When couples announce their engagement, often there are other financial outlays to be considered, including wedding arrangements, a honeymoon, and for many, saving for a home as well. Little wonder that many newly engaged couples are hoping to spend a little less on an engagement ring and later on for the wedding rings. How can you save a few dollars with an inexpensive engagement ring that still ticks all the right boxes?

Stones. As a rule, diamonds are going to cost you more. However, once you start researching you will realize that there is plenty of leeway in diamond pricings. Selecting a smaller diamond, or one with slightly more color will dramatically drop the price. Does your diamond need to be perfect under a jeweler’s loupe or just to the naked eye?

Another alternative is to select precious or semi-precious gems instead of diamonds. Those can be ideal for those who have a favorite color, or are seeking an engagement ring that is a little more unique. Almost any gem can be used as a stone for an engagement ring, although pearls and opals are a little more frail and do require special care.

Settings. Complicated and ornate settings will significantly increase the price of the engagement ring.

Metals. OK, first up, platinum is the very most expensive metal that you can use for an engagement ring. However, all is not lost if you admire that look. White gold plated with rhodium will give a very similar appearance but at a lesser cost. Better still, the white metal palladium is hypo allergenic, looks very similar to platinum, and is less expensive than white gold.

Where to Buy an Inexpensive Engagement Ring. Trying on a few engagement rings in the flesh can be a great place to get an idea of what looks good on your hand. Once you have a basic idea of stones, sizes and settings, you will be able to start looking at jewelry websites.

The Internet is a fantastic place to start researching what your engagement ring budget will buy. Most sites have their engagement rings displayed in specific budgets, allowing you to head to the appropriate price page straight up.

Even better are the sites that allow you to build your own engagement ring. This can be an excellent exercise in determining which factors you may be happy to compromise on or not, such as size, color, cut, or clarity of the diamond or gems.

Do you really need to purchase your engagement ring from a prestigious jeweler? Once the engagement ring is on your finger nobody will be able to see that stamp which may have impacted heavily on the final cost. Jewelers working from the Internet have much lower overheads than those working out of a storefront with extra business costs. As a general rule, the jewelers with the lower overheads will convert their lower business outgoings into a lower priced item.

Andy Moquin has spent 20 years in the jewelry industry with much of his experience in polished diamonds, engagement rings , wedding rings , rings and custom jewelry design. He is an accomplished business consultant and is available for advice on topics such as marketing, advertising, merchandising and business turnarounds

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Whether it is our treasured heirloom pieces or the modern and trendy watches and rings we wear for just a season or two, jewelry is a fun and versatile way to express ourselves. The jewelry that we wear also tells a lot about us.

When it comes to our finer jewelry, a lot of care and maintenance is required to keep it looking great. Fine jewelry easily loses its luster and value so it is very important to use an appropriate cleaning method to preserve the life of it. Many people try to clean their jewelry using pastes, brushes and soft cloths, but normally cannot get the jewelry very clean as dirt and grime are often embedded deep within the cracks and crevices.

An ultrasonic jewelry cleaner is a machine that you can purchase for home use. It is designed to clean jewelry using sound waves and a cleaning solution.  You simply fill the tank on the machine with the cleaning solution, set your jewelry into the provided basket and turn it on. Within a minute or two, sound waves produce tiny bubbles that form and collapse quickly which sweep away the dirt particles and grime from the crevices of the jewelry. The results are astonishing and your jewelry will become shiny and looking new again.

Ultrasonic cleaners are ideal for cleaning jewelry that is made of gold or platinum and those pieces that contain harder stones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and quartz. They should not however, be used to clean more delicate items that include pearls, emeralds and opals. If these types of stones are cleaned ultrasonically, they can crack and weaken the color. There is a rule that is called the red, white and blue rule with ultrasonic cleaning that should be adhered to. Rubies, diamonds and sapphires are normally safe in the ultrasonic cleaner.

Most jewelers actually use ultrasonic cleaners to clean the jewelry you take in to have professionally cleaned. Crest Ultrasonics is a world leader in the ultrasonic technology industry. Crest produces industrial as well as tabletop ultrasonic cleaners for jewelry. A Crest ultrasonic cleaner is often what jewelers use to clean delicate jewelry. If you wish to save yourself a considerable amount of money you can purchase a small and compact unit that sits on your countertop at home.

If you own delicate jewelry such as antique pieces and are not sure if you should clean them in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, then it is best to ask an expert, such as your local jeweler.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. A Crest ultrasonic cleaner is often what jewelers use to clean delicate jewelry. If you own delicate jewelry such as antique pieces and are not sure if you should clean them in an sonic jewelry cleaner, then it is best to ask an expert, such as your local jeweler.

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Known as the modern birthstone for October, opal is perfect for crafting birthstone jewelry. Since the times of the Romans and Aztecs, opal has been mined to create beautiful accessories for personal adornment. For many centuries, this stone was even treasured for its supposed gift of success, happiness, protection from illness, and prophecy, as well as the power to develop beauty and improve eyesight.

With the opal’s characteristic beauty, myths like these come as no surprise. Opal possesses a soft glow that lends quiet elegance to its wearer. In addition, its color ranges from milky white to red, magenta, pink, green, yellow, orange, brown and black, allowing owners to match opal jewelry with different outfits.

In the gemstone world, opal is also highly popular for its play of color, which may be attributed to its tiny pockets of water that diffract light at various wavelengths, creating flashes of different hues. In addition, opal is perfect whether used as a solitary gem in rings and earrings or the pendant in necklaces, or alongside other gems, especially diamonds, garnet, turquoise, peridot and pink tourmaline. It will also work well with gold, silver or platinum bases for a wide range of accessories.

Since the discovery of the structure of the spheres of water in precious opal, countless jewelers have also begun synthesizing the gem for commercial purposes. The result is a set of opals with regular structure whose patches of color are arranged in a defined pattern, and which are more porous and less dense. Interested buyers of opal birthstone jewelry then need to choose with care, and purchase only when the quality of the product has been ascertained.

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Opal birthstone jewelry of the finest quality and the most artistic designs are available at Diviene. The company takes pride in having a pool of talented craftsmen who create a wide selection of earrings, rings, necklaces and other accessories. Visit http://www.diviene.com or call 1-877-570-3456 to view their offerings.

Jeff Paul is a writer and copy editor who likes to share information on many different topics.

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