Propose on the cheap: Get a 1-carat diamond ring for less than $2k in Singapore - she'll never know the difference

Have you decided that your partner is The One and are ready to tie her down love and adore her for life?

Now comes the first step of the planning process - The Ring, and there are some important decisions to be made.

To be clear, we understand why some romanticism is attached to a natural diamond ring. You're basically buying a one-of-a-kind work of art by Mother Nature that took billions of years to create, we get it.

But we're also all for practicality here - two-to-three-month salary rule be damned.

Here's why you should consider man-made* diamonds for your proposal ring. 

*For the purpose of this article, we are considering only synthetic, i.e. laboratory-cultivated diamonds which have the same composition as mined diamonds, and not diamond simulants, which are replicas with similar gemological characteristics to diamonds.

#1. SHE'LL NEVER KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

Lab-created diamonds are known by many names - generic diamonds, cultured and synthetic diamonds, depending on which company you buy them from.

You may be surprised, but they have the same physical properties and chemical composition as natural diamonds. This includes its density, dispersion, refractive index, hardness and crystalline structure.

It's difficult to differentiate synthetic from real diamonds with the naked eye, and only an experienced gemologist with a jeweller's loupe will be able to distinguish between the two.

Even then, the only difference is actually in the clarity of the gem, which we will get to in the next point.

#2. SHE'LL BE GETTING A FLAWLESS DIAMOND

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Mined diamonds pulled from the earth will naturally have internal flaws known as 'inclusions', but synthetic diamonds are created to minimise these flaws.

So what that means essentially is that you'll be getting a near perfect diamond at a cheaper price.

Doesn't that already sound like a no-brainer?

#3. THINK OF ALL THE MONEY YOU'LL SAVE

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Synthetic diamonds of the highest quality are those that most closely match the real thing in terms of hardness, refractive index (which determines how brightly they shine) and colour.

These top-grade rocks will be substantially (between 30 and 50 per cent) cheaper than mined diamonds, but they can cost a pretty penny as well. For example, a 1.01-carat diamond ring with colour G (at the top of the Near Colourless grading of D, E, F) in an 18k gold setting sells for about $5,000 in Singapore, according to one 'cultured' diamond jeweller we called.

Comparatively, this could cost you upwards of $10,000 for a real diamond. Savings which could be ploughed into your BTO renovations. Just sayin'.

#4. IT'S SUSTAINABLE AND CONFLICT-FREE

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Remember the 2006 movie Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio?

Diamonds are named as such when they are mined in an area of war and traded to fund conflict in the area - thus its alternate name, conflict diamonds. Though the movie about the illicit trade of diamonds in Sierra Leone was made a lifetime ago and the issue has largely faded from the spotlight, it is still a concern to some. We don't want even a smidgen of blood on our hands, do we?

Not only are lab-based diamonds ethically 'grown', they are sustainable as well, as they do not involve land excavations, a large labour force, nor produce huge carbon emissions.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Yes, lab-grown diamonds have many things going for it, most of all, its price. A basic one-carat solitaire ring will set you back by only about $1,799 to $5,000 in Singapore after we checked with brands here. But of course, money shouldn't be the sole consideration when asking the love of your life to marry you.

A colleague of ours flatly said she'd refuse a proposal if the diamond wasn't real. But only because she prefers coloured gemstones anyway.

Perhaps before springing a synthetic surprise on your bae, it'll be a wise idea to suss out how receptive she is to the idea first. After all, building your marriage from a seed of deceit will not a happy life make.

WHERE TO BUY SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS IN SINGAPORE

Gordon Max (purveyors of both synthetic diamonds and diamond simulants)
Website: https://www.gordonmax.com
Address: 501 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238880

IUIGA (solitaire rings only available online)
Website: https://iuiga.com

candicecai@asiaone.com