If you’ve entered a mall, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a Swarovski storefront. At first glance, their engagement rings are eye-catching and shiny. But are they really any good? In this detailed review, we’ll take a closer look at the iconic Swarovski crystal engagement rings, their design, quality, and value – so you can decide if it’s right for you.
| Short Answer |
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| We don’t recommend shopping for an engagement ring at Swarovski. They are known for crystal engagement rings but crystals are not durable. There are retailers like James Allen or Clean Origin that offer much better selection, shopping experience, customizability, pricing, quality, and customer support. |
| Table of Contents |
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| Before you buy Shopping experience Pricing review Quality review Selection review Swarovski alternatives Bottom line recommendation Frequently asked questions |
Before you buy
A quick note before we jump into our Swarovski engagement rings review. Swarovski focuses mainly on crystal engagement rings. While some may love crystals jewelry, it isn’t ideal for an engagement ring.
For starters, a crystal is not as durable as a diamond. Moreover, a crystal is not as rare as a diamond. This may deter shoppers that are looking for a rare and unique center stone for their engagement ring.
And finally, crystals don’t reflect light as well as diamonds do. This means a crystal engagement ring will have less shine and brilliance.
Now let’s jump back into our Swarovski engagement ring review…
Shopping experience
The shopping experience at Swarovski is typically pleasant. The stores look very clean and sophisticated with plenty of decor. The fine jewelry display cases with the jewelry box are bright and elegant.
As you walk in, you’re greeted by knowledgeable and friendly staff members that are fantastic in personalizing the shopping experience to your needs.
Swarovski also offers an easy-to-use online shopping experience but it isn’t quite robust like other retailers such as James Allen or Clean Origin. You’re unable to customize or purchase any engagement rings online.
Instead, you have to use the website to locate the nearest physical Swarovski store to you. But we’ll give Swarovski some credit for at least having a website.
If you prefer to shop for engagement rings in person, Swarovski offers a great shopping experience with helpful staff members. On the other hand, if you prefer to shop for engagement rings online, Swarovski is not the best place to shop.
Pricing review
Swarovski rings are actually rather affordable due to the fact that Swarovski specializes in crystal jewelry which is known to be much cheaper than diamond.
And since Swarovski prioritizes their in-store shopping experience over online, their website doesn’t showcase any prices for their engagement rings.
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to compare Swarovski prices against popular engagement ring retailers like Tiffany and James Allen since they don’t offer crystal engagement rings.
Related: James Allen vs Tiffany: The Answer May Surprise You
But if you’re on a budget, Swarovski does offer some really affordable engagement rings. The only caveat? They offer crystal engagement rings, not diamond engagement rings.
Quality review
As mentioned before, Swarovski specializes in crystal engagement rings. When compared to diamond engagement rings (which is the popular choice for an engagement ring), the quality of crystals are very underwhelming.
Their crystals are basically non-precious lead glass, which means they aren’t rare nor worth a whole lot.
A diamond on the other hand will have a variety of characteristics like the 4 C’s (cut, clarity, color, and carat) to determine its quality. Diamonds are also inspected by gemologists from the GIA or IGI to verify the quality of a diamond.
But for crystals? None of that.
In addition to crystals being less durable than diamonds, Swarovski engagement rings also don’t shine as well as other diamond engagement rings do. This is because crystals simply don’t reflect light as efficiently as diamonds.
Okay sure, maybe the center stone isn’t the greatest. But what about their engagement ring settings?
Well the metal setting will be standard across all retailers anyways. For instance, a 14k white gold or an 18k yellow gold metal setting will always have the same quality from retailer to retailer (as long as no one lies about it).
Read also: 14K vs 18K Gold: Which One Is Better?
Simply put, Swarovski specializes in crystal engagement rings. Most engagement rings are made with a diamond center stone. The quality of a crystal is far less than that of a diamond.
Selection review
Swarovski does not have an extensive selection of engagement rings.
The selection of engagement rings at Swarovski really depends on which of their physical locations you visit since different locations will typically have different inventory.
But if you choose to view their inventory on the Swarovski website, you’ll notice that there aren’t many engagement rings to choose from. There’s about 109 rings on their website but not all of these rings are engagement rings. In fact, there’s no engagement ring section on their site.
In addition, Swarovski does not allow shoppers to customize their rings which heavily reduces the amount of rings available for purchase.
All in all, Swarovski heavily lacks a large selection of engagement rings to choose from. We found about 109 rings online but only about 20 or so are engagement rings. And if you’re looking to make a custom ring for your unique relationship, you’re out of luck.
Swarovski alternatives
The truth is, crystal engagement rings should be largely avoided because of their lack of brilliance and durability.
But if you’re still looking for the sparkle of Swarovski rings, there are many great alternatives out there.
James Allen is an outstanding choice if you’re in the market for high-quality and affordable engagement rings that you can customize. Their amazing customer support team and extensive collection makes your shopping process that much better and sets them apart from competitors.
Related: The Truth Behind James Allen: Know This Before You Buy
Another great alternative is Clean Origin. They specialize in lab-grown diamonds which is a perfect option for environmentally-conscious couples. Not to mention that their website is very simple to use and their collection of engagement rings are very affordable.
With both James Allen and Clean Origin offering shoppers easy-to-use websites, extensive collections, and high-quality engagement rings at affordable prices, it’s very easy to find beautiful alternatives to Swarovski engagement rings.
Related: James Allen vs Clean Origin: Head-to-Head Comparison
Bottom line recommendation
At the end of the day, Swarovski is famous for their unique crystal engagement ring. Their storefronts are uniquely decorated and you’ll have a great time being greeted by friendly and helpful staff members.
But in our opinion, a crystal engagement ring is not worth it. Crystal is not as durable or rare as a diamond is, nor does crystal shine as well as diamonds do.
And not to worry, there are many diamond engagement ring options out there that are much more affordable than any crystal engagement ring you’d find at Swarovski.
Furthermore, Swarovski is heavily lacking in the selection side of things. There aren’t many options to choose from online and the selection you’d find in-store would heavily depend on what location you visit.
There are simply better options out there like James Allen or Clean Origin that offer a wider selection of engagement rings, a better shopping experience, and better quality at a more affordable price range.
Frequently asked question
A diamond is a type of crystal but not all crystals are diamonds. A diamond has a specific atomic structure made of carbon that makes it very durable, rare, and brilliant. On the other hand, a crystal can be made of a variety of elements but they aren’t as durable, rare, or brilliant as diamonds.
Most, if not all, Swarovski crystals are actually glass-cut crystals. So they may be very shiny and brilliant, but the durability is minimal. Glass can also fade and tarnish a lot easier than diamonds.
Yes you can wear a Swarovski ring everyday but make sure to take care of your ring with frequent maintenance and consider picking up some insurance for your ring. Also remember to take off your ring for physical activities like going to the gym, gardening, or swimming, to ensure the longevity of your ring.
