DID I FIND THE RING?

Dammit, I fell into a designer ring line and came across this:

It's "Cascade" from Marc Schneider Design. And now that I've seen this ring, nearly all other engagement rings have been ruined.

Though admittingly, I would not be disappointed with his "Kismet" ring either, shown below.

I love that they have such a sleek, contemporary design!

Also, since I've been so concerned about cost, my bestie was telling me about man-made diamonds, also known as synthetic or "cultured" diamonds.  The benefits of cultured diamonds sound amazing!  They're typically about a third of the cost of regular diamonds, have virtually the same physical properties (and are still diamonds... not fake, just created in a lab!), can have color added to them like rare colored diamonds, and don't have the bad press of being "blood diamonds."  I still love the idea of a gemstone engagement ring, but I'm not sure if that's what I'd want for this design.  MAYBE a colored cultured diamond, but it'd have to be in very subtle tones.

Admittingly, I'm not as enthusiastic about the matching bands for these rings.  I guess I'd like a pretty traditional/plain wedding band for everyday wear.  And no Mark Schneider trademark secret heart either.

But I love them!  I think I'd need to try them on to decide!  (Or just let the mister decide and surprise me... that would make me love the ring more, I think, if he had a hand in chosing it, too... as long as I really love all the ring choices equally!)

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For mens' rings, Marc Schneider has a smaller collection.  I prefer the really simple designs for men's rings, but somehow (and maybe it's just the way they photograph, I don't know), I really like the men's rings on this page, especially "Edge."

Engagement Rings

My bestie asked me about the sort of engagement ring I'd like.  I'd love a pretty ring but know that the traditional diamond sort isn't for me.  Neither is something on the other end, like a Claddagh ring.  So, of course, that leaves the gemstone route.  And I think that's just right for me.

I'm mostly a fan of the blues.

I think of these, the first and the third settings are more my style.  But have I found the right ring like the bestie did?  No, I don't think so.  Maybe it's just one of those things where you need to just try it on--to experience--before you know it's the right one.

Also, depending on the stone, it can be a lot more affordable than a diamond ring.  All the pretty and little to none of the guilt. :)