Alternative Wedding Bands – Laraci Ethical Fine Jewelers

Is Moissanite the Best Diamond Alternative?

Is Moissanite the best diamond alternative or is Moissanite even better than a diamond?! We think it’s better no matter which way you look at it. When shopping for a diamond, let’s be honest – you are mostly looking at whether it first fits in your budget and then size and quality factor in after that. For many there is going to have to be some give – either go in to debt or sacrifice the size or quality or both. Moissanite however, is top notch in all of these areas – quality, budget friendly and it’s extremely strong (diamond measures a 10 on the Moh’s scale with Moissanite coming in just under at 9.25). A Moissanite competes head to head for strength with a diamond, therefore, can withstand the test of time and be passed down from generation to generation.

We have heard from many of our clients that their Moissanite engagement rings are by far the prettiest in their group of friends, co-workers etc. Unfortunately, it seems most don’t share that it’s a Moissanite. It’s a true testament to Moissanite, that no one suspects it isn’t a diamond so doesn’t ask.

My husband and I were chatting the other day that it would be interesting to have a Moissanite section or kiosk in a conventional jewelry store. For some, they would still need a diamond for superficial reasons but the majority would see that Moissanite is prettier than the average diamond (don’t believe the rubbish you read on diamond websites that it’s green or whatever other crazy things they say – diamonds and Moissanite are graded side by side on the same color scale so Colorless means exactly that – no color – no green). The average diamond in a jewelry store is a J color while Moissanite comes in DEF Colorless or GHI Near Colorless. Both the Colorless and Near Colorless Moissanite are a fraction of the cost of their equal diamond counterpart and I do mean a fraction. If purchasing an equal 1 ct flawless colorless diamond you would be spending approximately $20,000 USD compared to $500 USD. There is the added bonus that a Moissanite has 10% more sparkle than a diamond – nothing flashy, it just makes it look like it is the better quality stone when next to a diamond.

Back to our jewelry store scenario. For sure, most people would not see the value in a diamond when side by side with a quality Moissanite (we prefer the NEO and Charles and Colvard brands – high quality control and superior manufacturing). The reason you don’t see this section (a large Moissanite section in the local jewelry store) is the jeweler makes much more profit with a diamond sale than with Moissanite. In fact, we have found many jewelers who have one token Moissanite ring in their store (to bring anyone in who might be calling around to locate a Moissanite engagement ring) and it seems they actually use it to dissuade people from buying a Moissanite (there are also many websites out there that advertise Moissanite, they know it’s popular so they use it as click bait but when you get to their website, it is void of Moissanite or they talk it down). In a physical jewelry store our experience is they either put the price of the Moissanite up to almost equal the diamond price or they try to shame you out of purchasing it or they have an older version that is not up to today’s quality. I wrote a prior blog post on our first experience with Moissanite shopping which has happened a few more times or the jeweler just acts disinterested in us. It’s amazing how unscrupulous some people are. It’s your money, don’t let anyone tell you how to spend it or make you feel inferior! In fact, you should feel quite superior for being financially and ethically responsible!

A customer called the other day to purchase his fiancé’s wedding band after purchasing her engagement ring with us last year. I shared the chat my husband and I had after he mentioned that his fiancé’s girlfriends all covet her Moissanite ring. He totally agreed and said we should rent a corner in jewelry store but when I told him we would take the business away from the diamond jeweler’s, he totally got it and agreed. Our hypothetical conversation was fun and it made both of us feel good about our Moissanite choice. So to say Moissanite is the best diamond alternative is actually quite an understatement. Moissanite is better than a diamond!

How do you know if it’s a conflict diamond?

The simple answer to “How do you know if it’s a conflict diamond?” is, “You don’t”. I had a conversation today that I have had many, many times in the past, regarding diamonds. The conversation always starts out the same way, that they were so shocked to discover that you can’t aways identify a blood diamond or a conflict diamond, that the paper trail could be fraudulent. Absolutely true and entirely common. The diamond industry is complicated and unfortunately has a very shady side. The next question is always “why do jeweler’s sell these type of diamonds?”. Good question but not one I really have an answer for. I can only surmise that they either don’t know or they don’t care. The truth is though, that most times, the Jeweler does know where that diamond came from but doesn’t care for whatever reason and/or they stand to make a tidy profit so can overlook the atrocities. Everyone is always so shocked at the disconnect – I agree, it’s a head shaker at the very least but it happens everyday.

Recently a YouTuber did a very thorough investigation into a large “Ethical” diamond Jeweler. This self proclaimed “Ethical” e-tailer claims that all of their diamonds are “ethically sourced” but in fact, many of the diamonds listed on their website were conflict diamonds labeled as conflict free and coming from countries that don’t produce blood diamonds. These diamonds however were also listed on other Jewelers websites with the actual country of origin listed (conflict countries) – in general, jeweler’s do not own the diamonds unless they are in their jewelry store display case, they purchase the diamonds on behalf of their customer when they get the order. How did the YouTuber know they were the same diamond? Each diamond has a serial number that identifies it and those numbers are listed, so he was able to match them on the diamond wholesaler’s database . The YouTube investigator went so far as to go to the diamond supplier in New York where some of these diamonds were, to find the diamonds origin- which it turned out, indeed did came from known Countries where blood diamonds come from or countries with questionable human labour ethics (the diamond supplier was very forthcoming with the origin information). This YouTuber even purchased an advertised “Ethical” diamond from this “Ethical” retailer and took it to the diamond wholesaler in New York, only to be told it identified as a blood diamond and not coming from Canada as the Not So Ethical “Ethical” e-trailer claimed.

There is now a lawsuit pending (or was) from the large e-tailer against this small whistle blower, he has been forced to take his video’s down. ..or has he been paid out? We’ll probably never know but this large fraudulent “Ethical” Jeweler continues on with it’s same deplorable business practices.

The next question is always, “How does the business of blood diamonds continue?”. It continues because there are billions of dollars to be made and the majority of the population are unaware of the corrupt and unethical practices, or sadly, they don’t care. On top of the corruption, there is also a large dose of denial in the diamond industry and the general population. Probably the biggest cop out in the industry is telling customer’s it’s a Canadian diamond. The entire truth about Canadian diamonds is a whole other blog post but one simplified answer is, the companies that own some of the Canadian diamond mines also own blood diamond mines, so it all goes into the same pockets at the end of the day. So even if mining for Canadian diamonds was without negative consequence to the environment, wildlife or indigenous people(which it definitely is not) there’s still the fact that some are owned by the despicable mining companies.

The conversation always sums up with “Surely they would be sued or the government would step in?”. Governments have stepped in where there have been rebel wars but there is corruption in every country at many levels. So the problem may be somewhat better in some areas, it is far from over and far from acceptable – far!

So what are you to do if you need a diamond and can’t trust the diamond industry? Have you even wondered why it is that you even think you need a diamond? Is it because we are told they are precious, rare?…like your love.
Well, diamonds are NOT rare. All you have to do is stop and think about this one for a second to realize almost every woman you know has at least one or two. …AT LEAST!!…and possibly several of your tools in the garage …and your computer and stereo equipment…

The only reason that diamonds are synonymous with engagement rings is because a mining company saw a way to make money, LOTS OF MONEY, BILLIONS!! They marketed diamonds to women and men, as the way to a woman’s heart, “Diamonds are a girl’s Best Friend” and “Diamonds are Forever” Now most men think they need to supply one and most women believe they deserve to receive one to prove they are desired and cherished forever.

I know we all feel like we need to pick our battles but if someone else is suffering because of a choice I made then I need to look at that choice. There are always alternatives, ALWAYS. In the case of diamonds and ALL mined gems, we believe the human atrocities and environmental impact associated with these gems to be more than worthy of seeking out an alternative. The best alternative in our opinion is Moissanite in place of a diamond or lab created diamonds and gems. Moissanite closely resembles a diamond in every way – strong, durable, Colorless or Near Colorless choices, beautiful and as an added bonus, 10% more sparkle than a diamond! While lab created diamonds and gems are an exact dupe of a mined diamond.

If you are looking for an Engagement Ring and it truly needs to be Ethical (and really, doesn’t it??) then give Moissanite or lab created diamonds a consideration – you won’t be disappointed!

** I had a call earlier this week from a lady who had a 4.5 carat Moissanite solitaire ring that she had received in a now defunct relationship. She was wondering the value so that she could sell it. She had the ring appraised at a jeweler for insurance purposes prior and the Jeweler had appraised it at $63,000! He clearly appraised it as a diamond. She mentioned that it was a J color (which BTW is the average color of a diamond engagement ring in North America) which indicated to me that it was an older Moissanite – the new generation of Moissanite is a more desirable whiter DEF or GHI color. This just goes to show the quality and beauty of Moissanite! If a Jeweler can’t tell the difference then why buy a diamond?!…you will also be assured then that it is definitely not a conflict diamond!

Moissanite also comes with a Lifetime Warranty!

Health & Safety Risks associated with Contemporary Alternative Metal Wedding Bands

We have been asked several times if we carry alternative metal wedding bands ie: tungsten, stainless steel, titanium and cobalt. Or, if we can custom make rings out of these metals. While we can appreciate the look of this trend, it is not one we believe to be suitable for wedding bands for several reasons. For us at Laraci Ethical Jewelers our first and foremost concern is always the ecology of our our planet but in this case we are also deeply concerned about the safety issues of these alternative metal bands as well.

If you were to go into you local Emergency room with an injury to your hand or finger and your ring needed to be removed, these alternative metals can prove very problematic. The majority of modern urban hospitals will have a diamond tipped saw to remove the more standard silver, gold or platinum rings in about 10 seconds and around 1 minute for titanium and stainless steel. Unfortunately, these saws are rendered virtually useless with tungsten, taking 10 minutes to cut through the strongest metal on the planet (5 minutes of cutting with 5 minutes of cooling the saw intermittently). If you are in the ER you know that time is of the essence and the 10 minutes it would take to remove a tungsten band may not be an option. The cobalt ring cannot be cut, it needs to be shattered off with vice grips which could cause even further damage if the ring implodes causing possible nerve damage to your finger.

You may not think you would ever be in this situation, you don’t work with power tools etc but sometimes accidents happen. If you were to sustain major injuries and your finger was the least of your injuries and they had to spend more than 10 seconds cutting your ring off… we shudder to think. We don’t want to get to graphic here. we just want to give you pause for serious thought – life happens. It could be something as simple as a bee or wasp sting causing swelling to the hand and your ring is cutting off circulation so It needs to be removed in a timely manner (in 10 minutes without circulation you could start to sustain serious nerve damage to your finger).

We don’t ever think that these things are going to happen to us but they happen to people all of the time and for us, the risk is just not worth the trend.

There are a few other concerns we have with these alternative metal wedding bands. These metals are intended for a more industrial purpose and not necessarily suitable for wear. Cobalt is a known carcinogen and we worry about it’s properties leaching into the wearer’s bloodstream through the skin. We have the same concerns for titanium which is a heavy metal and could lead to heavy metal toxicity over time. Heavy metal toxicity is linked to many of today’s health issues, too many for us to accept these wedding rings as a viable option.

One more thought, statistics tell us that the average person has their wedding rings resized at least once in their lifetime. For most, the wedding band is sacred, signifying the bond, the promise you have made to each other and that particular ring is “the ring” and is not a throw away ring. However, in the case of all of these alternative metal wedding bands they are not resizable so would need to be replaced. Just one more negative in the long list.

*Worth noting: Some women’s eternity bands also pose similar problems if entirely encrusted with back to back gems