The Best Alternative to Diamonds to save Money without Losing Quality ...

By Kalee

The Best Alternative to Diamonds to save Money without Losing Quality ...

I bet many of you would be surprised that diamonds aren’t the only option for an engagement ring or any kind of jewelry. But what is the best alternative to diamond? The diamond market that was established by the De Beers cartel has led consumers astray into believing diamonds are the only option for the past century.

I am here to tell you that diamonds are not the only option and, in my opinion, I discovered a better option that is not only much more affordable, but that I wouldn’t have otherwise found without becoming absolutely frustrated with the price of diamond engagement rings.

Let’s get something straight though, diamonds are not rare. The De Beers corporation purchased a diamond mine in South Africa and started an ad campaign that would be one of the most persuasive and successful, convincing consumers that engagement rings need to be made with a diamond.

What would the campaign have been without the most beautiful movie actresses covered in diamonds? After reaping the benefits from the initial campaign, it continued with anniversary bands and De Beers isolated the market.

Diamonds were discovered in South Africa, as well as other locations in Africa, which De Beers acquired complete control over. This is where the term blood diamonds has become so well known, because it’s reported that the company used kidnapping and murder as part of their scheme.

In order to make diamonds seem rare De Beers trickled them into the market, all the while making the availability of rough diamonds scarce. In turn, this caused diamond prices to skyrocket due to their “rare” nature.

Consumers were discouraged from selling their diamonds because it would incite a widespread realization that diamonds have a rock bottom intrinsic value as the stone they are. So, it was up to the ad team working for De Beers to make diamonds appear to be eternal like the relationship consumers wanted, which created the “ A Diamond is Forever” campaign.

The campaign continued its psychological warfare with the De Beers cartel in the 1930s conjuring up that one month’s salary is the standard for what to spend on a diamond ring. In the 1980s another De Beers campaign refreshed its standard and changed it two month’s salary.

Eventually, towards the end of the 20th century the diamond market began to shift. Technology used to discover oil reserves revealed the likelihood of other geological regions that contain diamonds and due to this, discoveries increased outside of the monopolistic De Beers corporation.

Australia eventually discovered a major diamond resource, however, De Beers contracted a deal with them and the Soviet Union to be the distributor for rough diamonds. Once the Soviet Union disseminated, the Russians allowed the contract with De Beers to expire and began to sell diamonds on their own. Next to discover, cut, and sell their own diamonds was Canada, but De Beers was unable to contract a deal with them. Unfortunately, De Beers still maintains about 80 percent of the rough diamond supply, but other diamond suppliers keep their prices consistent with De Beers.

Diamonds are priced to appeal to the emotions, not based on the actual value of the diamond, which is significantly lower. The diamond empire is close to $80 billion annually in sales. The diamond quality can be excellent, however, it’s not the only option. So what the best alternative to diamond engagement rings?

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1

Are Diamonds Worth the Price?

It might be difficult for many people to wrap their minds around not owning a diamond engagement ring, wedding band, or anniversary ring. At first, when researching diamond rings and compiling affordable rings, the common theme for diamonds was in order to buy a diamond we would need to go into debt, particularly based on the whole month’s salary, which I refused to give in to. But there was a best alternative to diamond that I will get to in a moment.

When trying to keep this type of purchase within a budget, it did not look bright. I wanted to give up searching because even looking at loose diamonds for $1000 or less, there was always some type of defect and I find it unethical and absurd that it’s not possible to find a beautiful stone for that price unless it was .19 carats, and you can barely see it at that weight. Let’s be honest here, if you’re going to give or receive a ring, you want to be able to look down from time to time and see it sparkle.

Both people are going to want to be happy with the purchase, but I was not about to allow my fiancé to finance a ring. We have better things to spend our money on and being in debt once we’re married is not an option for us. He would have done that for me, but I wanted to find something we would both be able to enjoy at a much more affordable cost and I was determined.

2

The Alternative: Moissanite

I did some research and found Moissanite, which is an entirely separate type of stone from a diamond, but to the naked eye could appear to be similar to a diamond.
jewellery, fashion accessory, diamond, bling bling, gemstone, This was a spectacular find that my fiancé agreed upon, though this took some persuading on my part because he was skeptical. I think that’s a normal reaction when society tells us to do something and then we want to go against it, but I would never trade my ring in for a diamond.

Moissanite is comprised of silicone carbon, whereas diamonds are pure carbon. Do not be mistaken Moissanite is NOT cubic zirconia, which was designed to be a diamond simulant. Moissanite was not created to be a simulant, but is its own stone with its own properties and beauty. Cubic Zirconia is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide, not to be confused with zircon (zirconium silicate).

Moissanite is its own gem stone that was originally discovered by a scientist, Henri Moissan, who thought he had discovered space diamonds, from a meteor that crashed into the earth. Actual Moissanite from the crater is an extremely rare and scarce mineral, unlike diamonds, which are in overabundance but artificially manipulated. While diamonds sparkle, Moissanite contains a fire and brilliance that is so beautiful and affordable that it makes it, in my opinion, better than diamonds.

Moissanite today is grown in a lab and cut from large Moissanite crystals. In the summer of 1995, a diamond cutter figured out that if the gem was cut properly it could be used as a beautiful jewel.

There are those who hold the opinion that Moissanite is not colorless and isn’t worth it to buy. These people are either diamond jewelers or people that have never owned anything else. Diamonds are outrageously priced, whereas Moissanite is not.

Moissaniteco carries a beautiful and much more affordable selection of colorless Moissanites, as well as Moissanites that do have some color. The Moissanite line is Forever One (colorless), Forever Brilliant (near colorless), and Classic (Faint Color).

My ring is the Forever Brilliant 1.4ct stone. I chose the line, but my fiancé chose the size, which was a surprise to me because I was looking at the .5ct. The Forever Brilliant was due to my own preference, some people like the colorless more, but I really wanted to see that sparkle. Moissanites hardness is similar to the diamonds as it’s a 9.25 to 9.5, whereas a diamond is a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale.
jewellery, ring, fashion accessory, finger, body jewelry, My experience with the Forever Brilliant warmth is based on the tone of room or the lighting its currently in, or even certain clothing colors that it’s near. I’m including pictures below, but in my experience the stone doesn’t look even slightly yellow too often.

3

Ring Metal

Along with my beautiful Moissanite gem stone I received my ring with palladium instead of white gold. Palladium is white all on its own, whereas white gold is not actually white. It receives its white appearance with the help of rhodium, which is a toxic metal that chips off and requires the ring to be dipped annually, unless you prefer the real color of white gold.

Palladium is part of the platinum family, but it’s cheaper. Palladium is also more grey than white in comparison with platinum, but I really like my palladium band and will be purchasing our wedding bands in palladium.

Please note, I’m not affiliated with MoissaniteCo and in no way was I solicited for my opinion. I voluntarily chose to share my opinion and experience with the engagement ring from their company because it’s a beautiful gem stone that deserves recognition and is so much more affordable than a diamond. I believe that Moissanite is superior to a diamond in many ways.

4

Other Alternatives

There’s obviously more than Moissanite or Diamonds. Other beautiful options that might be more of what you’re looking for include the following.

- Alexandrite
- Sapphire
- Amethyst
- Aquamarine
- Citrine
- Lapis Lazuli
- Moonstone
- Paraiba Tourmaline
- Emerald
- Rubellite
- Spinel
- Tanzanite
- Topaz
- Morganite
- Garnet
- Jade
- Pearl
- Tourmaline
- Opal
- Ruby
- Peridot
- Turquoise
- Zircon

Hopefully, it’s clear to see there are some really great alternatives to a diamond. Do some research and it’s easy to find other gem stones that will open your mind to other possibilities and require less money to show the commitment you’re about to embark on. Less money doesn’t mean cheap, it just means not being exploited for the romanticism of having diamonds and giving in to the diamond industries high price tag.

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