Last year (2009) when Chris and I started getting serious he started showing me pictures of rings. Then we’d go to jewelry stores and I’d oogle all the rings. It seemed each time we went we’d both get a bit disheartened, sad or downright depressed. Firstly none of the rings I was seeing really caught my eye. I guess I’m picky about what will sit on my finger for the rest of my life! Go figure. All the rings seemed gaudy to me. Too big, way too small or too…….. silver. Wait, no, that’s white gold. Erm I learned early on not to say silver. Sorry. I wanted “yellow” gold. Like yellow snow apparently no one wanted yellow gold either. What I wanted was something simple and "swoopy".
But the biggest setback was cost. It was all too costly. Neither of us has much money. That’s why we have second jobs.
We were discussing how expensive the rings were and I came up with the idea that I'd be very happy with an amethyst instead of a diamond. Everyone has a diamond and with the blood diamond controversy I didn't want that hanging over my head either. But all the jewelers told us an amethyst is too "soft" and we'd end up replacing too often. (reminds me of poor Mindy who couldn't get her pearl engagement ring because pearls don't last with everyday wear)
Then one day Chris asked if I knew what Moissanite was. I’d heard of it somewhere but didn’t have much knowledge of it.
What is moissanite?
Back in 1893 a man named Henri Moissan was researching the minerals from a meteorite that landed in in Canyon Diablo in New Mexico over 50,000 years ago. He found minute traces of Silicon Carbide in the samples. Ten years later it was renamed Moissanite. Mostly found in meteorites and underground the mineral is so rare in its natural form that all of it in the world would not make a full pair of earrings. It took until the 1980s and 1990s to find that lab creating it and using it would make a brilliant gem. Cree labs partnered with Charles and Colvard and is now the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of Moissanite gems.
How it stacks up.
Diamonds are a girls best friend. Because of what?
Rarity.
Check.
Brilliance.
Check.
Color, cut, Mohs hardness.
Check check check.
So overall since the price of a Moissanite is approximately half the price of a diamond, has more brilliance, (they can give it more facets) and is so close in hardness to a diamond why wouldn’t I want it? Oh and its rarer in its natural form than a diamond. (Even the lab created gems are more rare than diamonds.)
Yes, and the best part?
I can say I have a space rock on my finger!!!
How many can say that?! *big grin*
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