一般来说，任何一个有自尊的男士大概都愿意拿出至少一个月的薪水给自己心爱的人买个订婚戒指。不过，在经济低迷时期，订婚和结婚这样的开销也免不了要被列入缩减范畴。英国一家大型超市最近就应景推出了一套“经济型”婚戒系列，顾客花15英镑就能买到一只镶有锆石的镀金银制订婚戒指，同样的价钱还能买到一只重0.55克的9k黄金婚戒。这家超市的发言人表示，最近金价飙升，经济也不景气，在这种情况下为人们提供价格合理的替代品也算是一种潮流。该超市还宣称，他们销售的婚戒跟价值500英镑以上的钻戒几乎一模一样，除珠宝专家外，普通人一般都看不出区别。

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)

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）