Ben Affleck was spotted looking at engagement rings with his mother and son, sparking speculation of a wedding proposal.
The actor took notes as he looked at different rings, with his mother Chris Anne Boldt, and son Samuel by his side. While Affleck has a history of buying expensive wedding rings, he might consider something much less expensive this time around. One popular alternative to diamonds is moissanite engagement rings, which could give JLo all the shine she could ever want.
Spending Millions, Even Though ‘Love Don’t Cost A Thing’
Earlier this year Affleck and Lopez reignited their relationship after spending some quality time during the pandemic. Recently he was photographed inside a Tiffany & Co peering into the famous glass cases filled with diamond rings. However, this isn’t Ben’s first experience looking at high-end jewelry.
Affleck previously proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring by designer Harry Winston. This famous gem was valued between $1.2 million and $2.5 million online. One source even commented that the ring had greater value than a flawless 20-carat diamond, and continues to maintain that value. But whether she still has that ring after several other marriages is still a mystery.
Either way, it’s fitting that Ben should be in a Tiffany’s since the store’s founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, created the diamond engagement ring. Over 130 years ago he created the signature piece that still takes the spotlight in any matrimony. Rings at the store vary in price between $1,500 and up to $100,000. This is relatively low compared to Affleck’s last purchases, so we can expect he’ll go a different route.
How Ben and Jlo Became ‘Bennifer’
Ben Affleck met Jlo on the set of Gigli, a movie from 2002 that captures the love story between a mobster (Affleck) and a gangster (Lopez). At the time, however, she was in the middle of her second marriage with Cris Judd whom she met on a music video set. The two hit it off and married in 2001, just a year before her new movie. A year later, Ben talked about his relationship with the singer/actress during the filming process.
“When I met her we became really, really, really good friends,” he said. “But at first, because she was married, there was no thought of a romantic relationship, so that created the opportunity to get to know each other without any of the falseness that goes with courtship because you’re trying to make a good impression.”
A month after Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Judd, she made her relationship with Affleck public. In that same year her iconic music video for “Jenny From the Block” featured none other than Ben himself. Bennifer became a thing, after Kevin Smith coined it during the filming of “Jersey Girl,” and the rest is history.
Less Expensive Alternative to Diamond Rings
The most attractive part of a diamond is it’s shine– the way it reflects and refracts light. Unfortunately, higher quality diamonds come at a premium cost that is out of reach for most consumers. However, one lab-grown diamond alternative offers the same shine as a diamond for less.
Moissanite engagement rings are made of a mineral that appears diamond-like, and even has similar characteristics. Don O’Connel, CEO of Charles & Colvard, the makers of Moissanite, commented on what sets it apart from other imitations:
“[It] is a naturally occurring mineral called silicon carbide, which is very rare and can’t be found in nature large enough to be cut into even a one-carat gemstone,” he said. “A moissanite gem is approximately one-tenth the cost of a mined diamond of equal size and quality.”
It also has many attributes that make it hard to tell apart from diamonds, such as hardness and light-reflectiveness. On the Mohs hardness scale, diamonds measure a 10, while the cheaper mineral measures 9.25-9.5. Likewise, both of these can reflect white light or different colors and can reach similar clarity grades.
Diamonds should last a long time, and they do since they are the hardest known mineral in existence. However, moissanite is just a few points short of the durability of diamonds. Due to it’s significantly lower price, the durability of this natural mineral can’t be beat.
Ben Affleck may be contemplating dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on a diamond ring, but he can achieve the same allure for a much better price. Moissanite presents a convincing alternative that might convince celebrities to think twice about how they get their shine.