Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

Symbolizing eternal love and dedication, an engagement ring is a valued piece of jewelry for soon-to-be-married couples. However buying an engagement ring is no easy task, considering that both aesthetics along with budget must be taken into consideration. When it comes to choosing a band for your cubic zirconia engagement ring, there are essentially three precious metals that rule the roost: Platinum, gold and silver.

Platinum Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

Platinum is extremely long-wearing, very white and heavier than gold. Because of its rarity and time-intensive mining process it is much more expensive than gold and for this reason is seen as a prestige choice of the rich and famous.

On a separate note, platinum is a good choice for people with sensitive skin as it has high hypoallergenic properties and does not cause skin rashes that some people have to gold alloys.

Because of its high expense, platinum cubic zirconia engagement rings are not widely seen. The dichotomy of a superbly expensive band with a budget stone does not add up for many people. Rather, many people prefer to spend more on a beautiful CZ stone and cut and opt for a white gold band instead.

Gold Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

White Gold Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

White gold is any gold alloy that imparts a whiteish coloration to the metal. This is usually done by means of adding metals such as platinum, palladium, silver or tin amongst others.

White gold has become a favorite choice in cubic zirconia engagement bands as it complements nearly all gem colors and settings and is more affordable than platinum.

Yellow Gold Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

Yellow gold is classic and pleasing to the eye. A 24k gold band is the purest form of gold with a very good luster, and feels soft against the skin.

However, gold in its purest form is soft and prone to scratching. 14k or 18k alloys which correspond to purities of 58.3% and 75% respectively are more often used as they are harder and longer lasting.

Silver Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

Silver is the most affordable of the three classic precious metals and makes for an attractive and budget choice of cubic zirconia engagement rings.

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Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

So you’ve decided that she is the one and that you want to spend the rest of your life with her. Congratulations…Believe it not, that was the easy part! Now you are faced with picking the engagement ring which will play a huge role in your proposal. For those of us getting married for the first time, most of us probably do not have the first clue about how to actually go about choosing the engagement ring. Luckily, buying a cubic zirconia engagement ring is really quite straightforward, uncomplicated and far less daunting when you understand the following pointers.

CZ Engagement Ring Design

In the good old days, choosing an engagement ring was easier for men since there were relatively few options. Nowadays however given the large variety of choice and modern social norms, you may find it easier to take your spouse-to-be along with you when you go engagement ring shopping!

So how do you want the ring to look? Simple? Slightly embellished? How many stones? What color stones? You get the picture.

Well, an engagement ring is basically made up of only two components namely the stone and the band. Each can be made of different materials, have different colors and different shapes. Read on to learn more about your choices when it comes to picking a cubic zirconia engagement ring.

Stones

A cubic zirconia solitaire engagement ring for example will feature a single CZ stone set on the band. Some solitaires can be embellished with smaller stones set into the band itself.

An alternative is the three-stone cubic zirconia engagement ring. This could be made up of one large stone surrounded by two smaller stones or three equally sized stones.

Color

Colorwise, the vast majority of CZ stones are colorless. However remember that CZ is a totally synthetic stone and can be created in any color. Colorless is most popular simply because CZ is a diamond substitute and other colors such as blue and pink cubic zirconia engagement rings are available.

Style

From butterfly engagement rings to antique-style and from vintage cubic zirconia engagement rings to avant-garde rings, there are plenty of amazing designers who have produced elaborate engagement rings and they are a great choice for females who like to stand out.

CZ Engagement Ring Settings

Band

One consideration to ponder over regarding how you want your engagement ring to look when you wear it on your hand is the kind of precious metal from which the band should be made from.

Gold cubic zirconia engagement rings can be a classic yellow color or even white or rosy depending on the exact purity and alloy of gold used.

Platinum cubic zirconia engagement rings are only available in white and are much more expensive than their gold counterparts.

For those looking for something really cheap, cheery and affordable, just go with a silver cubic zirconia engagement ring.

Setting

If you closely, you will also find that stones can be set on the rings in different ways as well. This could be of three types:

Prong

This is the traditional setting. The CZ stone is actually securely held in place by a set of prongs.

Bezel

A modern twist. The CZ stone is surrounded and held in place by both white gold or platinum, giving it the illusion of becoming larger and extra excellent.

Tension

Another modern setting, this is exactly where the CZ stone is squeezed amongst the two ends of the engagement ring band.

Choosing the CZ Engagement Ring Stone

Shape & Cut

This refers to the overall shape of the stone and how it has been cut which determines the brilliance of its ‘sparkle’.

Technically speaking there is a difference between shape and cut but amongst the general public the most popular references include Round, Princess, Emerald, Oval, Pear, Marquise, Radiant, Heart, Asscher and Cushion cut cubic zirconia engagement rings.

Princess-cut cubic zirconia engagement rings are square shaped whereas round-cut cubic zirconia engagement rings are round.

Carat

Like all gemstones, the carat refers to the weight of the actual precious stone. However, many people understand carat in terms of stone size. This is understandable as weight and size are obviously related.

However, because CZ weighs 1.75 times more than diamond, a 1 carat cubic zirconia engagement ring would be smaller than a 1 carat diamond engagement ring. (You need less CZ to make the same weight of diamond).

But since CZ is viewed as a diamond substitute, its carats are referred to in equivalence to diamonds. Thus, when you shop for a 2 carat cubic zirconia engagement ring for example, you are shopping for a CZ stone that looks the same size as a 2 carat diamond but actually weighs more than 2 carats!

Clarity

Could it be any better? Being man-made, CZ stones are virtually flawless and have no inclusions.

Why Are CZ Engagement Rings Cheap

Let’s not beat around the bush. Cubic zirconia is not the premium choice but it is the affordable choice. Since it is man-made, it is not rare and therefore not expensive.

It is the choice of many people especially in times of economic hardship and if given due respect as a symbol of love and commitment, it is just as priceless as diamond.

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Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings