Although diamonds are termed as a girl's best friend, cubic zirconia (a.k.a. CZ) can come pretty close. Cubic zirconia jewelry quickly became the most popular diamond jewelry alternative on the market. Gemologists even agree that cubic zirconia comes closer to matching a diamond than any other gem on the market.

No other synthetic gemstone available today has a more significant impact on the jewelry industry than the cubic zirconia. German scientists first created the stone in a laboratory in the 1930's. At the time, the stone was deemed to have no scientific or economic value, and it was only created in very small amounts.

In the 1970's Russia needed more natural rubies to generate laser beams. Scientists began to search for a synthetic alternative with the same properties of rubies. They filled this need by perfecting the method for creating cubic zirconia and developed the stone we all love today. While they weren't like rubies, they did serve the purpose optically.

At first glance, some experts have a hard time distinguishing between a real diamond and a cubic zirconia. It's only with closer inspection using a bright light and magnifying lens that the differences can be seen. Diamonds contain small flecks of carbon and tend to have a yellowish tint. Being synthetic, cubic zirconia is generally flawless.

There are several other differences in cubic zirconia and diamonds, but the main difference is of course the price. The very affordable price combined with their amazing diamond-like beauty is what made cubic zirconia jewelry so popular. There are few people that don't have at least one piece of cubic zirconia jewelry in their collection.

Today, cubic zirconia comes in a wide variety of colors such as red, blue, yellow, pink, purple, and black - following the latest trend in colored diamonds. However, the clear diamond-like stone is still a top favorite. If you're shopping for jewelry on a conservative budget, cubic zirconia is a perfect choice. The affordability allows you to purchase numerous beautiful pieces for much less than one diamond piece.

There's an almost endless amount of sterling silver jewelry that contains cubic zirconia. The lower cost of sterling over other metals and the expensive look of cubic zirconia makes this combination very attractive. A silver CZ heart charm necklace will look just as good as one in white gold and diamonds that costs ten times as much.

If you are planning to get married and are unable to afford thousands of dollars for a diamond wedding ring set, choose a cubic zirconia set instead. There are a lot of gorgeous gold CZ wedding ring sets to choose from, and you can update the stone to a diamond or other precious stone in the future. Plus, they look so real that no one but you and your bride will be able to tell the difference at first glance.

Cubic zirconia is a high quality synthetic stone that can give you a lifetime of enjoyment. They are very durable with a hardness scale of 8.5 to 9.0 compared to a diamonds hardness of 10.0. While CZs are a diamond alternative, they are an ideal way to get the look of a real diamond without the high cost.

Celtic jewelry is a tradition that began over 2,700 years ago with the Celts. These mysterious people lived in what is modern day Europe. They used interwoven knots and intricate designs to create beautiful pieces of silver jewelry. These same designs were also used to decorate clothing, markings for graves, swords, shields, and often, their bodies.

Celtic artisans used ideas from nature to create sophisticated jewelry pieces made from silver, bronze, and gold. The modern styles of Celtic jewelry are very similar to the ancient designs that played a large role in the everyday lives of the Celts. They had a love and passion for jewelry making that has been passed down over the centuries.

Although Celtic designs are beautiful on their own, much of the attraction lies in the symbolism each design holds. However, because the ancient Celts left very little written history, many of the meanings have simply been handed down through history. For this reason, the true meanings may never be known.

While the Celts created all different types of jewelry, one of the most popular is Celtic rings. Even today, these unique pieces are almost as popular as they were in the days of the Celts. Recently, Celtic wedding rings became a very popular choice for couples that want unique wedding rings that symbolize their spiritual bond.

One of the most popular Celtic designs is the Celtic knot, sometimes referred to as the endless knot, or mystic knot. Celtic knots started appearing just after 450 A.D. and their exact meanings are vague. However, since there is no beginning and no ending, they can represent an uninterrupted life cycle.

Any knot design that has no visible beginning or ending can be called an eternity knot. Likewise, any knot design can be referred to as a lover's knot, but most commonly these knots are designs where two separate paths are linked together. During the later part of the medieval period, heart knots were introduced into the Celtic designs.

It's not hard to get caught up in the fantasy lives of the hottest celebrities. From their multi-million dollar mansions to their exotic vacations, celebrities tend to live the lives that a lot of people dream about. When it comes to celebrity engagements and weddings, they can even make Cinderella envious with their lavish receptions and diamond engagement rings!

Celebrity engagement rings range from antique treasures to customized creations. They only have two things in common, their enormous sizes and their outrageous price tags. Although diamonds are still a number one choice, more non-traditional stones such as sapphires and emeralds are becoming increasingly popular with today's couples.

One such celebrity to don an extravagant engagement ring is Disney star, Hilary Duff. Shortly after she started dating NHL hockey player, Mike Comrie, he surprised her with a Mercedes-Benz, so proposing to Duff with a massive 14 carat princess cut engagement ring that reportedly costs $1 million dollars falls in line with his generosity. Even with all the other recent engagements, Duff's takes the top spot for price.

Comrie isn't the only hockey player that decided to take the wedding plunge. Ottawa Senator center, Mike Fisher, proposed to Carrie Underwood just days before Christmas. The July bride flashed a massive 5 carat yellow and white diamond ring during her engagement. While experts can't seem to agree on the value of ring, it's said to have cost at least $800,000!...Love must be blooming in the hockey arena.

This past December, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepherd celebrated the holidays by getting engaged. While it might not compare to Duff's 14 carat bling, Bell's ring is quite spectacular. The platinum ring holds a 3 carat emerald cut brown diamond with small diamond accents flanked on each side. Some experts estimated the price tag at around $100,000.

In February, Nicole Ritchie officially announced her engagement to her long time love, Joel Madden, on the David Letterman Show. Ritchie wanted a special ring and actually collaborated with designer, Neil Lane on the design. The result was a 4 carat round diamond surrounded by pave diamonds set in platinum estimated at $60,000 to $85,000.

While Simon Cowell might appear rude and obnoxious on American Idol, he recently proved that he knows how to please a woman! The most "disliked" judge on television chose a 6 carat brilliant cut diamond ring for his new fiance. This flawless engagement ring is estimated to cost Cowell at least $750,000.

Although having an apparent secret engagement, Penelope Cruz adorned a spectacular 3 carat sapphire who privately married another Oscar-award winning actor, Javier Bordem, last month. While the estimated $30,000 price tag might not come close to other celebrity rings, the vintage ring definitely shines with classic beauty.

While getting an engagement ring that costs six figures may most likely be a dream instead of reality, couples can still find rings that look just as gorgeous and extravagant at affordable prices. GoldenMine is one such place. Checkout GoldenMine's extensive engagement ring collection at www.goldenmine.com/engagementrings and find asscher, radiant, and exceptional cut diamonds, traditional round and princess cut diamonds, pave, three stone, sets, and other engagement rings today.

GoldenMine.com, a fine gold jewelry and wedding ring company, expands online diamond engagement ring collection to include more unique stone cuts and styles uncommonly found in most jewelry e-commerce websites.

Browsing through the internet for engagement rings, people will mostly find rings with traditional round and princess cut diamonds. They are the most popular types of diamonds because of their classic, timeless qualities. GoldenMine's engagement ring collection features these best-selling diamonds. Recently, GoldenMine decided to expand its engagement ring stock by offering more diamond cuts and designs, ultimately providing more choices and variety for its customers.

While GoldenMine still focuses on selling round and princess cut rings, it now offers engagement rings with asscher, emerald, and radiant cut diamonds.

• Asscher Cut (modern) - Resembles a square with slightly trimmed corners similar to an emerald cut, a flat bed, and 74 facets. Has a series of steps cut into the sides, creating a mesmerizing mirrored effect. Vintage asscher diamonds have deeper truncated corners creating more of an octagon shape and less facets.
• Emerald Cut - Another trimmed square- or rectangular-like diamond with steps cut into the side but less than the asscher cut. Typical cut for emerald gemstones, hence its name.
• Radiant Cut - Mix between an emerald and brilliant cut diamonds, has step cuts with triangular facets to increase amount of light flowing through diamond.

"These diamonds are popular but are still different than what a lot of other women wear. I see them being really popular with the next generation of couples," said David Lee, GoldenMine's Chief Operations Officer and co-founder. "Each generation wants to have something more unique than the previous generation, so I see these cuts increasing in popularity in the next few years."

Besides offering more diamond cut selections, GoldenMine added more engagement ring settings and styles that are different to what most people find over the internet. Customers will find sleek and modern engagement rings to antique, pave rings with a contemporary twist. GoldenMine also added more engagement ring sets (a.k.a. wedding ring sets and bridal sets), which includes an engagement ring and matching wedding band, to offer more value for customers looking to save money and time when buying wedding jewelry. This jewelry currently has more designs, styles, and sets to choose from for its customers.

Understanding that the current economy and high platinum and gold prices affected people's budgets, GoldenMine will also include alternative semi-precious metals to its wedding and fashion jewelry collections. Furthermore, GoldenMine plans on increasing its titanium and tungsten wedding band selections due to their current rising sales. This company will offer semi-precious metal rings with gemstones in the near future as well. Providing these semi-precious jewelry options gives these customers the opportunity to have quality jewelry at more affordable prices.

GoldenMine is excited with the assortment of engagement rings it now offers its customers. When browsing through its website, customers will find more ring options with varying diamond cuts, styles, and metals than in most internet jewelry sites. These customers will also find that the company still maintains its competitive prices and excellent quality.

Visit GoldenMine today and check out its new selection of engagement rings at www.goldenmine.com/engagementrings/.

About the Company:
Established since 2001, GoldenMine, Inc. is an online retailer offering a large selection of quality jewelry from around the world at competitive prices. With over 20 years of experience, the company strives to bring unbeatable value, high standard service, convenience, and selection. GoldenMine's mission is to provide the best customer experience through three golden values: Quality, Service, and Trust. Based in Los Angeles, CA, GoldenMine can be found online at www.goldenmine.com. Phone: 1-800-619-1375, Monday - Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm PT.

Press Release distributed by PRWeb - http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/07/prweb4279164.htm

One wedding jewelry trend becoming more popular over the past year is buying an engagement ring and a wedding band together in a set. Engagement ring sets (also known as wedding ring sets) are by no means new to the jewelry market. Jewelers had them for decades but only recently are becoming popular. Originally meant to be an affordable choice, they generally have very simplistic designs so that they would fit comfortably side by side. Today, designs are much more elaborate and beautiful.

Enhancer Sets
Although you can still find many classic designs, engagement ring sets are now available in a variety of styles. If you prefer a sleek style, enhancer sets are a great choice. These wedding bands are usually very simple and just rest against the engagement ring or just under the stone. This style is often seen with solitaire engagement rings. Also, both rings can be worn alone, so if you prefer to have the option of wearing them as a set or by themselves, enhancer sets make a great choice for you.

Counter Style
If you plan on wearing your engagement ring everyday, consider the contour engagement ring sets. These sets tend to be more elaborate and are uniquely designed so that the wedding band matches the counters of the engagement ring and appear as one ring. While they are certainly gorgeous together, wearing the band alone may appear less attractive, depending on your style.

Scaffold Sets
Similar to the counter style sets, scaffold style engagements ring sets are another type of set for those who plan on wearing both rings everyday. This style features a double banded wedding ring and the engagement ring nestles between the two bands. The puzzle-like design create the look of one large, cocktail style ring when worn together, and most people won't even know it's two rings put together.

Aside from the beauty that wedding ring sets provide, they also have several other advantages. First of all, it reduces or even eliminates the time it takes to find a wedding band that will match the engagement ring. Both rings will be identical in color, have similar designs, and sit nicely together. Second, because you are purchasing both rings at the same time, it often costs much less than buying them separately, so they carry a lot of value. Third, retailers may also offer a wedding band for the groom that matches the engagement ring set, and some sets even include the groom's ring.Finding the perfect engagement ring and wedding band can be a time consuming process, especially if you want them to match. By purchasing a wedding ring set, you can reduce your search time and devote more time to your wedding plans. Depending on your style and interests, enhancer, counter, and scaffold sets will give you the best value in a shorter amount of time.

Visit GoldenMine.com to find our beautiful wedding ring sets collection!