一般來說，任何一個有自尊的男士大概都愿意拿出至少一個月的薪水給自己心愛的人買個訂婚戒指。不過，在經濟低迷時期，訂婚和結婚這樣的開銷也免不了要被列入縮減范疇。英國一家大型超市最近就應景推出了一套“經濟型”婚戒系列，顧客花15英鎊就能買到一只鑲有鋯石的鍍金銀制訂婚戒指，同樣的價錢還能買到一只重0.55克的9k黃金婚戒。這家超市的發言人表示，最近金價飆升，經濟也不景氣，在這種情況下為人們提供價格合理的替代品也算是一種潮流。該超市還宣稱，他們銷售的婚戒跟價值500英鎊以上的鉆戒幾乎一模一樣，除珠寶專家外，普通人一般都看不出區別。

Tesco's ￡15 engagement ring, made from gold-plated silver and featuring a zirconia stone.

Traditionally, any self-respecting man could have been expected to fork out at least a month's salary to buy his beloved an engagement ring.

But in these troubled economic times, a more prudent alternative has emerged - although it might not bode well for a lengthy marriage.

Britain’s supermarket giant Tesco is to sell engagement rings for just ￡15, and they'll throw in a wedding ring for another ￡15.

The engagement ring is made from gold-plated silver, while the stones are the finest zirconia - the sort of man-made substance made popular by TV shopping channels.

The wedding ring, which weighs 0.55g, is made from nine-carat gold.

A spokesman rather optimistically claimed: 'With gold prices rocketing - they reached ￡860 per ounce in June - we have found an affordable alternative to help recession-hit Brits get engaged in style.'

The supermarket insists the ring looks just like alternatives costing more than ￡500.

'Most people - other than jewellery experts - would not be able to spot the difference between a gold-plated silver ring with cubic zirconia and a diamond solitaire ring,' the spokesman said.

Jan Marchant, Tesco director of buying for ladieswear, footwear and accessories, added: 'Gold-plated silver is set to become a huge trend.'

Fourteen-carat gold-plated silver pendants and earrings are on offer at ￡15 online from Tesco. A nine-carat gold version would cost more than ￡50.

Zirconia is the crystal form of zirconium dioxide. The hard, usually colourless material is sometimes marketed under the name diamonique.

It has been used as a cheap alternative to diamonds in jewellery for more than 30 years.

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）