I don’t subscribe to the notion that the ideal engagement ring is an inflated version of everyone else’s ring. In fact, my favorite rings are those that reveal something about the wearer. These have a lot of personality, and a reasonable price point.
Garnet Solitaire by Studio 1980, $475
R011 by n+a, $220-$440
Large Spinel Cocktail Ring from Arnold Jewelers, $325
Opal Pip Ring by Claire Kinder, $185
Vintage Bohemian Cluster Garnet and Green Tourmaline from MS Jewelers, $745
Deco Bow Ring by Erica Weiner, $975
R017 rubies by n+a, $370
1930s Art Deco Ring Diamond Blue Sapphire from Rosie Lena, $825
Round Diamond Ring & Pave Diamond V ring by Artemer, $1350
I cheated a bit on this last one, but the price is for your engagement ring and band so sue me.
Mighty Girl 
Which one is yours? 🙂
LikeLike
Oh man, I LOVE Artemer’s jewelry. In fact, my fiancé almost bought my engagement ring from them—a trillion ring. But in the end, he bought it from Kristin Coffin (https://www.etsy.com/shop/KristinCoffin?ref=l2-shopheader-name). I love it, but I still drool over the trillion rings.
LikeLike
Lovely options, all. My husband proposed with a silver band (we were gifted my mother’s engagement ring – my father passed away when I was 20 – and would be making it into our formal wedding jewelry). It’s still one of my favorite things. My father, too, proposed to my mom with a garnet solitaire ring, and then made an engagement ring from a stone gifted to him by his uncle (the stone I now have in my ring). There are a lot of ways to get to the right piece for you. As long as the price and story make sense for your relationship, there’s no wrong choice.
My favorites from above? The garnet and green tourmaline, and the delicate opal. Love.
LikeLike
I absolutely love this! IF I were to get engaged, the first 2 are right up my alley.
LikeLike
I don’t have an engagement ring (or a wedding ring — we bought kayaks instead), but I loved my grandmother’s opal engagement ring. It was perfect for her, and honestly? I’m not the hugest fan of diamonds.
LikeLike
Love these! I have a small oval (blue) sapphire set in white gold, which I adore, and was about $350. To me, there are so many gorgeous options that aren’t diamonds (which, of course, often have their own baggage as well), but it was important to me to have a very hard stone that would be intact for a VERY long time, which seems nice and significant when picking a symbol of what will hopefully be a long union. To wit, when we were looking at rings, I saw a tanzanite ring that was gooooorgeous… but it’s not nearly as hard as a diamond, and wouldn’t be right for everyday wear for the next, say, 6 decades. Sapphire is, I think, about as hard of a gem as you can get without going diamond.
LikeLike
I didn’t want an engagement ring + wedding band; I wanted one really special ring that I could wear all the time. I had mine made by a local jeweler and couldn’t be happier with it.
LikeLike
I spent about an hour last night browsing and favoriting pieces from here – https://www.etsy.com/shop/DiamondAddiction?ref=fp_item&aref=12685146539, because I’m a sucker for vintage.
LikeLike
I’m with Patty- I scrolled through assuming that this is an announcement 🙂
LikeLike
I got a vintage ring, so it’s no longer available.
LikeLike
Pleeeease, could we see it? 🙂
LikeLike
LOVE THESE.
I hunted high and low for a unique engagement ring and was frequently disappointed in online and in-person options. Then I found an eBay seller out of Florida with a dizzying array of all kinds of pretties, and I ended up with a long list of favorites. Thanks to the reviews and feedback we were confident in our purchase, and once we had it appraised were very pleased to see it was worth considerably more than we paid. It’s a funky spray of diamonds around a yellow sapphire, set in white gold. I still get compliments on it all the time.
I believe the seller is mycollectioninc. Be prepared to look through page after page of lovely things. 🙂 One of my good friends just got her engagement ring through them as well.
LikeLike