In February 2021, Ashlynne Chapman hadn’t yet met her future husband, but she was certainly looking for him.
So, to help manifest Mr. Right, she bought herself a $99 engagement ring, with an emerald-cut diamond, from Instagram vendor Modern Gem Jewelry in February 2021.
“You get rewarded for putting positive thoughts, prayers and energy into the things you want for your life,” the 38-year-old realtor from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, told The Post.
She faithfully wore the ring, both at home and work, almost daily.
Ten months later, in December 2021, she met Chris Ward, a hunky realtor and single dad of one, through mutual friends.
“The second our eyes locked, I knew he was the man I was going to marry,” Chapman said. “I was like, ‘This is it. We’re going to be together.'”
In September 2022, Chris, now 42, proposed on the cobblestones of their favorite walkway in Charleston, South Carolina, with the help of a flash mob dance troop.
After dropping down to one knee, he presented her with a three-carat, custom-designed, laboratory grown diamond ring from James Allen that looked nearly identical to the fake one that Ashlynne had bought for herself.
The two were married this past April at a sun-drenched resort in Key Largo, Florida.
Women like Chapman are “manifesting” proposals by buying themselves cheap rings online — often before they even have a man in mind.
Under the TikTok hashtag #FakeEngagementRing — which has over 11 million views — a bevy of wannabe brides are showing off “fake-it-till-you-make-it” accessories.
The trend has similarities with the recent “Lucky Girl Syndrome” craze — where young women claim to think their wildest dreams into existence — and the “think thin thoughts” weight loss fad, as well as the popular book “The Secret” of the aughts.
Chelsea Escamilla is hoping it works for her.
The 32-year-old haircare entrepreneur spent most of her 20s building her business while going on bad dates.
Now she’s ready for real love from a real man, so last month she shelled out $60 on a 4-carat radiant cut cubic zirconia ring from Objkts Jewelry, a retailer she found on TikTok.
“I want to be married,” Escamilla, from San Diego, California, told The Post. “I’ve been single for two years,” added the singleton, who went through a difficult breakup with her last boyfriend.
“I’ve healed. I’ve done the inner work. I refuse to settle. It’s time.”
Escamilla’s bogus bling is the exact cut and size she hopes to receive when her dream lover materializes and pops the big question.
“When I wear it, I feel love,” she said. “I feel like I’m engaged.”
The ring has already had some concrete effects.
“Since I got it, I’ve received $400 roses in the mail from random guys on social media,” Escamilla said. “Complete strangers have sent me Starbucks money [and] a pair of pink Nikes, and I have a date this weekend … All the sudden I’m [receiving] all this love.”
Jennifer Simon, a 33-year-old restaurant manager from Fort Myers, Florida, said she can feel something at work when she slips on the $40 shimmering round cut cubic zirconia ring that purchased herself from a hospital gift shop in December.
“As soon as I put it on I felt loved and chosen,” said Simon, adding that she wears the gem on a daily basis. “It gives me wife energy.”
“It was not expensive,” she added with a laugh. “But when I put it on I tell myself, ‘That’s okay, your husband is gonna replace it with an expensive ring.’”
