From the day I first saw engagement rings pop up on my Pinterest feed, I knew I wanted a big sparkly rock on my finger when I got engaged.
I just loved the look of a diamond ring as it’s timeless and absolutely beautiful!
My budget-conscious mind, however, could never get past the price tag of a diamond ring. My soon-to-be-husband and I had financial goals to work on, after all! I couldn’t possibly spend our entire savings account on an engagement ring.
That’s when I began researching alternatives. I found three popular stone options that would still give me the look I wanted but for wayyy less! I started looking into cubic zirconia (CZ), white sapphire, and moissanite.
If the title didn’t give it away, I chose the stone that was—quite literally—out of this world beautiful.
What is Moissanite?
Moissanite is a naturally occurring but rare mineral made of silicon carbide that originated in a meteorite. Pretty cool if I do say so myself!
While the stone when cut properly is simply gorgeous, finding natural pieces large enough to be cut into center stones for rings is both challenging and expensive.
Not long after its discovery, lab-created moissanite was introduced and has unsurprisingly grown in popularity, particularly with engagement rings!
It’s budget-friendly, extra sparkly, and a brilliant (pun intended) choice for engagement rings.
Check out this article to learn more about the moissanite stone.
Other Diamond Alternatives
If you want that sparkly diamond look, moissanite isn’t the only alternative. When comparing these alternatives, however, there are a few key factors to keep in mind.
The biggest ones are price, brilliance, size, longevity (specifically hardness), and origin (natural or lab-created).
Everyone has different preferences and priorities when it comes to precious stones.
Some factors will be more important to one person than another. Before choosing a stone type, you need to decide what’s most important to you!
Would you prefer a naturally created stone, or would you consider lab-created? Are you looking for a forever-stone, or planning on upgrading later? Do you want a big and bold ring or a small and subtle one?
Once you have your preferences figured out you can move on to choosing a stone type!
Diamond Alternatives Comparison
While diamonds are a beautiful and classic option, they’re expensive, especially if you prefer a naturally made stone. If having a diamond is important to you, you could also look into lab-created diamonds as an alternative.
Both naturally occurring and lab-created diamond stones rank higher on the Mohs scale of relative hardness than any other precious stone, but moissanite isn’t too far behind if you’re especially rough on jewelry.
Cubic Zirconia (CZ) is super cheap and is only recommended as a temporary stone or for costume jewelry. It will easily scratch, dull, and won’t last the test of time.
White Sapphire is a great alternative to a diamond if you’re looking for an affordable option and are okay with a lab-created stone. It’s not quite as brilliant as a diamond, and it gives off a silver/white/gray shine.
Moissanite, in my opinion, is the best choice for a diamond alternative. It’s budget-friendly (my 1.3-carat stone was around $400), relatively hard, and incredibly brilliant. My jeweler showed me a side-by-side comparison of my moissanite stone and a diamond of the same size and the moissanite reflected at least twice as much light, even when the lights were dimmed!
The main difference between the two—besides price points, of course—is that moissanite is lab-created and, while sparklier, refracts more color, or fire. I love the rainbow reflections from the stone, so moissanite easily checked every one of my engagement ring wishlist boxes!
Beautiful Moissanite Rings
Decided you’d like a beautiful sparkling moissanite ring? You’re gonna love it!
Before your heart is set on the first ring you find, make sure you find a reputable, trustworthy company to make sure you’re getting genuine metal and quality stones.
The Charles & Colvard shop is a great place to start your search for a style that suits you!
Here are a few of my favorites!
Tips for Your Moissanite Ring
I’ve had my moissanite ring for close to two years now, and I haven’t regretted that choice since!
However, if I were to design my custom engagement ring over again, there are a few things that I would do differently.
For one, I’d go all moissanite! The only moissanite stone on my engagement ring is the center stone, and you can tell the center ring has different fire and brilliance. I’d use moissanite for the tiny pave stones if I redid my ring so it’d be even sparklier!
That’s the only change I’d make to my ring itself, but there’s another tip I’ve learned along the way that I wish I’d known from day one! Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the design or materials of the moissanite ring, but all to do with the care.
You can buy the most expensive and beautiful ring, but without proper maintenance, it will dull, tarnish, and wear over time from everyday use.
I was so disappointed when after a few months my beautiful custom moissanite ring started to tarnish and dull. It happens day by day so you don’t notice it until one day you realize just how lackluster your ring has become.
The easy solution? Make sure you get some of my favorite all-natural jewelry cleaner so you can always have a shiny, beautiful ring! I even share shocking before and afters in my jewelry cleaner post that you don’t want to miss!
By the way, congrats on your engagement! Before you get swept into a wedding-planning whirlwind, check out the 29 unexpected things that will happen on your wedding day so you can be prepared to have the best day ever!
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