Engagement rings under 500 dollars may be in abundance, but great engagement rings under 500 dollars are a different story. And although the $500 price point is not enough for retailers to offer high end metals and diamonds, like 18k gold or platinum with VS diamonds, the engagement rings under $500 category does have the ability to offer some attractive designs. In fact, one may argue that engagement rings under 500 dollars are more likely to offer high end designs than engagement rings priced at the $5,000 national average. Many retailers have become complacent in recent years, filling the gap between engagement rings under $500 and engagement rings priced at $5,000 with higher gold content and bigger and better quality diamonds, offering little to satiate the aesthetic pallet. With engagement rings under 500 dollars, given a 10k gold shank, the biggest diamond you will typically encounter is a 1/5 carat I1-I3. Aside from solitaire engagement rings under 500 dollars, however, the diamonds are typically even smaller, creating a need to fill the gap with beautiful designs that overwhelm patrons with delight. In fact, it is important to note that building inventory of engagement rings under 500 dollars is more suitable with unique artistic designs than mainstream designs. This is because with solitaire, halo and three-stone engagement rings, the biggest focus is on the size and quality of the diamond(s). This issue of DT Era is dedicated to engagement rings under $500, as we discover the possibilities of what is arguably the most affordable engagement ring category, featuring engagement rings with real gold and natural diamonds.
Engagement rings under 500 dollars is a challenging category, forcing jewelers to maximize the value for buyers while keeping costs down. Artistry in engagement rings under $500 manifests itself in several different ways, not the least of which involves the process of manipulating simple engagement ring designs to reduce expensive materials and improve the aesthetic character of the design. The engagement ring under 500 dollars shown above started out as a high end solitaire design. The prototype was subsequently modified, rendering an 18k white gold three-way split shank with round cut accent diamonds and a larger round cut diamond on a different strand to complete the design. This design is a true testament to the creativity offered by many engagement rings under 500 dollars.
The side stone engagement ring pictured above got a face lift, with a gorgeous side stone design. The white gold shank is split to accommodate the east-west center diamond arrangement, with twelve beautiful round cut side stone diamonds. As stated earlier, engagement rings under 500 dollars must offer additional layers of design complexity in lieu of expensive metals and diamonds, and this engagement ring under $500 is a true testament to that effect.
As with many engagement rings under 500 dollars, this design started out as a plain solitaire engagement ring. Through some creative modifications and manipulations of the original prototype, the white gold shank now interweaves to highlight the gorgeous east-west round cut center diamond, set in a four prong setting to complete the design.
Engagement rings under 500 dollars have immense potential, mostly in terms of design but also in terms of gold and diamonds. No, you are not likely to encounter engagement rings under $500 with one carat solitaire diamonds or 1.5 carat three stone engagement rings under 500 dollars, but with enough artistry and design-savvy manipulation, there are certainly some great options out there. If your budget is $500, then there are hundreds if not thousands of engagement rings under 500 dollars out there for you to look at.
