetic gemstones, which are also the most popular among lab-created diamonds. The engagement rings are purely beautiful, well defined and affordable. Here are some great reasons why you should get one.
Beauty – if you want an engagement ring boasting of a large, flawless and sparkling stone, CZ rings with their clear, colorless gems and the absence of any discolorations are the best choice. You can even bet they do not have those inclusions normally found in various natural gemstones that easily detract from the appearance. CZ engagement rings are usually made of a certain lustrous precious metal (white gold or sterling silver in some cases) just like those found diamond rings.
Variety – CZ stones are available in an exciting variety of shapes (especially with the normal gemstone cuts) and colors. If you are fond of traditional wedding jewelry, you will surely love the clear CZs in their classic designs, like the elegant round brilliant solitaire or a princess-cut style three-stone ring. CZs offer you great choices for distinctive ring design concepts.
Ethics – now that both economy and progress are now our society’s rallying call forward, we find ourselves concerned of the consequences and impacts on our fragile planet. Couples-to-be who would rather have an eco-friendly wedding theme would be happy to know that synthetic gemstones are never connected to our mining activities for natural resources (or harvested from fragile environments). They are rather from closed and controlled environments inside labs that had literarily no effects to the eco-community whatsoever.
Affordability – with the moral and ethical responsibilities to the environment already settled, we can now turn our attention to the affordability. Typically, CZ jewelry is more affordable compared to diamond jewelry. It is obvious these large and flawless diamonds are everything expensive, yet you can still get  large cubic zirconia engagement rings without having to spend as much as you would with diamonds of the same size.
There are actually many more reasons why you should get cubic zirconia for your engagement ring. Aside from being much cheaper from the ideal diamond rings, you also have to take into consideration that all engagement bands are just temporary rings, and soon enough they will be replaced with wedding rings. This tells you to play smart; opt for cubic zirconia stones for the engagement and have it replaced later with the real diamond ring for the wedding. This is in every way the practical choice if money and other budget issues stand in the way.
There is absolutely nothing to worry about here. Cubic zirconia engagement rings may cost only a fraction of today’s diamond favorites but you can be certain these give out almost the same brilliance, elegance and beauty as with diamond rings. Before, men bragged at how easy they caught their women in their arms before marriage. Now, you can hear them muttering how they have to catch them with their pockets after marriage. Rest assured this will never be your case with cubic zirconia engagement rings.

However, there are plenty of reasons why cubic zirconia engagement rings can make a good choice.  You’d be wise to pay attention because they’ll help convince her that you made the right decision.

The main reason that you should consider cubic zirconia engagement rings is because they look exactly like diamonds.  They are produced in a lab specifically for this purpose.  Unless your hopeful fiancee is a gemologist, she won’t be able to tell the difference.  She can also pass it off as the real thing to her friends.

Also, diamonds are mainly bought because they’re the hardest mineral in the world and will be around long after the two of you are gone.  They measure the highest on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, so their hardness can’t be beat.

However, cubic zirconia engagement rings are nothing to sneeze at.  They are made synthetically in a lab to simulate the look of diamonds, but they are also almost as hard as they are too.  They measure a nine on the aforementioned scale of mineral hardness.

One of the main reasons why you should start looking at cubic zirconia engagement rings is because they’re quite cheap.  This is especially important if you’re suffering from a financial crisis but still want to get engaged.

She’ll have plenty of color choices when it comes to these engagement rings.  You can find them with a clear color so they look exactly like a diamond.  But, you can also find stones with a dark chocolate color that certainly won’t be mistaken for the real thing.

Your girlfriend will also have various metal choices when it comes to cubic zirconia engagement rings.  At the very least, you can get a band that’s made of real white or yellow gold.  Or you can minimize your budget even more and get a sterling silver band.

The main problem that you’ll have with cubic zirconia engagement rings is getting your girlfriend to like it.  However, since they’re considerably less expensive, she can have a much larger stone.  She’ll undoubtedly want a real diamond, not just a cheap imitation though.    Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings are probably the best option for young couples, just starting their journey together.

Why? Because it’s easily made in the lab for a fraction of the cost. Beautiful and cheap sound like an oxymoron right? Not so with the dazzling CZ engagement ring.

Let’s look at how cubic zirconia came to exist. Cubic zirconia, is a mineral that naturally occurs like traditional diamonds and was first discovered in 1937. Cubic zirconia is rare and hard to acquire but a chemical process discovered in the 1960’s allowed scientists to reproduce cubic zirconia and produce a crystalline form of zirconium dioxide. In appearance, they look just like diamonds to the naked eye because even though they have a bit less sparkle they cast more rays of color. Created in a lab, the CZ are typically flawless and about 70% heavier than diamonds but more brittle and soft. Diamonds naturally have flaws and impurities. Both come in a variety of colors. In the CZ, this is achieved by adding oxides such as nickel, iron, titanium, etc. during the CZ synthesis process. CZ has a hardness rating of eight on the Moh’s scale compared to man-made diamonds with a hardness rating of 10 on the Moh’s Scale. CZ can replicate the look of the finest-cut natural diamonds.

Aside from cost savings, why should you choose cubic zirconia engagement rings over real diamonds? Sure diamonds are classic and last forever, but many of us just don’t have the budget to buy something spectacular. Three month’s salary is the hard and fast rule, but it’s hard to part with that amount of money. Here are a few reasons you can really feel good about choosing  cubic zirconia engagement rings as your symbol of lasting love and commitment.

As concern about our impact on the planet and the welfare of human lives increases so does the concern over natural resources. Diamonds have a history of greediness. Constant harvesting in our fragile environment can negatively impact people’s lives and with CZ you know you can feel confident that the stone has not had any negative impact on others or the environment.

The Beauty Aspect: Finding a flawless diamond is rare and extremely cost prohibitive and countless stones have unfavorable colors and inclusions. In comparison a CZ engagement ring gives you a flawless and sparkling stone.

Variety: Cubic zirconia stones come in a wide variety of colors and shapes which are becoming more and more popular as people choose the stone colors to also symbolize cultural ties.

In conclusion, unless you are set and determined to spend thousands on a diamond ring the cubic zirconia engagement ring is a stunning and affordable choice. You don’t have to sacrifice quality or most of your savings to get what you want in an engagement ring.  Beautiful and cost effective, your best option may be cubic zirconia engagement rings.

The average guy would not give his fiance a wad of cash to illustrate his love, but he justifies the purchase of a ludicrously priced gemstone as an apt engagement gift. The slogan “diamonds are forever” has morphed into an unwavering truth which places the diamond as the exclusive expression of true love and most couples won’t settle for anything less.

It has become a common belief that boyfriends who buy cubic zirconia engagement rings are cheap, because the stone is inferior. The materialistic superficiality of this belief is enough to strike Amy Winehouse into an argument on morality and sentimentality.

Cubic zirconia engagement rings are less expensive than the diamond counterparts, but this does not imply that the gemstone is an inferior expression of love. A diamond is actually falls below the par set by cubic zirconia in a number of categories.

The laboratory produced cubic zirconia is flawless and thus sparkles more effectively when struck by light. The gemstone looks almost identical to a diamond and jewelers generally have to analyze the stone with special equipment to determine if it is real or not.

If jewelers battle to tell the difference between the two stones, then your sweetheart will definitely not be able to. Spending the extra money on a stone (yes that’s all it is) would be akin to throwing money at your girlfriend and shouting, “This is how much I love you.” Behavior like this is akin to the wasteful insolence exhibited by the aristocrats of seventeenth century Europe and has no room in a modern society, unless your name is Kanye West.

We deplore the shallowness of a materialistic businessman, while simultaneously accepting the marketing ploy of a massive corporate entity as romantic truth. It is time that we do away with this contradiction and accept that cubic zirconia engagement rings are just as capable of expressing the extent of our devotion as diamonds.

We wouldn’t unquestioningly accept the marketing ploys of Coca-Cola, Pepsi or Macdonald’s, but we make an exception when it comes to diamonds. Somewhere in the human psyche we have forgotten that De Beers had a superb marketing campaign and we have reconstructed that into something that cannot be challenged. It is important to see diamonds for what they are, an expensive sign. On the simple principle of rejecting marketing as a whole, we should be willing to consider alternatives, like cubic zirconia engagement rings.

The entire diamond industry is based on a shrewd and fallacious marketing ploy which has redefined compressed carbon as an everlasting symbol of love. Hearing of the success of the De Beers marketing strategy makes one wonder if it wouldn’t be possible to package beach shells and sell them as a symbol of new beginnings after divorce. Although diamonds might be forever there is no guarantee that your love will go the same route.

The realization that love is a fickle and changeable human condition should serve as enough of a reason not to waste extensive money on a flawed gemstone for an engagement ring. Cubic zirconia engagement rings offer a cheaper alternative to diamond rings and there are numerous benefits which actually make them the superior choice.

Firstly, cubic zirconia is a laboratory produced compound and it is consequently unflawed. The luster of a cubic gemstone surpasses that of the diamond and provides a particularly romantic sparkle when viewed under the dancing flame of candle.

Although not quite as hard as a diamond, CZs are perfect for daily wear and easy maintenance.

Diamonds may last a long time, but so do rubies, sapphires and cubic zirconia engagement rings. The bottom line is that you only need the gemstone to last for as long as you live. The lifespan of a gemstone, regardless of the category, will always be longer than that of a human. It is also important to remember that just because a diamond might last forever, it doesn’t automatically infer that your love will do the same. If the love ends, then you will be stuck with an everlasting reminder of the abject failure.

At the end of the day, the extent of your love is limited to the longevity of your actual feelings and has nothing to do with any astute marketing slogans. A grain of sand will outlive your love, but this fact alone doesn’t justify collecting the material and wearing it around your finger. Cubic zirconia engagement rings are just as capable of expressing your thoughts as a diamond and it is available at a fraction of cost.

If the film Blood Diamond made you think, then you probably aren’t too fond of the diamond industry and you definitely don’t want to illustrate your devotion by giving a ring which maybe soaked in the blood of exploited Africans. The expense of diamonds when combined with the political implications of the whole industry has resulted in the growing popularity of cubic zirconia engagement rings.

The clever marketing by De Beers which reshaped diamonds as the everlasting expression of true love meant that no other stone could fully express your love. Diamonds are forever and lesser stones just can’t match up to the romantic properties of this expensive piece of compressed carbon.

The blood diamond scandal tarnished the image of the diamonds and this, when compounded with the economic crisis, means that people are becoming more open to alternatives to evince their love.

Young lovers sometimes take the notion of true love to mean that the stone embedded in a ring should be a real diamond or nothing. The great irony of this thinking is that nothing could be shallower or more artificial than using a material item to prove your devotion.

Cubic zirconia has a bad reputation because it is always considered an artificial alternative and therefore inferior to the diamond. The reputation of cubic zirconia is due to ignorance and the astute marketing of the diamond industry. As a lab grown crystal, cubic zirconia is superior to the diamond because it is unflawed. Some would argue that the flaws make the diamond more real, but this once again comes down to whether you believe that a stone can express the extent of your love.

Cubic zirconia is also morally superior, because the muddy hands of an African slave didn’t have to extract your love stone at gun point. One of the main reasons why diamonds are so expensive is because the whole industry is controlled by major corporations that have become adept at controlling markets and adjusting prices.

In spite what De Beers might suggest, your love is not measurable by the hardness or longevity of a stone. Cubic zirconia engagement rings are great alternatives for when you pop the question because they are flawless, morally superior and economical. You could spend your leftover cash on a volunteer experience on an African diamond mine. Perhaps, a few scorching days in the cholera infested waters of Liberia might make sparkling in candlelight seem less important.

CZ (a typical abbreviation for Cubic Zirconia) are indeed considered crystals, or to be more precise, a form of zirconium dioxide.  Now, the crystalline form of cubic zirconia is not usually found in nature, so some scientist or chemist has to go out of their way to heat it and tweak it and make it into a crystal for use in jewelry.  If you are considering purchasing a Cubic Zirconia Engagement Ring for your honey, doing this bit of homework and explaining to her how much work goes into these durable, visually flawless crystals may help to win her over to the more economical side of the fence.

But what is the difference and why are these Diamoniques (a common nickname for Cubic Zirconia) less expensive than other synthetic stones used for jewelry?  Well, Cubic Zironia Engagement Rings are highly refractive, allowing for them to sparkle and shine more than cheap glass and crystal knock-offs.  But, since they are not as dense as diamonds, they sell for a lesser price.

However, if you are interested in the differences – what gemologists and jewelers take note of is that Cubic Zirconia weigh more than diamonds but are not as hard.  Comparing them to other “made” (rather than “mined”) stones, CZ have a more natural shine (more similar to real diamonds), they are harder than other made competitors, they do not have visual imperfections, and they rank higher in their colorless appearance.

One downside that you may run into when you are shopping for a Cubic Zirconia Engagement Ring is that finding a quality piece in the desired setting and cut may be a tad difficult as they are not necessarily readily available in some jewelry stores.  Should this stop you from popping the question or shopping for your sweetheart?  Not at all!

Most importantly, if you are going to go the route of  Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings, commit. Don’t worry. Be discerning, be careful, and remember all of that science business that may get her to appreciate CZ just as much as you, and many others do.

The reason why a lot of folks decide to go for cubic zirconia, instead of diamonds, is the price. As an example, a 1.00ct diamond that is reasonably white, eye clean (we are talking about a stone that does have inclusions, but that can only be seen with a loupe) will cost you roughly 6 to 8 thousand dollars.A cubic zirconia of that size can be purchased for say USD 200.-.

Let me explain, why there is such a huge gap in price. A natural diamond takes billions of years to form, under intense heat and pressure, deep under the earths crust and when the diamond reaches the surface, the conditions have to be just right. If the temperature is too hot, the would be diamond just turns back into gas and if it is to cold, we get coal.
All conditions met, we get a diamond that travels with the lava and millions of years later, we try to find it by mining.
So we have a very rare gem, that costs a lot to find.

On the other hand, the stones used in cubic zirconia engagement rings are created in a laboratory under precise conditions, with materials that are plentiful in nature and in a process that doesn’t take much time at all. A perfect choice for those, that can not afford a diamond, or simply find it wasteful to spend that kind of money.
Please don’t get me wrong. My intend is not to make cubic zirconia sound like, they have no value. On the contrary, there are other benefits to make the less expensive choice and here is why.

If you want a diamond, they are going to have inclusions (carbon deposits for example), so in a sense, they are not perfect. Yes, you can get perfect diamonds, but be prepared to pay a ton of money.

Cubic zirconias are always perfect and who wouldn’t want to give a cubic zirconia engagement ring with a perfect stone to a perfect woman.

A Little Bit of History

Jewelry has always been something that the rich and the famous have flaunted, right from the very old ages till date. While the kings and emperors have worn diamonds and other precious jewels to show off their wealth and style statement, it has been only the ladies of the middle class society who could have thought of asking for some diamond jewelry from their men.

However, men have always been stylish, even if they were not able to show it. And the cubic zirconia engagement rings portray this accurately. And with the changing times, men have realized that if they cannot go for the highly priced and dearer diamond rings, a cubic zirconia can serve the purpose quite well.

CZ Jewelry Options

These cubic zirconia rings (or cz rings) are man-made stones that look very much like the original diamonds, and yet cost much less. Not only have they been used widely on the engagement rings, both for men and women, but they are widely used to create a number of other jewelry products, like earrings, bracelet, and so on.

These cubic zirconia engagement rings are much less expensive when compared with the real diamond jewelry that you may come across. However they look very much like the real diamond jewelry and understanding the difference may not be easy unless you get an expert to look at it.

Therefore, such jewelry has proven to be a great choice for men today, letting men express themselves and their style statements more clearly.

The Value

Just like an original diamond, the cz stones also have different gradations to establish the price and the value of a stone. The 3 main factors for you to consider here are the quality (or grade) of the stone, the metal used for the band on which the stone is set, and the quality of the craftsmanship seen with the ring that you are thinking about purchasing.

Consider all the above points before you decide on buying any cubic zirconia jewelry to understand whether the price you are paying for the product is reasonable or if it is overpriced. A great option for men to go for, showing how fashion conscious men can be, and yet not being too heavy for the pockets are cubic zirconia engagement rings .