Help me find a CZ Dupe of this engagement ring

May 22, 2020 9:26 AM

I found a beautiful diamond ring but i have no interest in diamonds (plus I waited too long and it's sold out anyway). I'm totally at a loss with how to go about finding this in a high-quality non-diamond... Any ideas?
posted by wowenthusiast to Shopping (10 answers total)

It looks like they still have the knife edge band in stock, and jewelers have whole catalogs of gemstones in various cuts that are really affordable. You could reach out to them directly, or buy the band and ask another jeweler to do a custom mount with an oval cut gemstone of your choice.
posted by Think_Long at 9:33 AM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

This style of solitaire is called East West. Here's one on Etsy using Moissanite instead of a diamond. I prefer a natural stone to synthetic, but you should be able to find various options if you search for East West solitaires.
posted by quince at 9:36 AM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Definitely contact the site where you first saw the ring. Any jeweler can do an east-west setting but that cut is somewhat unusual (and beautiful!). In my experience, jewelers enjoy a challenge like this where they need to find a different stone to fit a particular setting. You won’t be the first person who loves this ring but wants a non-diamond stone! They might have CZ on hand but aren’t advertising them, for various reasons. Seriously, jewelers are happy to customize stuff like this!
posted by corey flood at 9:59 AM on May 22, 2020

You can definitely send that actual company an email, or just find a custom goldsmith in your area whose work you think looks good and contact them - that's what they're for, making you a ring you like that you can't find!

I would recommend moissanite as a diamond dupe over CZs, which are negatively charged and will cloud up over a couple years, especially if they get wet repeatedly (like an engagement ring would). You might want to look into a rose cut oval which will give you a little less "fire" but be an interesting look, a bit closer to that old-cut diamond than a modern cut.

A lot of the beauty of non-diamond, non-simulant diamond stones depends on keeping the stone very clean, so if you decide to go with a gemstone of another kind, make sure its a kind that can be cleaned and that you know how to clean it! For instance, my engagement ring is a mint green tourmaline which is totally gorgeous, but I clean it everytime I wear it with a soft toothbrush and mr.clean to keep it sparkly!
posted by euphoria066 at 10:09 AM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Adding on to what Quince is saying, the orientation of the gem is east west, the shape of the gem is oval, but if you like how long-skinny this oval is, I would suggest a marquise, and the setting style is pronged, as opposed to bezeled, and the overall style is a "solitaire". Unfortunately there's not a common name yet for the band that has a ridge. I really like it, too. Common alternatives are white sapphire and moissanite. White sapphire is a mined gemstone that occurs naturally, and has a refractive index of 1.77, diamonds are at 2.4, and moissanite is at 2.6. On the MOHs scale, which ranks durability/hardness, white sapphires sit at 9, diamonds at 10, and moissanite at 9.25
posted by FirstMateKate at 10:27 AM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Erie Basin is fantastic; they did a lovely job on a custom diamond ring for me to match a vintage band a few years ago. I don't think they have CZ in house, but it's worth reaching out and seeing what they might be able to do for you in a non-diamond.
posted by MeadowlarkMaude at 10:44 AM on May 22, 2020

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posted by wowenthusiast at 11:55 AM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding moissanite. I have a pair of moissanite earrings that I wear every day and they are as bright and sparkling as the day I got them. A jeweller who had to repair the earrings didn't know they weren't diamonds and was surprised when I said they weren't.
posted by essexjan at 12:04 PM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

If Erie Basin is not currently accepting new custom orders, here's an Etsy seller crafting moissanite solitaire rings (incl. this rose-cut moissanite) with knife-edge 18K gold bands -- use their contact form to inquire after east-west stone options (which they do use in at least one other ring style) with that band.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:22 PM on May 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

My engagement ring is Moissanite and I agree that it’s the best option for a non-diamond white/clear durable every day stone. You might find something you like on Brilliant Earth!
posted by amaire at 10:43 PM on May 22, 2020