Celebrity Engagement Ring Styles on a Budget

Getting engaged is among the best times in a woman's life. The excitement of the wedding looms before you, the joy of being asked to be the one by the one you love is still spellbinding and memories of a life together are just beginning. Not only is the ring a symbol of your love and commitment, its a reminder of one of the best times in your life. Choosing the right ring is very important, as--although your taste and style will change as you move through the decades of your marriage and life--you are likely to wear the same ring forever. This will be the ring on your hand when you give birth to your children, when you see them off to their first days of school and even see them graduate from college. This will be the ring you're wearing when you travel with your family, take many happy years of holiday pictures and thousands of memories are made. This is the ring you may even give your son or daughter one day to symbolize the love they've found. This ring should reflect your style, sensibilities and be deeply meaningful to both of you.

The Classic Vintage Eternity Ring

Our favorite style at the moment is a solitaire with inset vintage style princess cut diamond in the band, in an eternity style. Not only does this add super sparkle and carats to your ring, it allows you to pair it with a matching eternity style wedding ring for the most sparkle you can actually fit onto a diamond ring. See a sample here.

How to get this look on a budget: Because the band diamonds are inset and the sides are hidden, it will look like you have far more diamonds than you actually do. This way you'll get a very impressive ring at a smaller price than expected. As long as the solitaire in the center is large and has a good color, the rest of your diamonds will be lent the perceived value of the central one. In addition,--if you can't afford diamonds right now--this is one of the most popular styles for imitation cubic zirconia diamonds, so you'll have a huge amount of styles to choose from. You can always replace your center stone with a real diamond when you have more money to spare.

The Eye Popping Diamond Nugget

Another popular style is a plain but stunning emerald cut solitaire, such as the amazing ring given to Beyonce by her now husband Jay-Z. It is a whopping 18 carats, but it's a single amazing stone worth an estimated 5 million dollars. There are no other adornments, side stones or any other accompaniments.

How to get this look on a budget: Purchase the largest emerald cut diamond you can afford-even one carat can be very impressive if set well-and have it set up high in a solitaire setting in white gold instead of Beyonce's platinum. If you can't afford a real diamond or gold, look for a high quality CZ or Swarovski crystal and rhodium plating. As rhodium is in the platinum family, you'll get a similar, stunning shine.

Modern Elegance

If you'd like sparkling elegance with a modern flavor, look no further than Katherine Heigl and the three carat pear shaped diamond ring she was given by her singer husband Josh Kelley. It's a large stone surrounded by pave diamonds (diamonds set so close together that no metal shows, as though the surface has been paved with diamonds.) What makes this ring extra special is that half of the platinum used to create the ring is from Katherine's own mother's engagement ring.

How to get this look on a budget: Pave diamonds are actually often small diamond chips, so they can add a lot of sparkle for a small price. Get the largest, shiniest stone you can afford (or a CZ if you can't afford a diamond) and pave the outside of it with diamond chips. If you don't like pear cut, nearly any shape can look amazing set round about with diamonds. Use metal or gemstones from someone specials ring for extra sentimental value.

Symbolic Three Stone Beauty

Another popular style is the three stone engagement ring, which symbolizes the past, the present and the future. With a large stone in the center and two matching stones flanking on either side, this ring can be any size with any cut of diamond and look classic and stunning. This is the style of ring given by Tony Parker to Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives fame when they were engaged.

How to get this look on a budget: There are no tricks to this ring. Because the diamonds are front and center, its difficult to find a discount unless you compromise on color or clarity. If you can't afford this ring in the carats and color you'd prefer, the only way to go is with an imitation stone such as a CZ. There are dozens of online retailers who specalize in CZ stones, so find the best quality you can.

Purchasing a diamond engagement ring is a difficult undertaking because for most of us, it's the most expensive piece of jewelry we will ever wear and one that will be worn more often than any other. You may wear the same necklace nearly every day, but you're unlikely to ever remove your engagement ring and wear another ring in its place. Be sure you choose one that will make you as happy as the man you've chosen to marry.