Drop The Diamond For Another Gemstone
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Consider Diamond Alternatives
Other Gemstones
An engagement ring does not have to have a diamond as its center pieces. There are other gemstones such as sapphires, emeralds, and rubies, besides diamonds that are used for engagement rings. However, if you decide to go with a non-traditional engagement ring and use another gemstone instead of a diamond, make sure the other gemstone hard enough to hold up to being worn everyday.
A gemstone’s hardness is graded on the Mohs scale. When choosing a gemstone for an engagement ring that will be worn everyday, anything lower than an 8.0 on the Mohs scale is unsuitable. Softer and less durable gemstones like pearls and opals are poor choices for an engagement ring.
Man-Made Diamonds
Man-made diamonds, also called synthetic, lab-created, manufactured, lab-grown, or cultured, are true diamonds. Although not formed by nature, man-made diamonds share the chemical, physical and optical qualities of mined diamonds and are less expensive. Like a real diamond, a man-made diamond is carbon crystallized at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Man-made diamonds have been around since the 1950s and have been used mainly in industrial purposes. But in recently years, advances in the process of glowing diamonds have produced gem quality diamonds.
Most of the lab-grown diamonds produced today are still one carat or smaller. Colored diamonds are more common among synthetic diamonds and colorless stones are rare. The prices of man-made diamonds are expected to decline as production increases. Two companies that make synthetic diamonds are Apollo and Gemesis.
Diamond Simulates
Not to be confused with man-made or laboratory-grown diamonds, simulates or imitations diamonds are not diamonds at all. Diamond simulates are made of other materials such as zirconium oxide (cubic zirconia) or silicon carbide (moissanite). The best example is cubic zirconia (CZ) which has been around since since 1976. Moissanite is a newer creation coming onto the market in the late 1990s. Currently, only on company makes moissanite.
CZ and other imitation diamonds do not have the same properties as natural diamonds and are usually very cheap compared to natural or man-made diamonds. A cubic zirconia of the same size as a natural diamond is heavier. The CZ will weigh about 1.6 times more than the diamond because the zirconium oxide is denser than the crystallized carbon of a diamond. A CZ is softer than diamonds, scoring an 8.3 on the Mohs scale. Moissanite comes closer to a real diamond. It scores a 9.25 on the Mohs scale but it cannot quite compete with a diamond’s colorless quality.
The similarities of CZ to a real diamond are so remarkable that even a jeweler or gemologist can’t always tell the difference when viewed with the naked eye. One difference between a CZ and a real diamond is that cubic zirconias are excellent insulators of heat, where as diamonds are good conductors of heat. Tests with the right equipment will be able to pick out a CZ from real diamonds.
Irish Claddagh Ring
The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring and custom believe to have originated in the 17th century outside the Irish city of Galway in the fishing village of Claddagh. The ring is given in as a symbol of promise and engagement but also has the added meaning of friendship.
Claddaghs are still worn today, primarily by those of Irish heritage, as both a cultural symbol and as engagement and wedding rings. However, the Claddagh ring has become popular with many non-Irish couples due to the tradition and meaning behind it.
Simple Gold Band
Consider a nicely carved band in gold can usually be found for under $200.
Other Tips to Save Money Buying An Engagement Ring: Engagement Ring On The Cheap, Engagement Ring For Less, Save Money When Buying The Diamond, Drop The Diamond For Another Gemstone
White Sapphire
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White sapphires, or clear sapphires, have been used as diamond simulates since the early twentieth century. Unlike other imitation, fake or man-made diamonds, sapphire is a natural gemstone.
Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum. The mineral is aluminum oxide – diamond is carbon – that crystallized under high pressure and heat at a great depth in Earth’s core.
Sapphires make good diamond simulates because their radiance and brilliance are close to that of natural diamonds, but are less expensive. Sapphires are the second hardest natural mineral on the Mohs scale, exceeded only by diamonds.
Natural sapphire comes in many different colors, from the rare colorless to blue, pink, green, and purple. In its purest form, corundum is colorless. Blue sapphire is corundum that is contaminated with iron or titanium. Other elements turn corundum into red, pink, blue, black, brown, orange, yellow, green, indigo, or violet sapphire. Sapphires that are colors other than blue are called fancy sapphires. Red sapphires are called rubies and not red sapphires.
Because white sapphires are rare in nature, natural grey to light yellow stones are treated to remove the color to make them clear – or white.
Some companies also grow their own stones, creating synthetic sapphires that have the same properties as the real thing. A synthetic white sapphire, like a synthetic diamond, is usually less expensive that natural stones because consumers think of lab-grown gems as inferior to the real thing. However, man-made stones are usually better quality due to the controlled growing conditions.
Sapphire prices range from a few dollars per carat to thousands of dollars per carat. Just like the price of a diamond, the price of a sapphire can be gauged based on the four C’s: color, clarity, cut, and carat.
A sapphire’s birthplace also figures into its price. The most priced and expensive sapphires are from Kashmir. Next priced sapphires are Burmese sapphires, and then comes sapphires from Ceylon.
Sapphires are mined in Ceylon, Thailand, India, Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia. Other areas of the world where sapphires are mines are in Brazil, Australia, Columbia, Kenya, Madagascar and Malawi. Sapphires are also found in Montana and Colorado in the western United States.
Other Diamond Simulants: cubic zirconia, Moissanite, Russian Brilliants, Diamond Nexus, white topaz
Russian Brilliants
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Russian Brilliants
Russian Brilliants, Russian Stars and other names used to market these diamond simulates are high quality cubic zirconias (CZ). This fact may not be mentioned prominently on the company’s web site and the company apparently will only reveal this only when pressed.
Learn more about Russian Brilliants at the company’s website:
http://www.russianbrilliants.net
Other Diamond Simulants: cubic zirconia, Moissanite, Diamond Nexus, white sapphire, white topaz
Moissanite
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Moissanite
Moissanite is a lab-created mineral that is a very good diamond simulant. Moissanite has been on the market as a fine jewelry choice since the early 1990’s.
Moissanite stones are more brilliant than natural diamonds. Moissanite has a hardness of 9.25 on the Mohs Scale and, like diamond, will cut glass. While Moissanite is a very good diamond stimulant, and is gaining a fan base, it is quite expensive relative to natural diamonds
Shop for Moissanite loose stones and fine jewelry at www.moissanite-stardust.com
Other Diamond Simulants: Cubic Zirconia, Diamond Nexus, Russian Brilliants, White Sapphire, White Topaz
Diamond Nexus
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Diamond Nexus Labs gemstones are a specially processed, cut or prepared cubic zirconium stones (CZ), and have only recently been made available in the United States.
Diamond Nexus gemstones are excellent diamond simulants and come very close to matching the properties of mined diamonds at many different comparison points.
They cut glass, being virtually identical to diamond on the Mohs (hardness) scale. They refract perfect “hearts and arrows” and have radiance and brilliance readings extremely close to flawless diamond.
Learn more about Diamond Nexus at the company’s website:
http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com
Other Diamond Simulants: cubic zirconia, Moissanite, Russian Brilliants, white sapphire and white topaz.