They Won't Leave in the Night: Diamonds Are ForNEVER!

[Soleggiato]

Thanks, Sole. And me too! I don't need any prompting whatsoever to go drooling through Cartier or Tiffany. As a matter of fact, if I get anywhere near Chevy Chase and it's daylight, I'll head that way. I LUV the Cartier store! Not regular love, real LUV! LOL

I've seen a number of white topaz pieces around on the 'Net and wondered what they looked like in person and properly cut and faceted. Do they really give off a diamond-like presence? And palladium is a no-brainer as it has all the platinum properties and none of the downsides, like the crazy cost. There always seems to be a lower cost alternative in the luxury goods arena. You get quality and you can even get value. I tell people all the time that it is out there.

I have no idea what goes through people's minds when they buy these things. It's all so very arbitrary when we go looking for things that convey what we should just be able to express through actions and words. I hate that there's suffering involved with mining certain gems and for me that would tarnish my enjoyment of the stone or anything else. It's just like the most delicious foods are the most cruel to make, e.g. foie gras and veal! Diamonds are so beautiful but wouldn't you know it! there's amazing cruelty and pain surrounding them.

A moissy, Asha or cultured diamond (or lab created stone like emeralds, etc.) can provide the same pleasure and there's no real insanity surrounding their creation. I believe getting one of these stones has greater symbolism because it shows that your guy (or gal) cares not just about you but is kind enough to be considerate of other people out in the world he has never seen or met. Someone that conscientious is keeper!

=) finally got an account so I can post pics lol. Yeah, for sure the mining is terrible and does bother me too... maybe some processes for other stones aren't so bad? I don't know, but so long as its not a diamond, I think I'm happy haha
My ring is definitely beautiful, some people are pretty surprised when I tell them its white topaz. I can't really catch everything so well with my cell phone so here goes

[Posh]

Sole, your ring is absolutely GORGEOUS! I love how you have it set! Are those all topaz or just the center three? And is it white gold, platinum or palladium?

The marquis cut is awesome. I thought I was the only person who loved it because all my friends have princess cuts, asschers or rounds.

[Holl71]

I posted about this MONTHS AGO mainly to help out anyone looking to mod a watch or just pick up a exceptional Bling w/o breaking the bank. No response. Perhaps I should've included pics and such. Also worth noting, Betterthandiamond.com now carries the newer "bleached" moissanite, the ONLY comparable diamond sim- the older moissys were far too yellow, along with the crazy fire/brilliance which is a dead give away- as moissanites have double-triple the refraction of a natural diamond. I'm saving up to get one myself..

"Ashas" sold by BTD are cz's with a diamond coating- if you wanted to mod a watch I would go with Wink interlaps @ WinkCZ.com they come in an extensive variety of shapes, sizes and colors with substantial amt of sparkle unlike the typical "diamonds" on the majority of reps that look so plasticky.

[Holl71]

@Jennerate If you're looking for a very diamond like quality stone I would look into the Mira moissanite on Betterthandiamond.com rather than an Asha..While Asha's are really nice, they're not as gorgeous and refractive with light as the moisssanite. Depending on the size of stone/cut a nice 3.5 cushion runs about $2,500+ same clarity as a VS1 Flawless natural diamond. Colored-Fancy moissys are the way to go if you're looking for that Canary yellow "diamond"

Hope this helps

[Posh]

I posted about this MONTHS AGO mainly to help out anyone looking to mod a watch or just pick up a exceptional Bling w/o breaking the bank. No response. Perhaps I should've included pics and such. Also worth noting, Betterthandiamond.com now carries the newer "bleached" moissanite, the ONLY comparable diamond sim- the older moissys were far too yellow, along with the crazy fire/brilliance which is a dead give away- as moissanites have double-triple the refraction of a natural diamond. I'm saving up to get one myself..

"Ashas" sold by BTD are cz's with a diamond coating- if you wanted to mod a watch I would go with Wink interlaps @ WinkCZ.com they come in an extensive variety of shapes, sizes and colors with substantial amt of sparkle unlike the typical "diamonds" on the majority of reps that look so plasticky.

The reason that Asha may be a better choice for some is that, with the coating, it makes the Asha superior to standard cubic zirconias which cloud over time. The amorphous diamond coating prevents this from happening, by "sealing" the stone, which also allows it to handle light more like a diamond, unlike moissanite which has, as you mentioned, ridiculous refractivity. The luster and dispersion (fire) is also higher than diamond and that also makes the stone look unnatural. However, some people want that bit extra bit of "oomph" that moissanite provides, which is why BTD is now offering their brand of the stone.

However, I REALLY like what they have done with moissanite. While some like the color warmth of stones I and below, I find that they're a little too colorful. It helps some people though with the believability of the stone. It was impossible to get a moissanite graded to much higher than I. These new certified H stones are amazing! I was wondering if they'd ever be able rectify that and they did, using technology they already had too: high pressure, high temperature (HPHT)! Calling what they did bleaching makes people think of chemicals, careful with the terminology. LOL

Asha, to me, is more like a natural diamond in behaviors and it is extremely cost effective. If I were going to be paying $2,500+ for a stone, I'd just pony up for a fancy-colored Takara. For colorless stones, Asha is my choice because, well, I'm cheap and I like my stones low key!

[Holl71]

Oh I totally agree Posh with you. I'm salivating for an Asha Krupps cut, maybe even a Radiant- only bc enhanced Moissy's don't come in those cuts. Seriously not a fan of rounds- I've settled for a moissy cushion- just wish the stones came larger. I'm a size queen *Smirk*

If you stroll Diamondbistro.com you may just find a fantastic deal on an Asha ring or loose stone..

[Crystalzi]

I am in LOVE with my moissanite collection. I have a blue solitaire, a canary, and a radiant moissanite. The sparkle off them is amazing, and I gets tons of compliments!

My canary moissy from Moissaniteco...



Blue Moissy from Moissaniteco




And my radiant that I almost never take off...

[Crystalzi]

Speaking of moissies here is some of my mom's amazing collection. If this does not sell you on moissanite I do now know what will!

Green Moissanites from Moissaniteco



Cushion Moissanite from Moissaniteco


10mm round from Moissaniteco


Our collections having a family visit lol

[Posh]

Oh I totally agree Posh with you. I'm salivating for an Asha Krupps cut, maybe even a Radiant- only bc enhanced Moissy's don't come in those cuts. Seriously not a fan of rounds- I've settled for a moissy cushion- just wish the stones came larger. I'm a size queen *Smirk*

If you stroll Diamondbistro.com you may just find a fantastic deal on an Asha ring or loose stone..

I go there ALL THE TIME! LOL I like having some pretend time and think of all the nice pices I'll get from the future hubby. I'm of the mindset that gifts of jewelry should be given by your husband. LOL Mainly because that's all I saw growing up. There's only a few pieces my mom got for herself and that was typically if she was out on vacation with relatives. I have peridot solitaire ring I wear occasionally and, of course, my engagement ring. I like it but I'm not in love with it. I'm stalking my prey at DB and getting a design together in my head. I'm such a b*tch.

Speaking of moissies here is some of my mom's amazing collection. If this does not sell you on moissanite I do now know what will!

Green Moissanites from Moissaniteco


Our collections having a family visit lol

I love that top design and the "diamond" orgy is just amazing! I can't wait to have a small collection of my own. Right now, I'm bare of much bling. It's so sad! My fiance said he'll change that. I'm still waiting. I could complain louder but the engagement gift I got makes that very, very difficult (E-Class coupe). I whine . . . inside my car!

[Crystalzi]

Oh Posh, I gave up on getting jewelry from my husband spontaneously a long time ago. It is not that he does not want to, it is just something that stresses the man out lol (at least that is what he has confessed to). So when I do buy my own jewelry I let him in on the process and make him part of it. Check out the BetterthanDiamond forums, your dream projects will start getting done faster than you think! The new Mira moissanite will rock your world, as well as their future plans once Charles and Covard's patent runs out (think emerald cut and asscher moissanites).

[Posh]

Oh Posh, I gave up on getting jewelry from my husband spontaneously a long time ago. It is not that he does not want to, it is just something that stresses the man out lol (at least that is what he has confessed to). So when I do buy my own jewelry I let him in on the process and make him part of it. Check out the BetterthanDiamond forums, your dream projects will start getting done faster than you think! The new Mira moissanite will rock your world, as well as their future plans once Charles and Covard's patent runs out (think emerald cut and asscher moissanites).

Oh, I'm already signeded up at the BTD forums! And Pricescope. They get a litttle b*tchy at Pricescope about the lab created stones and simulants out there. It's like they're mad that you paid less than they did and then have the gall to get as much pleasure and enjoyment as they do! It's kinda weird and a little sad.

I may consider the Mira if only because the color range has gone up. Before, I wouldn't have entertained it all. I was looking for warmth not a heat wave!

I can understand the whole stress thing. My fiance feels similarly about buying me anything because I'm so particular. That's funny coming from me seeing as how I wrote The Final Countdown. But I'm selective about the items themselves not necessarily how the look, replica or genuine. The only thing I got from him without my input was my car and I already had one from the same brand so that was a no brainer.

[lawrence1]

man you can put together some kickass threads... keep it up

[mattb]

Betterthandiamond.com's Cartier 1895 Engagement set in Palladium. Completely guilt-free:

I have just looked through this post again, and spotted this pair of rings. Perfect gift for my wife's 40th to replace the budget set I bought for her all those years ago (we were both 18, she was pregnant and I couldn't afford anything with a wow factor!)

I am going to order the set in palladium with a 2ct Amore Moissanite.

Thanks Posh for giving me inspiration

I will order a second band in the near future as an eternity ring, I think that a band either side of the solitaire will look amazing.

[Posh]

I have just looked through this post again, and spotted this pair of rings. Perfect gift for my wife's 40th to replace the budget set I bought for her all those years ago (we were both 18, she was pregnant and I couldn't afford anything with a wow factor!)

I am going to order the set in palladium with a 2ct Amore Moissanite.

Thanks Posh for giving me inspiration

I will order a second band in the near future as an eternity ring, I think that a band either side of the solitaire will look amazing.

That's great, Matt! She is going to really enjoy the set. It's cost effective and smart. Use the saved money on a nice vacation!

[AJS914]

I bought my wife a set of Moissanite solitaire earrings. They are gorgeous. I looked at them under a loupe and compared them to a real solitaire diamond we own. My untrained eye couldn't see much if any difference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite

Diamonds are way overated!!! IMO, of course.

[Posh]

I bought my wife a set of Moissanite solitaire earrings. They are gorgeous. I looked at them under a loupe and compared them to a real solitaire diamond we own. My untrained eye couldn't see much if any difference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite

Diamonds are way overated!!! IMO, of course.

AJ, there are some things you can look for, kinda for your own info.

Peek at the girdle of the stone (with your loupe) and you will see that the girdle on the moissanite is almost always going to be polished whereas to find a diamond with a polished and/or faceted girdle you'll need to be looking at of a VERY, VERY fine diamond cut by a master cutter due to the amount of time and skill it takes to do this. While you will easily find many poorly cut diamonds, you will almost never find a poorly cut moissanite.

Again, under a loupe with at least 10x magnification, you want to view the moissanite through the crown (the portion that slopes away from the table) and what you're going to be looking for is the other side from where you are viewing. Those back facets edges will be doubled, like two lines side-by-side and close together. That's the hexagonal refraction that has been mentioned throughout the thread. That's why moissanites have more brilliance and fire, which is the prism-like effect. Diamonds can exhibit this prism effect but it'll be less than half that of a moissanite, with fire being mostly white light, if I recall correctly.

But we love sparkly things and they do sparkle!

[AJS914]

I'll have to take another look under the loupe. It's been a long time.

At first, I thought I was taking a risk on the Moissanite earrings. A few years ago the web sites looked cheesy and JC Penny was the only retailer that advertised Moissanite. I went there to look and compare but their selection was horrible. If I could do it over again I'd go for 1 ct. solitaire earrings. We went with 3/4 ct. At the time I thought that 1 ct would be too big and nobody would believe that my wife would wear two full carats on her earlobes. :-)

[Posh]

I'll have to take another look under the loupe. It's been a long time.

At first, I thought I was taking a risk on the Moissanite earrings. A few years ago the web sites looked cheesy and JC Penny was the only retailer that advertised Moissanite. I went there to look and compare but their selection was horrible. If I could do it over again I'd go for 1 ct. solitaire earrings. We went with 3/4 ct. At the time I thought that 1 ct would be too big and nobody would believe that my wife would wear two full carats on her earlobes. :-)

They won't believe it if they know you're cheap and broke. But you seem like a classy dude so I think it would pass. LOL

[trdesign]

Posh, thank you yet again for bringing such interesting information / resources to the community. You always seem to diversify the knowledge base in some way.

[Posh]

Posh, thank you yet again for bringing such interesting information / resources to the community. You always seem to diversify the knowledge base in some way.

Thanks, TR. Your support and appreciation means a lot to me. I hope you continue to enjoy my contributions!

[LoveMeSomeChanel]

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