Something old, new, borrowed, and blue

I'm a bit of a jewelry nut.  I love shiny things and probably know more about diamond cuts and settings than most guys shopping for engagement rings.  That said, Craig and I don't have a lot of money.  We had to get kinda creative after I popped the question.  We needed something affordable, but also a ring I absolutely loved and would be happy to wear for the rest of my life.  So we came up with a few options:

Option 1: Something Old

I have an engagement ring that belonged to my great-grandmother.  Until I got my engagement ring, I wore this one.  Family heirlooms are a wonderful way to have something that is both affordable and sentimental.  Are there rings in your family that could be passed down and used as an engagement ring?  

Option 2: Something Blue 

Craig doesn't like diamonds.  He thinks they're boring.  Ok, it's not his ring, he doesn't have to wear it, and I do like diamonds.  But it did get me thinking about other stones.  Sapphires are especially popular as center stones.  They are elegant, strong, and less expensive than diamonds.  Plus, they are a different spin on the usual engagement ring- and I love unique!  I have a lot of friends who have substituted their center diamond for a sapphire or ruby or another precious gem.  One option is to get a precious gem as a center stone with smaller diamond accents.

Option 3: Something Old and Blue

With the idea of using a sapphire, it was back to the family jewelry box.  My mom had a beautiful star sapphire- which is a round-cut sapphire that forms when a light hits it.  I loved it.  It was interesting and unique.  My mom gave me the sapphire ring.  Since the setting was pretty plain, I decided to have the sapphire reset.  But already having a center stone saved us a ton of money on the ring.  We could put our full budget on the setting.

Option 4: Something New

With this lovely stone, it was time to go setting shopping.  I highly 

recommend visiting several jewelry stores.  On Valentine's day, Craig and I went shopping after I was done with class.  Luckily, there were four stores all Westwood, which is the area right next to UCLA, where I am going to school.  After finding a few settings I liked, I found one I loved.  It was at Michael's Jeweler's, and if you're in Los Angeles, I highly recommend him.  He was able to custom make the setting I liked for under my budget.

Winner!

PS Appreciate those who love you.

Finally, don't forget to thank family if they pass down heirlooms to you.  My way of saying thanks to my mom for her sapphire was to reset the setting the stone came in.  I knew she liked blue, so, while I couldn't afford a sapphire, I knew it would look great with a blue topaz.  It made a wonderful Mother's Day gift.

And for the guy who spent most of the day shopping for engagement rings?  My Valentine's gift to Craig was to take him out to go go-karting for the rest of the day.  And I'm actually a better go-kart driver than I would have thought.