A Guide to Affordable Engagement Rings

We’ve worked with countless engagement ring buyers who think they have to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for a high-quality engagement ring. One buyer we spoke to assumed $25,000 was around what had to be paid for the perfect ring. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

A high-quality engagement ring is definitely a serious investment, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little research, determination, and expert help, you’ll be more than able to find the perfect ring that falls comfortably within your budget.

We’ve developed the following 7 rules to follow when finding the right affordable engagement ring.

Like any serious investment, from buying a new car to a new washing machine, the first thing you need to do is set yourself a budget. Make this a realistic budget and be prepared to stick to it. Be aware of advice telling you to spend ‘three-month’s salary’ or similar advice—ultimately, what you spend should be what you’re both able and comfortable to spend.

However, do realize that if you want a good quality diamond engagement ring, we are still talking a price that will sit in the thousands. Also, remember that with higher quality jewelry items such as these, you are paying for two things: the engagement ring band, and the center diamond itself.

To give you some idea of a possible price you could choose to pay for an engagement ring, we’ve combined a high-quality diamond and beautiful setting. The first choice is the center diamond, and we’ve gone for this 0.801 ct G VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond. This diamond is the perfect size for an affordable diamond engagement ring, as well as a great overall quality.

With a VS1 clarity grade, this diamond is totally eye-clean, meaning it looks the same quality as a Flawless diamond (the highest possible clarity grade) to the naked eye. For the setting, consider this 18k White Gold Simon G. Fabled Diamond Engagement Ring, which is a stunning example of a pavé design that utilizes a twisted band for the utmost beauty.

In today’s diamond jewelry market, this is a very affordable investment, especially considering the feature stone is an A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond set in a designer setting from one of the finest bridal brands in the market, Simon G.

You will hear stories of the ‘biggest diamonds in the world’ and of people looking for diamonds with huge carat weights, but size doesn’t make a diamond. We believe that diamond quality is truly dependent upon its internal characteristics, such as clarity, color, and cut.

For example, this diamond 0.401-carat D VVS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond, is on the smaller end, but it’s quality is at the very top end. A diamond with VVS1 clarity and D color is considered “collection quality”.

Following on from the previous point, a 0.8-carat diamond is a good path to go down for those looking for an affordable diamond to adorn an engagement ring without compromising quality. Choosing a smaller carat size is a fantastic way to still get an amazing engagement ring while lowering the price you’ll have to pay.

Why not consider a diamond that sits around the 0.8-carat mark? These can be up to half the price of a 1-carat diamond. Furthermore, if you’re able to find a diamond that is around 0.8 carats with a fantastic cut quality, it will appear larger due to its high level of edge-to-edge brightness and optimized light performance.

High-quality cuts make diamonds appear bigger because they reflect more light—we can’t stress how important this bit of information is for those looking for an affordable, yet high-quality diamond engagement ring. For example, this 0.733 ct D VS1 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond will appear bigger than ordinary diamonds because it is a Super Ideal cut, guaranteeing amazing light performance. Due to its overall quality, this diamond has been made part of Whiteflash’s A CUT ABOVE® range, which is world-renowned for its quality, extreme precision, and attention to detail. You can explore the Round cut diamonds available in this range by clicking the link below.

If a diamond is advertised as having VS1 clarity, D color, an excellent cut, and weighs over 2 carats, but it’s only priced at $2,000, it’s probably a ‘too good be true’ deal. A diamond such as this would never be so inexpensive, so it is worth avoiding such deals, even if you think they are an affordable purchase.

Inclusions are internal imperfections that sit inside the diamond itself. These exist in the majority of diamonds, but many are too small to be seen by the naked eye. However, they all have an effect on the light performance, and value of a diamond.

What this means is that someone might be tempted to choose a diamond with visible inclusions because it’s a lot less expensive than others. However, with visible inclusions, the diamond just won’t be as beautiful or impressive as those that are ‘eye-clean’.

We would always recommend looking for an ‘eye-clean’ diamond. First of all, you don’t have to spend an incredible amount to find one. Secondly, they guarantee that the diamond you find will look so much better than a diamond with visible inclusions.

Yes, a diamond with visible inclusions may be less expensive, but is it good value for money? Probably not.

There are countless affordable diamond engagement rings on the market today, either here at Whiteflash or elsewhere, so don’t just choose the first seemingly affordable ring you see. In our time helping people choose the finest diamond jewelry, we’ve come across many stories of people rushing into purchases and then later regretting what they have bought.

The truly wise jewelry buyer will do their research before committing to a purchase. For example, you may have your eyes set on two separate engagement rings and end up choosing the one that is more expensive due to its credentials, diamond size, or even metal type.

In contrast, you may realize that the least expensive choice represents the best value for money in your specific circumstances. This can happen in moments where you find two diamonds of the same size, color, and cut quality, yet one is a Flawless diamond, and the other is VS1 clarity. To save yourself money, it’s worth choosing the VS1 clarity diamond. Yes, this is a lower clarity grade than Flawless, but the naked eye would never be able to distinguish between the two. Essentially, you’re paying thousands of dollars less for a diamond that looks the same as its higher-graded counterpart.

The smart move is to put your research into little hacks like this that can end up saving you money, especially when you’re looking for the most affordable engagement ring. Remember, the more research you do, the more likely you are to find a good deal.

Diamond engagement rings can be made from a number of different metal types, such as gold, platinum, palladium, or an alternative metal. Gold itself can be further classified into yellow, white, and rose gold. Each of these metals will come with their specific prices.

For example, platinum is the most expensive metal that engagement rings are made out of. For example this Platinum Verragio 4-Prong Twisted Shank Diamond Engagement Ring, is gorgeous, regal, intricate and has a truly organic design.

Yet, a design like this also comes in different metal choices. It’s counterpart, the 18k White Gold Verragio 4-Prong Twisted Shank Diamond Engagement Ring is exactly the same design, yet is priced more affordably.

You will also need to think about the karat of your metal. Engagement rings are conventionally offered in 14k up to 18k, which denotes how pure the band is. A 24k gold ring contains 24 parts gold, and nothing else. This means the price would be much higher than a 14k ring of the same size and shape. However, a ring of 14k to 18k is far more practical due to the alloy it’s made from, ensuring it is far more durable than a pure gold ring.

Our final rule is that you should stay away from items that are obviously too cheap. Like a ‘too good to be true deal’, you will probably end up regretting a purchase that is altogether too inexpensive.

With deals like these, it’s often the case that the resulting item purchased is of significantly lower quality. It may look aesthetically dull, displeasing, or plain ugly. It also may have problems with integrity and durability. While the old adage, ‘you get what you pay for’, may apply here, we’d prefer to state that ‘you get cheap things if you pay for cheap things’.

The best way to become familiar with the diamond engagement ring market is to browse it, and you’re in the best place to start.

Here at Whiteflash, we have an extensive range of high quality diamond engagement rings of all designs and prices. You can begin your journey towards finding the right engagement ring, with the best value for money, by perusing what we have on offer today. This is a moment to familiarize yourself with what is available, and get to know exactly what qualities and styles are right for YOU.