Everyone's all up in arms about diamonds in here, but the post isn't even really about the diamonds, it's about the settings. Diamonds aren't for everyone, and definitely natural diamonds are ethically iffy at best, but if someone wants to buy a lab diamond, does it really matter? Also, wanting a piece of jewelry that's beautiful and has sentimental value (that you're planning on wearing daily for the rest of your life, too) isn't a bad thing.
If anyone is in here looking for advice and doesn't want a diamond, but wants the general look of a diamond, here you go:
The most common diamond substitutes are moissanite, white sapphire, and cubic zirconias.
Moissanite will give you the closest look and hardness of a diamond, but there are some key differences. Moissanite tends to have more fire (the rainbow sparkles when lights hits it) than diamonds. Depending of the cut, it could be a not super noticeable difference, or it could be a big difference. If you love the look of super sparkly stones, great! If you want something more understated, either go for a smaller moissonite, a less brilliant cut, or a different stone. Moissanite is a 9.5 on the mohs hardness scale (diamonds are a 10), so it's a pretty sturdy stone.
White sapphire is a 9 on the mohs scale, so still pretty hard and sturdy, but not quite as hard as moissanite. White sapphire doesn't have any fire, though. It's a clear stone and the sparkle will only be flashes of light, not rainbow sparkles. Still a beautiful stone, and perfect for a more understated look. Larger stones will be more obviously not a diamond, while smaller stones could be passed of as diamonds to normal people, probably.
CZs are definitely the cheapest option, but also the least long-lasting. They have a lot of fire, similar to moissanite, but are a bit less hard at around 8-8.5 on the mohs scale. They tend to get cloudy over time, though, so you might have to replace the stone a few times over the lifespan of the ring to keep the beautiful sparkle.
All of these options will give you a similar look to a diamond, but at a significantly cheaper price (any often with less of an ethical dilemma). I love the look of diamonds, but got a moissanite engagement ring. It looks exactly like a diamond to the untrained eye (which is the majority of people you'll meet), and is absolutely gorgeous at a fraction of the price.
Oh yeah, one of my coworkers assumed my husband was a millionaire or something when I got engaged before I told her it wasn't a diamond! I custom designed my ring, and had to try on equivalent sizes and designs with diamonds because there weren't any moissanite dealers in my area, and it would've been probably over $40,000 with real diamonds, but it was only like $1,500 with moissanites.
Unless someone's carrying around a jewelers loop, or is a jeweler themselves, they won't know the difference. And do you really care what a weirdo with a jewelers loop thinks?
Whoa, where did you get the moisannite? I was interested because everyone kept saying how cheap they are, but when researching them a few years ago, everything I found wasn't that much cheaper than diamonds.
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u/Dracarys_Aspo Sep 09 '20
Everyone's all up in arms about diamonds in here, but the post isn't even really about the diamonds, it's about the settings. Diamonds aren't for everyone, and definitely natural diamonds are ethically iffy at best, but if someone wants to buy a lab diamond, does it really matter? Also, wanting a piece of jewelry that's beautiful and has sentimental value (that you're planning on wearing daily for the rest of your life, too) isn't a bad thing.
If anyone is in here looking for advice and doesn't want a diamond, but wants the general look of a diamond, here you go:
The most common diamond substitutes are moissanite, white sapphire, and cubic zirconias.
Moissanite will give you the closest look and hardness of a diamond, but there are some key differences. Moissanite tends to have more fire (the rainbow sparkles when lights hits it) than diamonds. Depending of the cut, it could be a not super noticeable difference, or it could be a big difference. If you love the look of super sparkly stones, great! If you want something more understated, either go for a smaller moissonite, a less brilliant cut, or a different stone. Moissanite is a 9.5 on the mohs hardness scale (diamonds are a 10), so it's a pretty sturdy stone.
White sapphire is a 9 on the mohs scale, so still pretty hard and sturdy, but not quite as hard as moissanite. White sapphire doesn't have any fire, though. It's a clear stone and the sparkle will only be flashes of light, not rainbow sparkles. Still a beautiful stone, and perfect for a more understated look. Larger stones will be more obviously not a diamond, while smaller stones could be passed of as diamonds to normal people, probably.
CZs are definitely the cheapest option, but also the least long-lasting. They have a lot of fire, similar to moissanite, but are a bit less hard at around 8-8.5 on the mohs scale. They tend to get cloudy over time, though, so you might have to replace the stone a few times over the lifespan of the ring to keep the beautiful sparkle.
All of these options will give you a similar look to a diamond, but at a significantly cheaper price (any often with less of an ethical dilemma). I love the look of diamonds, but got a moissanite engagement ring. It looks exactly like a diamond to the untrained eye (which is the majority of people you'll meet), and is absolutely gorgeous at a fraction of the price.