To ask about your synthetic diamonds?

[blingybling]

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

The price of synthetic diamonds is over inflated at the moment, but they will come down in value. Also, as pp says, they are often set into thin rings to keep the costs down, which will not last a lifetime. I would say that it is vital to see and try on your ring beforehand.
If I were to get engaged now, I would buy a secondhand ring from and auction, and find a jeweller who could design and make a ring for me using the gold and gemstones. If you ask around you might find local jewellers who do not have a shop, just a workbench. They will do the work cheaper because they don’t have the overheads.

I bought a Diamonique ring 24 years ago. It went cloudy about 4/5 years ago. I no longer wear it as it’s obviously fake

Don't know much about synthetic diamonds but as a cheaper alternative to diamonds have you looked at zircon? Still a genuine gemstone but a lot less pricey than diamonds. They also don't have the inclusions that diamonds do ☺️

Something like this.

I have an exquisite pear cut moissanite engagement ring with a halo of tiny diamonds set in platinum. I sourced the moissanite online myself and our jeweller did a fantastic job crafting the ring from scratch. I get positive comments about it all the time and the only people who know it's not a diamond are those we've told. It's showing no signs of wear and tear whatsoever and I don't love it any less because it's not a diamond. In fact, I feel that we did a really smart thing and saved a huge amount of money for something that I'm just as happy with ☺️

Zircons are not tough enough to last. They also don’t retract the light in the same way as soon as they get any kind of muck behind them. You need a gemstone that is 8.5 on the mohs scale or higher.

*refract

Moissanite?

I chose to replace my engagment ring when I lost a diamond from my original ring I opted for Moissanite it looks beautiful and everyone one coments on it no one has realised its not a diamond untill I tell them its supposed to be almost as tough as a diamond but cheaper as its man made

There is a company called Jessica Flinn jewellery that I have been looking at and I know they do lab grown diamond engagement rings.

tttigress
In Gemmology, for a stone to synthetic it has to have the same properties as the natural, or it is a simulant.

Lab grown diamonds are grown in high temperature, high pressure conditions. Some now are so well done that they are only identifiable in a lab on specialised equipment.
Alot of people in the jewellery industry will tell you they can tell with a loupe, very doubtful. Unless they are poor quality and show metallic inclusions.

In fact, a well know supplier of diamonds recently had a random selection of their stock tested (after stated no synthetic diamonds could ever make it into their stock) a percentage were found to be synthetic.

Congratulations on getting engaged
I got my diamond ring with platinum band second hand on gumtree. All documents with it as well. The seller was lovely and she was delighted with how happy I was with the ring. The second hand price was £900 and the ring's valuation was £3000.

Forgot to say, I had it sized up by a lovely jeweller who has her own workshop, only £30

I haven’t bought anything from there yet but I have my eye on some jewellery from Edge of Ember - they use lab grown diamonds and recycled gold. This would be a nice but subtle engagement ring: edgeofember.com/products/cluster-diamond-ring-white-gold?variant=39561835282621

Look into ethically sourced or recycled diamonds. My engagement ring is a recycled diamond from an antique ring (too damaged to use so the jeweller made a new replica band and setting) and my wedding ring has small recycled diamonds in. They can be costly if you go for the very best qualty but there are definitely affordable options to fit most budgets.

@giddyasakipper thank you for recommending Carat! I've just seen some lovely earrings I want need!

@AutumnLeafDance thank you for the post. Interesting stone, Moissanite, higher refractive index than diamond so would look to some as 'better' than the equivalent diamond though I think (almost) all gem-size stones might be synthetic due to availability in nature. Could be wrong, usually am.

Blood diamonds are easy to avoid by buying from reputable companies
If you are worried about environmental issues then I’d avoid all diamond though.

I’ve got diamonds and they give me pleasure every day. I wouldn’t buy any more though.

I would look at antique/second hand rings for use as is or use a jeweller to rework - it already exists so less of an ethical issue

Diamonds don't degrade so get an old one (either on its own or in an existing older ring) and then have it re-set?

@intothedark

I chose to replace my engagment ring when I lost a diamond from my original ring I opted for Moissanite it looks beautiful and everyone one coments on it no one has realised its not a diamond untill I tell them its supposed to be almost as tough as a diamond but cheaper as its man made

There are so many amazing moissanite options! Thank you

Have a look into moissanite

www.brilliantearth.com/news/moissanite-vs-diamond/

Mine (bought for myself, I'm not engaged!) is a lovely solitaire set in sterling silver at my request though they do also come in gold and white gold. Just checked the listing and the stone is actually corundum - 9 on the moh scale and is very sparkly (though not as sparkly as moissanite which is next on my list to acquire ) I wear it all the time except for sea swimming and it's still flawless and clear after 5 years, so would recommend. Much cheaper than lab grown synthetic diamonds which match diamond properties, but absolutely perfect for what I wanted.

@hilariousnamehere if corundum then wouldn't it be a white sapphire? Sapphires and rubies fabulous stones and I doubt many lay people could tell the difference between that and diamond by naked eye.

@AlternativePerspective

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.

If that’s a worry just buy loose stones and get them set?

I love my diamond engagement ring and plan to get a lab diamond eternity ring in the same grade/colour as they’re so much cheaper and still diamonds!