Fake Diamond Rings

Photo:  Fake Diamond Rings are perfect as placeholder or proposal rings, temporary or otherwise.  Source:  Luxuria® Diamonds

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” declared Marilyn Monroe in the 1950’s but surprisingly in 2024 the demand for fake diamond rings is huge. Fake engagement rings using various diamond simulants form part of a massive US$32 Billion per annum fashion jewelry market.

Fake rings typically use diamond simulants or diamond substitutes. A diamond simulant is simply a stone that looks similar to real diamond and shares some of its characteristics. Most diamond simulants used in fake engagement rings are created in a lab. Examples of popular diamond simulants include cubic zirconia (cz), moissanite and crystal. Some diamond substitutes are naturally occurring like zircon or white topaz.

But why have fake diamond engagement rings become so popular?

In this post we outline seven reasons why buying fake engagement rings is trending. One key reason though is that there’s a rapidly growing trend in the USA and elsewhere of proposing with fake diamond rings. This is a highly effective way for prospective grooms to eliminate the huge risk of buying the wrong engagement ring.

Our Most Popular Fake Diamond Rings

7 reasons why fake diamond rings are so popular

1.   Guys are buying them for proposals

Once upon a time a traditional marriage proposal typically played out like this. Your partner would bend down on one knee, request your hand in marriage and then present a sparkling diamond ring.

But how’s a guy who knows squat about jewelry supposed to ace the diamond engagement ring choice?

What if you get the decision wrong?  How does your bride-to-be tell you that they don’t like it?  And yet, you want them to have the ring they would choose for themselves.

In some cases it’s a fail. The internet is awash with forums and message boards where women vent their frustration. They are disappointed over their partner’s choice of diamond engagement ring.  In one recent survey 72% of women say they wouldn’t trust their partner to choose their diamond engagement ring.

Enter one raison d’être of a fake diamond ring. It’s a ring for her to wear until the “real” ring is found – ideally together, because only she knows what she wants.

PHOTO 1:  Simulated diamond rings can sparkle like crazy and are ideal for use as a placeholder or temporary engagement ring.   A placeholder ring or temporary engagement ring looks like the real deal.  Its purpose is to act as a “stand-in” ring to make a surprise marriage proposal with.   Photo above is of an elegant 1.7 carat kite shaped simulated diamond ring from Luxuria Diamonds.

2.   So he can make a surprise proposal

“Will you marry me?” According to the Knot survey (2017) 91 percent of US grooms propose with these words.  Those four little words can turn the most level-headed person into a ball of jitters—and who can blame them?  To say asking the love of your life to spend forever with you is nerve-racking would be an understatement.

Beyond hoping they’ll say “yes,” there’s pressure to have a great story to tell your loved ones and future family.  The key to that is to keep the whole proposal plan a complete secret and a surprise!

One in three marriage proposals in America are a surprise.  Even though you’ve discussed getting married, the marriage proposal itself can – and should – be a surprise.  Fake diamond rings solve the problem of surprise.  You don’t have to give the game away by asking her what style of engagement ring she likes. This is because once she says yes – you can later shop for your “forever ring” together. Trust us, she’ll love that idea! And besides the simulated diamond ring you proposed with can take on a second life as a travel ring. Clever chap!

PHOTO 2:  Fake engagement rings are perfect for a surprise marriage proposal.  With less effort expended in buying the ring you can focus your attention on what’s really important.   What’s really important is a thoughtful and well-orchestrated marriage proposal!    If she says yes you can shop together later for the “forever” ring.

3.  What if she says NO!

According to one British survey, nearly one in four women has turned down a marriage proposal!   A recent article about marriage by Psychology Today noted that public proposals had a higher rate of rejection than private ones.

Consider for a moment that the guy probably has bought a diamond engagement ring to propose with.  It’s a big investment.   According to The Knot 2021 Jewelry and Engagement Study, the average cost of an engagement ring is currently $6,000.

What happens to the ring if she says no?    A diamond engagement ring typically loses 50% of its value as soon as you leave the jeweller.   Not all jewellers will offer refunds.

PHOTO 3:   If you are not sure whether she will say yes, how about proposing with a fake engagement ring?  Proposing with a fake ring is OK.   Just don’t try pass it off as being a real diamond ring, even if it looks great like the high quality 2 carat 14k gold vermeil solitaire ring from Luxuria® Diamonds above. 

There is a much smarter way, especially if you are not sure if she’ll yes or really like your $6000 ring.    Consider the use of a placeholder ring (a fake engagement ring).  This limits your losses if she says no.

Fake engagement rings are perfect for a surprise proposal.  Further, high quality fake engagement rings are an exceptionally good substitute for diamond; don’t cost the earth and give you some breathing space after the proposal is accepted to shop for the forever ring together.  This way she gets a ring which perfectly suits her hand and her tastes.  And if she doesn’t, she can’t blame you!

New data shows an insane number of women have turned down marriage proposals.  Nearly one in four women has turned down a marriage proposal!

 

4.  A “Travel Ring” to control potential loss

It’s a smart move to consider using fake diamond rings for vacations and travel.  For all the fun of travel, keeping your valuables safe can be a constant source of stress. You already have to worry about your kids, your phone, wallet and tablet.  Why add your precious and sometimes irreplaceable engagement ring to the mix?  There are just too many risks while on the road. Examples:

You could attract the wrong kind of attention.

Its easy to leave the ring on a nightstand inside your hotel room.

You could lose or damage your diamond ring while engaging in a new activity.

Sometimes rings and / or precious stones are heirlooms. These may have passed down through families over generations. Such rings are simply irreplaceable, so travel insurance is of little comfort.

Leaving your diamond ring secure in a safe or safety deposit box at home ensures none of this will happen.  Consider a fake diamond ring for travel instead.

PHOTO 4:   Fake engagement rings that look real are a sensible idea for travel.   Fake rings for travel effectively control the potential loss from theft, misplacement or damage of a precious diamond ring.   Why not go colourful?  Above is a 1.4 carat lab created emerald ring from the Luxuria® jewelry brand.

5.  To keep creeps at bay

Some women find that faux diamond rings can be useful in the office and elsewhere for keeping creeps at bay by suggesting that you are already in a serious relationship.   For authenticity it was important wear fake diamond rings that look real.

This trend was reported by BRIDES magazine in 2019.    Brides noted “There’s a worrying new trend of women wearing a fake engagement ring at work—not as a way to proclaim their love and commitment, but rather as a way to deal with customers and co-workers who won’t leave them alone. And it’s happening a lot.”

PHOTO 5:  Many women report that fake engagement rings are useful in the workplace to help keep co-workers advances at bay.   Seen above is a 3 carat cubic zirconia solitaire ring from Luxuria.

Harassment can be a problem in the workplace.   Many women have reported that wearing fake, especially fake diamond engagement rings significantly reduces the number of people who hit on them.   It appears that when men sight an engagement ring or wedding ring they back off.

What a sad world!

6.  To complete your look

Its Friday night cocktails and with dress on and make up applied you are searching for a bit of bling to complete your look.  For those who like to show off the beauty of their rings, a fake diamond ring acts as a great stand-in. Cubic zirconia is the go-to stand-in for traditional diamonds, and many look indistinguishable from the real thing.  Fake diamond rings can complete your look without emptying your wallet. Hello beautiful.

VIDEO:  Luxuria Diamonds offers exceptionally high-quality diamond simulant engagement rings delivered directly to your door. With many accolades and a huge collection, Luxuria is offering loving couples an incredible alternative to expensive natural diamond jewelry. In the above video we tell you a bit about the Luxuria® brand and why fake diamond rings are the perfect way to pop the question.

7.  Simulated Diamond Rings are affordable

Let’s be honest, while diamond engagement rings are beautiful they are hardly affordable.   Not everyone has thousands of dollars available to buy a ring.

Some people mistakenly believe that diamonds are an investment that will appreciate in value.    In most cases it’s not true.  When you buy a diamond, you buy it at retail, which is typically a 100% to 200% markup.  Therefore, as soon as you leave the jeweler with a diamond, it has lost over 50% of its value.  For this reason, retail jewelers especially the prestigious ones, prefer not to buy back diamonds from customers.  This is because the offer they would make would most likely be close to their wholesale cost and be considered insulting.

PHOTO 6:    Increasingly, couples consider good quality faux diamond rings or synthetic gemstone rings for engagement.   This is a way to contain costs until they can afford the real deal.   Photo above of a CZ bridal ring set from Luxuria Jewellery.

The median budget for a wedding in the USA is around US$20,000.    Often at least a portion of that money is borrowed, so married life starts with debt.    If money is tight you are probably better off to save it and put it towards an appreciating asset – like a deposit on a house.

Check out our recent blog on affordable engagement rings under 100.     Options for cheap engagement rings under $100 include synthetic gemstone, natural semi-precious gemstones and simulated diamond rings.    We look at various fake engagement ring options available and share our thoughts including pros and cons and how to pick fake diamond rings that look real.

Fake Diamond Rings that look real

Our fake diamond rings are virtually indistinguishable from a diamond with the naked eye.  Only your jeweller can tell the difference!

Did you know that like diamond, cubic zirconia stones which we use in our fake diamond rings are graded according to carat, color, clarity and cut?  It’s a common misconception that all diamond simulant stones are the same. In fact, just like diamonds, there are a number of Quality Levels, and accordingly there is a corresponding range of price points for these beautiful diamond look-alikes.

Like natural diamond gemstones, diamond simulants such as cubic zirconia stones are graded according to carat, color, clarity and cut, but use a scale of A to AAAAA, A being the lowest and AAAAA or 5A being the highest. While 5A is the best grade among machine-cut CZ, even higher grading is possible via hand-cut. Hand-cut cubic zirconia quality is dependent on the technique and the experience of the professional cutting the stone.  A hand-cut CZ used in an artificial diamond ring or a fake engagement ring which is cut with improper technique will not have the brilliance of a natural diamond.   This is why it’s so important, when shopping for hand-cut CZ to purchase from a reputable jeweler or supplier.

To the naked eye, if cut properly, a hand-cut cubic zirconia will have the same luminosity as and be nearly indistinguishable from a fine diamond.

Fake Diamond Rings – it’s about the cut

It is widely understood that cut quality has a greater impact on diamond beauty than any other aspect.   The quality of fake diamond rings depends significantly on the cut.    Always seek out the best diamond simulant cut.  Regardless of the material you start with, if the simulants are not cut correctly, they will not have the brilliance and sparkle of real diamond.

Luxuria’s fake diamond rings with round stones and the LUX hallmark use a Star cut.  The cut when seen through a viewer has a Hearts and Arrows (H&A) pattern with eight hearts and eight arrows.   This is typically  only found in real diamonds that meet the American Gem Society Laboratories’ “0” Ideal Cut specifications.

The benefit to customers comes in the form of light performance that is maximized by the precise alignment of the facets.  A higher degree of optical precision translates to produce sparkle which is larger in size, brighter, and more vivid.

Illustration:  Faux diamond rings use quality materials.  Luxuria’s round stones are precision star cut with hearts and arrows pattern for superior visual performance.  Look for fake diamond engagement rings with grade 5A H&A simulants. Less than 1% of the world’s natural diamonds are cut to hearts and arrows optical symmetry precision.

Luxuria’s simulated diamond rings use the highest quality diamond simulants.  LUX hallmarked fake diamond rings surpass industry standards for grade 5A. They are near colorless (D color) and internally flawless.  Furthermore, round stones feature a Hearts & Arrows (H&A) cut for maximum fire.  We recommend you insist on grade 5A or 6A cz for fake engagement rings.

If you’re looking to invest in a piece that will truly have the look and feel of fine diamonds, we encourage you to choose Luxuria®.

Our Most Popular Fake Engagement Rings

Unboxing of our Fake Wedding Rings

We are sometimes asked questions like – how are Luxuria’s simulated diamond rings packaged?   Do Luxuria’s fake diamond rings come beautifully presented in premium quality ring boxes?

These are great questions.    We can’t stress enough the importance of premium packaging for fake wedding rings.    According to the Dotcom’s 2015 eCommerce Packaging Study, Unwrapping the Customer Experience, nearly 40% of consumers feel that premium packaging is important for luxury goods.

Remember this – the box is the first thing that your future wife will see when you hand over the ring.  It will tell of the quality and craftsmanship of the ring within.

So, to reduce the uncertainty surrounding what you get we include below a video on the unboxing of one of our diamond simulant engagement rings, the Luxuria® D’PROMESSO ring set.

VIDEO:   In case you were wondering Luxuria’s fake diamond rings come beautifully packaged.  Other contents also include a thank you card and a warranty / jewelry care card.   Luxuria excels at providing fake diamond rings that look real.   See here for more details on the round cut simulated diamond ring featured.  

How to Choose which Fake Engagement Ring to buy?

The very best fake diamond rings are those that resemble the real thing as close as possible.  Nobody wants to wear a ring that screams fake.

When considering which fake engagement rings to buy you should focus on five areas. The five area’s are; first, choosing a great diamond simulant. We recommend Moissanite or cubic zirconia. Second, inspect the stone quality. The stone needs to be precision cut and colorless. We recommend grade 5A or 6A CZ. Third, check the setting. Look for a setting made of quality materials such as 925 silver or gold. Fourth, keep the gemstone size modest. This is because smaller simulants look more realistic than larger ones. Finally, match the stone shape to your finger.

Another excellent idea is to read independent reviews of fake rings.  We include some below.

Reviews of our Fake Diamond Rings

Luxuria® is proud that our fake diamond rings have been recognized for their life like quality by leading global wedding, travel and bridal magazines.

Luxuria’s simulated diamond rings have been independently reviewed and recommended by many publications.

One such magazine BRIDES, who independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products, recently nominated two Luxuria products as among the best options available. You can about their review of fake engagement rings for travel here.

Our fake engagement rings have also been recommended by Travel + Leisure, Color & Grace,  Tripsavvy and Weddings & Brides publications.   Below include below what these publications say about our faux diamond rings.

PHOTO 7:  Fake engagement rings can look just like the real deal.  The Luxuria Lumiere ring a 2 carat faux diamond ring impressed BRIDES Magazine USA and is recommended by them.

PHOTO 8:   Travel + Leisure of NY USA recommends our 2 carat artificial solitaire ring for Travel

PHOTO 9:   Amazon Affiliate Color & Grace recommends our fake cushion cut halo engagement ring

PHOTO 10:   Weddings & Brides, a Florida, USA publication recommends the STELLARIS, a 3 sided pave diamond simulant ring from Luxuria.   Fake diamond rings are a popular choice for use as placeholder rings.

PHOTO 11:   Sometimes a simple fake diamond ring is best and TripSavvy (USA) reckons our Luxuria Lumiere fake 2 carat diamond ring is the best!   Luxuria’s simulated diamond rings might not be the cheapest option but they are worth the price according to TripSavvy.

PHOTO 12:   BRIDES Magazine USA praised our D’PROMESSO ring for its realistic look.   This two piece round cut diamond simulant bridal ring set combines an engagement ring and wedding band.

Professional Membership & Awards

The Luxuria brand is owned by Stylabs Limited of New Zealand, a multi-award winning jewelry wholesaler of fine and fashion Jewellery. The Luxuria brand strives to offer affordable and accessible luxury.  We offer a range of fake diamond rings, synthetic gemstone ring and natural gemstone engagement rings.

Stylabs is a member of the Prestigious Jewelers’ and Watchmakers Association of New Zealand (JWNZ) and a professional member of the International Gemological Society (IGS), USA.

The Luxuria brand has also received business awards for its popularity on multiple occasions.

Warranty & FREE shipping to USA and 30 countries

Luxuria® Diamonds stands behind its products by offering a manufacturer’s warranty on all fake engagement rings.  Further, our fake diamond rings should meet or exceed your expectations.  If you are not happy with your purchase the jewellery may be returned and refunded or exchanged within thirty (30) days of receiving your package.

Moreover, we offer FREE economy shipping on all fake diamond rings to the United States (USA) and Canada.  We also offer free shipping for our fake diamond engagement rings to over 30 countries including the UK and most of the EU.

Please visit our Luxuria Jewelry Brand FAQ page if you are interested in more details.