英国一家大型超市最近推出了一套“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。

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（支付，放弃） at least a month's salary to buy his beloved（心爱的人） an engagement ring.

But in these troubled economic times, a more prudent¹（谨慎的，节俭的） alternative has emerged - although it might not bode² well（主吉） for a lengthy³ 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（氧化锆） - the sort of man-made substance made popular by TV shopping channels.

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

A spokesman rather optimistically claimed: 'With gold prices rocketing - they reached £860 per ounce in June - we have found an affordable⁴ 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（除了，不同于） jewellery experts - would not be able to spot the difference between a gold-plated silver ring with cubic zirconia and a diamond solitaire（纸牌） ring,' the spokesman said.

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

Fourteen-carat gold-plated silver pendants（垂饰，项饰） and earrings⁵ 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.