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My Affordable Engagement Ring

  July 3

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affordable engagement ring The locals in Grenada call an engagement ring a “married ring.” It’s really cute. The kids here always ask to see my married ring, and on the rare occasion when I get my nails done, the ladies in the salon always seem to ask me about it too. I love it because it was an affordable engagement ring that’s unique because it has two stones, and it belonged to my great-grandmother.

When I think back to the day the hubs proposed, I think about how lucky I am to have had such a special heirloom in the family. My great grandmother received the ring as a gift on an anniversary. She was married over 50 years! She then gave it to my grandmother when she died who gave it to my mom who gave it to me.

My great grandmother wore the ring so much she actually cracked a diamond. My mom later replaced the diamond, and then the hubs replaced the entire band with one that was shiny and new. Essentially, my ring has many different parts contributed by different people.

Affordable Engagement Rings

I always wanted a ring that was really unique, and for us, refurbishing an antique ring was the best option. Being a bit of a history nerd, I love that my ring is pushing 100 years, and it’s fun to share how many women have worn it whenever someone asks me about it. It was affordable, of course, because it was passed down through my family. I’m not sure how much the hubs invested in refurbishing it since it was a gift, but my guess is a few hundred dollars.

I’m a firm believer that affordable engagement rings are just as beautiful as any other ring! It’s the relationship that’s most important, after all, not how big your diamond is.

Options For Engagement Rings

Wearing a family ring is a great way to save money on engagement rings. If you have one but you’d rather a different stone, you can always sell the diamond and replace it with a sapphire, an emerald, or any other stone. Or, if you love the antique look but don’t have a ring in the family, you can always go to estate sales and bid on one. Typically estate sales get diamond rings appraised and certified before putting them up for auction. You can also wait for a sale at a particular jewelry store, save up for one ahead of time, or purchase something small within your means now and upgrade it 10 years down the road.

If you want to see mine, I included a picture below:

affordable engagement ring

Isn’t it unique?

So, now it’s your turn: Do you wear a family ring or one with a unique look or stone? Did you pick it out or did your spouse? Gentlemen, how did you save up for a ring? Did you have a budget in mind beforehand? Spill it!

52 responses to “My Affordable Engagement Ring

  1. I always think it is neat when there is such an awesome story behind something. I bet the locals love hearing the story, but I bet they wish secretly that they could have it!

  2. It’s pretty! I just had my grandmothers ring which was given to me 10 years ago when she died into a pendant necklace because I don’t like huge rocks as rings. I’m so glad I did, because now I actually wear it. I think it’s a great idea if you have that type of thing and want to make the engagement ring more affordable. Just reset the stone.

  3. Your ring is so lovely, and unique in its appearance and story! I’ve always felt uncomfortable about the idea of a traditional engagement ring–so much money for what is essentially a shiny bauble (though of course it symbolizes something greater). Using an heirloom, antique piece, or just something uniquely beloved sounds like the way to make this symbol truly represent your special relationship.

  4. That’s an awesome story Cat! My wife actually has my grandmother’s ring and she always gets asked about it since it looks so unique. We’ve had to replace part of the band and the diamond had to be replaced – when the jeweler was replacing the band he cracked the diamond. To be fair, it had a small inclusion, but he full on cracked it. So, they gave us a better diamond to replace it and we took the bigger part of the old diamond and turned it into a nice necklace for my wife.

    1. Wow that’s a great story!! I love it! Especially the part about how you got a new diamond and got to keep part of the old one. πŸ™‚

  5. Ooo that’s beautiful! My fiance got me a moissanite stone engagement ring, which looks exactly like a diamond but is much more affordable, doesn’t involve bloodshed, and is a substance found only on asteroids, which I think is awesome. There is way too much emphasis put on diamond engagement rings this days, it’s the relationship that matters!

  6. It’s so pretty! That’s so neat how it’s been passed down. As far as I know, we don’t have any family heirlooms. I had asked my grandma if she still had her wedding dress but she told me she lost it when she moved!
    I got a ring as a gift a few years ago – it’s a simple one from Kay that was maybe $350. Everyone always asks me if it’s an engagement ring, though it’s not very fancy. I love it and it’s the only ring I have worn since receiving it. As for when I do get engaged, I’ll probably go with a less expensive option. Obviously the ring I have now is working well and that was cheap!

  7. Your engagement ring is so unique and pretty! I love it! I know the exact ring I want and J knows the exact ring I want, so it’s all a waiting game now πŸ˜›

  8. I love how unique your ring is! It’s beautiful! I really love antique-looking rings. I have a fairly traditional engagement and wedding ring set, and I love it. We didn’t have any heirlooms in the family, so I’m hoping my ring will one day become one πŸ™‚

  9. Love it! When we got engaged, I knew I wanted an Edwardian/Art Deco style ring. We looked at new rings, but ended up getting an Art Deco ring I picked out at an antique jewelry store. It ended up being exactly what I wanted, plus it had better color, clarity, and overall quality and craftsmanship than anything we could buy new – plus the same carat weight would have cost about $2000 more had we purchased new! The ring came with an appraisal from a reputable jeweler in town too, so we knew everything was legit!

  10. Oh, wow, that’s beautiful! And heirloom rings seem like such a great option…maybe I’ll pass mine on to my kids someday. I had no idea it was even POSSIBLE to crack a diamond!

  11. Love your ring/story! We don’t really don’t have any family diamonds but mt sister snd I have some beautiful pearls thst have been in the family for a long time. I will pasd my ering down to ky kids though.

  12. It is great to see Mother’s ring on your finger. She never took it off even when she poured concrete or painted. I love that you love it. Aunt Linda

  13. My buddy spent 2 months salary on his engagement ring. I told him I thought it was nuts, but I don’t have any experience, so ill differ to him
    .

  14. Oooh, sounds so much like mine. My wedding set belonged to Mr. PoP’s great grandmother and is about 100 years old now. It’s beautiful and unique and full of family history. So perfect! And it was of course a bonus that we only had to pay for re-sizing. =)

  15. Dear, your ring is lovely and your story too . Well its really good and more affordable, after reading your post i have made my mind to pass on the rings to grand children. Also diamonds are not forever but relationships are forever. Great post

  16. We picked our rings out together and they did not cost as much as we had budgeted for. My wife fell in love with her friends ring which he bought for his fiancΓ©e and it fell through. We bought the ring for a tiny fraction of the price which would have cost me well over $6000 and was brand new in the box. My silver ring was bought at the mall and cost $18 and I love it! My wife her friends ring is over $40,000 and she has to keep it in a vault when she is not wearing it. Nah!

  17. Your ring is absolutely gorgeous, and to have such a rich family history backing it up is just awesome! I’m not engaged yet, so I can’t speak to wearing a ring, but I’ve already been told that when it does happen I won’t be part of the shopping process. I know he’s picked up bits of information about what I like and what I don’t like over the last couple years, so I’m not too concerned.

  18. I love this! I think it’s a really unique and wonderful way to afford an engagement ring. A ring shouldn’t break the bank! And yours, lady, is lovely! πŸ™‚

  19. Love the ring and love the story. I wish there was a ring in my family that could be passed down to me. My mother actually gave me the diamond from her engagement ring with my dad (they are divorced). She made it into a pendant and I wear it at least 2-3 times a week.

  20. HI Cat! The ring I gave my husband was a family heirloom. It belonged to my grandfather, then dad when grandfather passed, then me when my dad passed. It’s a simple gold band but it has so much meaning for me – similarly, my grandparents were married for close to 50 years. My dad had less luck in that area but we won’t dwell on that. πŸ˜‰

    Your ring is really beautiful!

  21. Family heirloom ring – T always reminds me it had to be cut off his grandmother’s finger! I didn’t like it much at first, but it’s really grown on me and I love it. Had a minor panic in Vietnam when I took it off (which I rarely do, even in the bathroom) for a leisurely shower and forgot to put it back on right away – thought I’d lost it.

  22. Your ring is stunning! The stories behind it make it even more beautiful. We don’t have any heirlooms in my family, but perhaps it will be a tradition I start. One woman that I work with had a 3-stone engagement ring. She used had the stones removed and gave one to each of her sons to use for their fiances, and kept one for herself. I thought that was a very sweet gesture!

  23. Hi, Cat! I’m super late to comment but wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this post. I love that your ring has so much sentiment behind it. I also have an affordable engagement ring. My husband and I both enjoy antiques, so he bought my engagement ring at our favorite antique store. I love that it has a unique, Art Deco look. And, as an added benefit, the antique dealer gave him such a good price that he was able to get me a much “nicer” ring than if he had gone to a conventional jewelry store. A win for all, I think!

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