There's not a single person out there who would turn down truly amazing and beautiful jewelry were it free. Unfortunately, everything has its price, and this causes many people to look into unconventional areas to find good value.

The industry standard in rings has been and will be the diamond. While diamonds are amazingly beautiful and radiant, sometimes their costs are just too prohibitive. It's times like these when it may be worthwhile to look into diamond substitutes.

There are two primary gemstones which act as competition for diamonds. These are moissanite and cubic zirconia. The latter has a terrible reputation as something cheap, gaudy, and somewhat fake. CZ rings should never be chosen in place of diamonds.

Moissanite rings have only been around since the end of the 20th century. They're amazing beautiful and becoming more popular every day. The only reason they're not more often talked about is that many don't know about them.

Unfortunately, moissanite can't be found in nature. This means that all moissanite rings use synthetically created gemstones. If this would bother you, then you should definitely not consider getting one. Many have no problem with this, though.

Moissanite rings have many fans amongst gemologists who have studied them. They apparently exhibit higher luster, fire, and brilliance compared to diamonds. This means that they'll look as good if not better at first glance.

The other positive to moissanite rings is that they're far less expensive than diamond ones. This means that you'd be able to afford a larger stone, a better cut, or more accenting gemstones. Diamond are great, but they are considerably expensive.

No matter what you ultimately decide on, both diamond and moissanite rings share in a tradition of beauty and elegance that no honest eye can deny. For tradition and symbolism, go with diamond rings. If price is more of a concern, go with moissanite.