A man in the US saved money on an engagement ring by buying a cubic zirconia stone from eBay and using 3D printing technology to create the ring bringing the price down to $100.

Christain Genco, from Texas, USA, decided to 3D print his fiance’s engagement ring instead of spending thousands on the traditional way.

He said on his blog: “Conventional wisdom says to spend one to three month’s salary on your engagement ring. My fiancée and I are ardent Mustachians, and found this figure to be both ludicrously large (we’d much rather max out our Roth IRA’s with that kind of money) and rather impersonal.”

Instead, the couple chose an identical looking cubic zirconia stone purchased on eBay for a fraction of the price of what a similar sized diamond costs. The trouble then was finding a good setting for the stone.

How Was the 3D Printed Engagement Ring Created?

As the couple was not experienced in 3D modelling, they decided to hire ring designer, Dani Epstein, and sent him some of their favorite ideas.

The next step, 3D printing a plastic ring to check the measurements, came after they were happy with the design.

Once they knew the plastic ring fit, Genco said: “I crossed my fingers and ordered the ring to be printed in silver (turns out the 3D printing companies will do the lost wax casting and polishing for you). The day this arrived I was elated.”

Finally, the cubic zirconia was professionally fitted at a local jewelry store and the engagement ring was finished. Genco said: “It was a lot of back and forth through uncharted territory, and a lot of unnecessary expenses, but I’m incredibly glad I went this route.”

The overall total of the entire process was $508.77, however, Genco points out that if they were to create an identical copy, it would only cost them $106.25. Not bad for an engagement ring.

He added: “Plus, now I have a perfect 3D model of Elisa’s ring if we ever wanted to do something clever like make a chocolate mold out of it for wedding party favors or something.”