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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask about your synthetic diamonds?

55 replies

blingybling · 11/07/2021 10:10

NC in case this is outing!

My DP and I have spoken a lot about getting engaged soon (yay!) and I've started looking at rings. I've been engaged once before and had a very very beautiful big diamond ring, but the relationship was abusive and to be honest that ring just came to represent a whole lot of pain and sadness.

Since then I've read a lot about blood diamonds and the ridiculous economies behind them, and I don't want us to buy into that, plus we're in the middle of selling both our properties and buying together so I think it would be sensible to be as frugal as possible, though still keeping in mind I will want to wear this ring for the rest of my life.

So I've landed on the possibility of man-made diamonds, which seem like such a great ethical and budget-friendly option. I've been looking at 77diamonds and would love to hear your experience/thoughts/see photos of your ethical/frugal engagement rings Grin

OP posts:
RufustheBadgeringReindeer · 11/07/2021 10:20

Im lurking

Ive got three children and have thought of them in terms of yellow, white and rose gold and have wanted a ring with all three in for ages

Just seen you can do it with the diamonds!

Original poster
blingybling · 11/07/2021 10:25

@RufustheBadgeringReindeer

Im lurking

Ive got three children and have thought of them in terms of yellow, white and rose gold and have wanted a ring with all three in for ages

Just seen you can do it with the diamonds!

This is a lovely idea... keeping in mind for any future DC Grin

OP posts:
giddyasakipper · 11/07/2021 10:25

I have a few pieces from Carat London although not an engagement ring (cocktail ring and Tennis bracelet) and I love them! Definitely worth checking them out!

73kittycat73 · 11/07/2021 10:34

What about Diamonique?

RandomLondoner · 11/07/2021 10:34

A quick google tells me that 96% of rough diamonds are not "blood diamonds." I wouldn't be surprised if you could get one that was guaranteed not to be, the market of people who care about that must be big enough.

Relatively respectable mining companies have been mining vast amounts of diamonds in fairly stable countries for a very long time. (In fact so many that the De Beers monopoly on supply was needed to keep the price up. I would never buy a diamond because I think the concept of owning one is a con. Unless the world has changed since I last looked into it, a diamond ring will have a resale value that's only a fraction of what you pay for it.)

RandomLondoner · 11/07/2021 10:37

OK, I know so little about diamonds that I didn't pick up that synthetic are cheaper. Definitely sounds like a better option to me. (The best being none!)

Carrotinthesky · 11/07/2021 10:40

I have a lab produced sapphire ring. Love it.

Original poster
blingybling · 11/07/2021 10:42

@RandomLondoner

A quick google tells me that 96% of rough diamonds are not "blood diamonds." I wouldn't be surprised if you could get one that was guaranteed not to be, the market of people who care about that must be big enough.

Relatively respectable mining companies have been mining vast amounts of diamonds in fairly stable countries for a very long time. (In fact so many that the De Beers monopoly on supply was needed to keep the price up. I would never buy a diamond because I think the concept of owning one is a con. Unless the world has changed since I last looked into it, a diamond ring will have a resale value that's only a fraction of what you pay for it.)

This is interesting to know. I've read a lot about DeBeers and their inflation of the diamond market/resale values which is another reason why I dont want to put money into a real diamond, it feels like such an empty investment

OP posts:
Original poster
blingybling · 11/07/2021 10:46

@giddyasakipper

I have a few pieces from Carat London although not an engagement ring (cocktail ring and Tennis bracelet) and I love them! Definitely worth checking them out!
They have some really nice pieces!
OP posts:
yoyo1234 · 11/07/2021 10:46

Man made diamond is still a diamond (chemical formula wise, i.e. carbon ) it has the same physical and chemical properties. I think they're great.

yoyo1234 · 11/07/2021 10:48

Not sure any engagement rings brought new are an investment - get one that you love wearing that is sentimental to you at a budget that suits your priorities.

fantastaballs · 11/07/2021 10:51

There is a documentary on Netflix called "explained" and one of the episodes is all about diamonds. It's a fascinating series but I found it ridiculous how they transformed diamonds from a shiny undesirable/ worthless stone to a mega money machine just by advertising. It's CRAZY!!

Myself, we were piss poor when we got engaged. My husband bought me a 1ct Tiffany set black diamond. It's set in silver and it's black like my heart 😂❤️. Cost is a tenth of a proper white diamonds and I absolutely adore it. I have had SO many compliments on it. We got matching wedding rings that say "my beloved is mine and I am theirs ". He has since bought me a huge Opal ring that cost a lot more but I love my black diamond and nothing could persuade me to "invest" in a proper diamond. Because it's not an investment, it's a con. For me it was the gesture and the promise that mattered.

Notsowise · 11/07/2021 10:58

London Diamonds will source a quality and guaranteed beautiful lab diamond and can do it to fit your budget and you’ll know you’ll get one that looks beautiful and I think they even do GIA ones

Notsowise · 11/07/2021 10:59

I don’t work there btw, just follow them on Instagram- but it’s a bespoke service

TentTalk · 11/07/2021 11:04

I was very clear with DH when we were talking about getting engaged that I didn't want to buy in to the precious stones business. I'd have liked a silicone or wood & resin ring but DH is quite traditional and he went with a kinetique diamond. They've rebranded as Ethica Cornwall now. It's lovely.

CoffeeBeansGalore · 11/07/2021 11:08

Www.gemporia.com sell coloured gemstones and diamonds.
They give you an authenticity certificate with the mine location on it.
They also invest in the local mining communities & have helped build schools & medical centres.
UK family run business. Definitely worth a look.

Original poster
blingybling · 11/07/2021 11:17

@fantastaballs

There is a documentary on Netflix called "explained" and one of the episodes is all about diamonds. It's a fascinating series but I found it ridiculous how they transformed diamonds from a shiny undesirable/ worthless stone to a mega money machine just by advertising. It's CRAZY!!

Myself, we were piss poor when we got engaged. My husband bought me a 1ct Tiffany set black diamond. It's set in silver and it's black like my heart 😂❤️. Cost is a tenth of a proper white diamonds and I absolutely adore it. I have had SO many compliments on it. We got matching wedding rings that say "my beloved is mine and I am theirs ". He has since bought me a huge Opal ring that cost a lot more but I love my black diamond and nothing could persuade me to "invest" in a proper diamond. Because it's not an investment, it's a con. For me it was the gesture and the promise that mattered.

This is really lovely
OP posts:
SecretSpAD · 11/07/2021 11:19

What about an antique diamond ring? I have one that is 100 years old and a fraction of the cost a new diamond ring would be.

Original poster
blingybling · 11/07/2021 11:28

@TentTalk

I was very clear with DH when we were talking about getting engaged that I didn't want to buy in to the precious stones business. I'd have liked a silicone or wood & resin ring but DH is quite traditional and he went with a kinetique diamond. They've rebranded as Ethica Cornwall now. It's lovely.
This is just what I was looking for - thank you
OP posts:
tttigress · 11/07/2021 11:31

I don't know why they are called synthetic diamonds (other than due to being forced to by DeBeers), they have the same carbon structure as those diamonds that you mine, so synthetic vs natural is just marketing (I have a degree and masters in chemistry).

I would go for the synthetic (although it is not really synthetic).

You will get much more for your money!

tttigress · 11/07/2021 11:33

Also unlike gold and platinum, the amount of diamonds is not actually that rare, it is just the supply is controlled by DeBeers

MaskingForIt · 11/07/2021 11:37

I recently had a piece of jewellery made, and initially I wanted Canadian diamonds. I found www.ingleandrhode.co.uk/ and after looking through their website and doing further reading I decided to do with lab-grown diamonds instead. Even if diamonds aren’t “blood diamonds” the mining is still pretty destructive for the environment.

Ingle and Rhode were great to work with and I am very happy with my jewellery. It’s about £1500 for the work with the cost of the diamonds on top of that.

Of course, lab-grown diamonds still use a lot of energy in their making, so you have to do what you’re happy with. Maybe second-hand/antique would also be a good option?

MrsFin · 11/07/2021 11:42

Have you considered a "pre-loved" (hate that term) ring?
I got a lovely ring from an antique shop.

AlternativePerspective · 11/07/2021 11:48

Have you considered going to a jewellery auction?

Authentic rings go there for a fraction of what they would even sell for in an antique/2nd hand jewellery shop.

I think that synthetic diamonds are all very wel, but in my experience the gold setting isn’t as solid as a mined diamond, I don’t know why, but you run the risk that the ring won’t be as solid gold iyswim. The gold in the ones I’ve seen is much thinner in terms of the band.

Zilla1 · 11/07/2021 11:57

Sapphires, Rubies, Emeralds and the many other stones, precious and semi precious.

If you are most interested in not over-paying then auctions, antiques markets and other mechanisms will be better than synthetic.