Diamond jewelry is expensive. Whether you are looking for high-end, classy jewelry in general, or searching for the perfect engagement ring, you will find that the diamond itself can cost several thousand dollars, especially for a rock with an ideal cut and the best clarity. In current times, young people, especially college students want to get married but do not want the ridiculously high price tag that traditionally comes with it. That is why many people are seeking alternatives to the traditional diamond ring and jewelry, and opting for other gemstones instead.
Moissanite jewelry and rings kept popping up on my Pinterest, so I finally did some digging and research into what it is. I found that a lot of people are getting moissanite as their main gemstone instead of a diamond for many reasons. Perhaps Moissanite and similar gemstones are slowly taking over the engagement and jewelry industry and knocking diamonds out of their near-monopoly. Here are some reasons why:
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Cheaper
As previously mentioned, diamond is extremely expensive. For just a half carat diamond that is an average cut, color, and clarity, you could still pay over $1,000 plus at least several hundred dollars for a simple setting. In many cases, the diamond alone is well over half of the overall cost of the ring or other jewelry.
Moissanite, on the other hand, is a lot cheaper. You can get a 1-2 carat equivalent moissanite for under $1000, whereas a 1-2 carat diamond will cost literally thousands (LOOK UP PRICE). There are a few reasons why Moissanite is so much cheaper. First, it is lab-created, which means it is not natural. This turns some people off because it seems “unauthentic.” But creating gemstones is ridiculously cheaper than mining natural stones like diamonds. Another reason is that is doesn’t have the prestige factor of diamonds. Diamond is viewed as the most-desired and even necessary gemstone for engagement rings. It is portrayed that is it’s not diamond, it’s not worth it. Because of this, the demand drives prices up, as well as a near-monopoly. The diamond industry can hike up prices because they know people will pay them. Moissanite does not have that “prestige factor.” So the prices are not artificially raised.
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Ethical
Environmentally conscious people are opting out of diamond rings for more ethical and sustainable alternatives. Natural diamond must be mined, which often leads to devastating impacts on the environment, as well as the potential for unethical mining practices. Moissanite is lab-created, which means there are no dangerous and environmentally devastating methods to get it. So for those trying to avoid contributing to environmental and human damage, moissanite and other lab-created stones are the more ethical route to take.
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More brilliant
Brilliance, when ranking gemstones, is essentially how much it sparkles. Moissanite actually has a higher brilliance rating than diamond. That means more sparkle and reflection in different lighting. Moissanite also has a more rainbow effect in its sparkle and reflection, which is really beautiful and stunning.
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Almost indistinguishable to the untrained eye
Although lower quality moissanite may have a slight yellow hue, the newer, highest-quality moissanite has the same quality as the highest ranked diamonds. So unless he or she is trained in jewelry or gemstones, no one will be able to tell a difference.