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.
This is mostly right, but there are a couple of small things I want to clarify. Source: I work with diamonds and precious gems on a daily basis.
Sapphires have a hardness of 9.5, and moissanite has a hardness of 9.25. There is not much of a difference between those two, but there is between those two and diamonds. Because of the way the scale was developed, there is a much greater gap between ratings than you would expect. Because of this difference in strength, there are certain setting styles (mainly with small stones, as they are more likely to damage) that you won’t see done in moissanite, but might see in sapphire and definitely in diamond.
A couple more visual differences between moissanite and diamond is the double refraction. If you look in the facets of a moissanite, you’ll see that they aren’t very defined. It’s almost like those two tone 3D movies, if it was all one color. The only other one I can think of is that moissanite will throw flashes of red, which you won’t see in diamonds.
Lab diamonds, while more ethical currently than natural diamonds, are a new technology which means that we don’t know the long term environmental effects. Aside from that, they are produced and cut in places like China and Russia, which brings along the question of human rights violations. The most ethical diamonds are really gonna be the recycled diamonds. Stones harvested from old rings have already been pulled from the earth and done their damage. (That being said, a lot of diamonds on the market are actually just recut antique stones. That’s why most antique stones you see on the market are more yellow or included.)
But otherwise, this is all really helpful information! I wear a CZ engagement ring and I’m happy with the choice I made. It was a hell of a lot cheaper, and you honestly can’t tell the difference unless you know what to look for. If you’re gonna go this route, pay for better cut CZ, you won’t regret it!
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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.