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Nov 17, 2020
Diamonds
Why Diamonds are the #1 choice for Engagement Rings

Diamonds became the prime choice of stone for engagement rings in the early 1900s after the British company De Beers introduced them to the world stage through one of their phenomenally successful marketing campaigns.

A famous catchphrase instantly recognizable to everyone is “Diamonds are forever”, which is just one of De Beers’s many successful slogans throughout decades of targeted marketing. It wasn’t just marketing alone that rocketed them towards success, as diamonds are indeed the finest stones we know. This post will provide an overview of all the major diamond alternatives available in the present times and how they stack up against real diamonds.

 

WHY DIAMONDS?

“Diamonds are forever” comes from their status as the strongest natural material in existence. The properties of diamonds, when compared to other stones and gems, are superior in every aspect, including hardness, sparkle, brilliance, etc. Having already covered diamond properties and composition in previous articles, we’ll keep this short and explain why other stones aren’t great options.

Tip: Diamonds are the strongest natural materials in the world, but they still need to be handled with care. In the event that you knock your ring a bit too hard, you may damage your diamond girdle, or worse yet, you may lose the diamond altogether if the setting’s safety mechanism is damaged as well.

 

WHY NOT MOISSANITES?

Due to their low hardness, moissanites are not a viable alternative to diamonds. As a matter of fact, diamonds are four times harder than moissanites.

These stones are not white. On average, moissanites have a low colour grade when compared to diamond colour grading. In dim lighting, moissanites are characterized by a brown tint that makes them appear dark.

Moissanites’ sparkles are iridescent in colour. In diamonds, the sparkles are white. The rainbow-like sparkles catch the eye and make the stone seem like costume jewellery.

Moissanites have double refraction. In other words, when looking at a moissanite top-down, one will notice where the facets join. As a result, rather than seeing just one line - the joint - there are now two clearly visible joints.

 

WHY NOT WHITE SAPPHIRES?

White sapphires do not reflect light but pass it directly through them. The diamond reflects light like a mirror when viewed from above, so from the top, it is impossible to see through it.


The sparkle of white sapphires is not as intense as that of diamonds. Because sapphires lack light-reflecting abilities, they do not sparkle as much as diamonds, which is another significant difference between them that is easily noticeable with the naked eye.


White sapphires don’t last. Although sapphires are harder than diamonds, they are still a poor choice for engagement rings since they are liable to chip over time, whereas diamonds are 10 times harder than sapphires and do not suffer from this issue. 

Tip: The best material for the glass in any expensive watch is white sapphire because it is transparent and scratch-resistant. 


 

WHY NOT CUBIC ZIRCONIA?

Cubic Zirconia has porosity. The stone will look great for roughly 10 - 30 uses before the sparkle fades away due to contact with hand creams and dirt that penetrates the pores of the stone, making them dull.


A cubic zirconia stone chips and scratches easily. This stone has an extremely fragile top, so it is likely to scratch and become dull over time, not bringing long-term enjoyment to its owner.

Tip: Cubic Zirconia may resemble diamonds at first glance, but they aren’t as durable as diamonds, making them unsuitable for everyday wear. 

Tip: Be cautious of companies that use fancy marketing terms such as “diamond simulants” or something similar. These companies are simply packaging subpar products, knockoff stones in this case, in a way to make them look desirable.


To conclude - diamonds are a much better choice and tick all the right boxes, except for the price, of course. To satisfy this last requirement, the ever-important price, we offer lab grown diamonds to help make your loved one’s day worth remembering forever.