How to Find an Affordable Engagement Ring and Diamond Alternative ?

So you’re wondering how to find an affordable engagement ring that’s not a diamond.

It’s not easy. You want to wow her, to blow her mind, to make her so excited to say yes that she can’t see through the tears in her eyes. 

But you’re on a budget. 

You can’t afford a diamond ring worth thousands of dollars. 

Fear not. 

With pawn shop diamond ring prices and the many alternatives to diamonds we offer, you can still bring her to that thrilling moment and make her delighted to show off her ring. 

Tips for Buying Diamonds

First, you have to accept that maybe she needs a diamond. If you have fallen head over heels in love with a woman dedicated to getting a diamond for her engagement, you may have to get her a diamond if you want that “yes.” 

Sure, love is deeper than diamonds. But you want her story to resonate throughout the decades about how, even on a budget, you found a way to her the diamond she always wanted. 

But how do you do it? 

Set Your Budget

The first thing you need to do is set your budget. You need to know exactly how much you are willing to spend, and can afford to put out, for this engagement ring. Once you know what you’re working with, you can set your parameters and start looking. 

But don’t get cheap!

Once you set your budget, start your search for, for example, “affordable engagement rings under 500.” 

Have no doubt you can find what you are looking for, even diamonds, at that rate. 

Here’s just one example of what comes up under that search. 

Morganite and Diamond Halo Wedding Ring 

Here are a few other examples of diamonds you can find online at great prices. 

Scalloped Floral Halo Diamond Ring

.90 Carat Emerald Cut Engagement Ring

Princess Cut Diamond with Rose Gold Ring

Consider Diamond Alternatives

However, many women these days are not tied to diamonds. What with the news everywhere of blood diamonds and the unfair trading practices, many people are considering alternatives to diamonds for reasons far beyond price. 

Traditions sometimes deserve to be broken, and finding a diamond alternative is a great way to flout a tradition that may be outdated and old for the two of you. 

Many cheap alternatives to diamonds exist, and finding what works for you will be largely based on your future wife, your relationship, and again, your budget. 

Cheap engagement rings abound; the key will be to finding one that has meaning to you. 

Take a look below at some alternatives to diamonds. 

Gemstone Engagement Rings

Moissanite

Moissanite is a lovely alternative to a diamond because it resembles one so closely. In reality, it is a rare mineral form of crystal that was discovered only one hundred years ago by a French chemist, Henri Moissan, which is where it gets its name. 

It makes for a cool story for an engagement ring because this silicon carbide is actually the result of a meteor crater located in Canyon Diablo, Arizona. 

You can tell her your love for her is “out of this world,” literally. 

Moissanite

Other Gemstones

Another option is to choose her birthstones. Aquamarine, sapphire, ruby, emerald, and more, all have a tremendous amount of personal meaning, and you can look up the astrological and mystical properties of these stones, telling her a story with intensity and romance that will win her over. 

While these gemstones are indeed cheap alternatives to diamonds, they don’t look cheap, and they don’t have to feel cheap. It is all about perspective. 

Also, if you save money by not buying a super expensive diamond, you can spend a bit more to get a top-quality gemstone alternative. 

Aquamarine

Emerald

Ruby

Sapphire

Morganite

Morganite is another really cool stone as it goes great with rose gold, a very trendy, softly colored metal that women today are raving about.

The chemical makeup of this stone is a blend of aquamarine and emerald. 

Another new stone, morganite was discovered by the lead gemologist at Tiffany & Co., George Kunz, and he named it after his friend, J.P. Morgan. 

While it may not be as expensive as a diamond, it certainly exudes an aura of richness, doesn’t it? 

Morganite

Clear Quartz

Then there is always the clear quartz, which makes pretty little crystals for the lead stone, and makes it affordable to have inlaid gems along with the band. She will certainly sparkle with this one.

Clear quartz is also the stone of clarity, which is a huge part of marriage, and you can tell that story for decades to come. She will tell everyone she knows that this ring represents how clear you were on how much you loved her, how much you wanted to marry her, and how well you saw your future together. 

Now that’s romance. 

Clear Quartz with inlaid Crystals 

Is Lab-Grown Cheaper than Diamonds? 

A common question is whether lab-grown diamonds are cheaper than mined diamonds and the answer is a resounding yes.

Commonly, lab-grown diamonds are half the price of mined diamonds and are also guaranteed to be ethically produced, making this alternative to mined diamonds a win/win. 

Again, if you are going to go with lab-grown, you might also want to consider gemstones and crystals, also taking note of the point of origin of both.

And remember, you can find all of these options, from diamonds – mined and lab-grown – to gemstones, to diamonds, at a great online pawn store like Pawn America. 

Pawn Engagement Rings

So, now you know what is possible, where do you look?

Pawnshops are a great place to find the engagement ring you can afford. Pawn America offers great value at low prices, from diamonds to gemstones and crystals. 

You can peruse online pawn shop engagement rings through the pictures posted online. 

Be sure that whatever pawn shop you work with does indeed post multiple photos of the ring, so you get a good sense of what the ring looks like from all angles. 

Another benefit to a pawn shop engagement ring is the story behind it. 

You can think of it as tapping into the history of another love from another time. Regardless of how the relationship worked out in the end, you can be fairly certain that the love at the time of engagement was deep enough and intense enough to invest in one of these rings. 

Often, with a pawnshop, you can find specially designed and crafted rings that are engraved with words of commitment and love. 

What a gift to make that love and commitment your own. 

Tips for Shopping Online

Finally, be sure that anytime you shop online, especially with a pawn shop, you ensure the company is a reputable one that stands by its prices.

So many people have a skewed image of what pawn shops are like thanks to the movies and shows on television today. 

They portray pawnshops as seedy locations of ill repute. And to be sure there are some of those shops in the world. 

But the best pawn shops offer an age-old barter and trade option for the everyday individual. 

We celebrate humanity by buying something of value and offering a fair price and then selling something of value at an affordable price. 

We are the original middle man. 

So, look for photos of what you want to buy. Look for reviews of the shop from satisfied, and dissatisfied, customers. Look for a fair return policy and shipping fees that are either free or affordable. 

Remember that in the end, the shop exists because of the customers, so your business should be highly valued. 

Shop Pawn America Today

We at Pawn America provide these tips and tricks for shopping online, buying your engagement ring, and finding the best alternatives because we ourselves stand by them. 

We won’t say we are the cheapest out there, but we will say that there is no pawnshop more reputable or more dedicated to serving our clients than Pawn America. 

With great prices, affordable, and sometimes free, shipping, and a fair return policy, you cannot go wrong shopping at Pawn America. 

We offer low prices on high-quality diamonds as well as top-quality gemstones and other alternatives to diamonds. You are bound to find something you, and more importantly, she, will love. 

Begin your wedded bliss with a beautiful engagement ring with a story and meaning behind it from Pawn America. 

And if you, or she, are not happy, we will gladly take the ring back and sell you something else. 

Your satisfaction is guaranteed.