DIAMOND FAQ’S ANSWERED!  LAURIE SARAH WILL DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING IN THIS BLOG:

1. DIAMOND AS A BIRTHSTONE
2. DIAMOND TREATMENT AND HARDNESS
3. COLORS OF DIAMOND
4. DIAMOND ALTERNATIVES
5. DIAMOND JEWELRY CARE
6. SOME BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND JEWELRY WE’VE CREATED!

DIAMOND AS A BIRTHSTONE

Diamond is the traditional birthstone for April.  It is also the 60th and 75th wedding anniversary stone.  Its name comes from the Greek word adamas meaning invincible or unbreakable – a very fitting name for the hardest and sturdiest gemstone!  The diamond has long been used in engagement rings to symbolize love and marriage.  Alternative birthstones to Diamond are Opal and Sapphire.

DIAMOND TREATMENT AND HARDNESS

Diamond sets the standard as the hardest gemstone on the MOHS Hardness Scale at 10.  This is why it’s so ideal for jewelry that’s worn all the time. It’s very, very hard to chip or break a diamond! Not impossible, but difficult.  Did you know?  The only thing that cuts a diamond is another diamond!

Diamond treatments are prevalent and are often very difficult to detect.  We always highly recommend to our clients that, if they are going to spend any amount of money on a white diamond center stone, they should let us provide one with a certificate from GIA or EGL.  This ensures its quality.

Below are pictures of what diamonds look like fresh out of the ground!  They could be mistaken for mere pebbles!

COLORS OF DIAMONDS

When you saw the first picture in this blog, did you know that all these stones were diamonds?  Yes, diamonds come in almost every color of the rainbow!  Below are some we have in our collection.  Enjoy the eye candy!

DIAMOND ALTERNATIVES

Because white diamonds can often be more pricey than some want, consider some of these great diamond alternatives!  I’ll give you the pros and cons to each alternative.  We can set any of these in most of our designs.

MOISSANITE

Moissanite is probably my favorite and most popular diamond alternative.  We use only the best – Charles and Colvard Forever One DEF Moissanites.  They have perfected their stones to be so white and flawless and sparkly that, to the untrained eye, no one would know you weren’t wearing a diamond!  Here is a blog that further explains what moissanite is:

What is Moissanite? How does Moissanite compare to Diamond? Is it good for my Engagement Ring?

CZ

CZ is my least favorite diamond alternative. Why? Because it’s fake. There’s absolutely no trace of diamond in it, and it has no value.  Over time, CZ generally dulls and looks lifeless.  There are all kinds of companies that specialize in all kinds of special CZs, but at the end of the day, they are just a CZ – a fake diamond.  For just a little more money, you can have something that lasts and has more value, like Moissanite or a Lab Grown Diamond!

LAB GROWN DIAMONDS

Just as Nature grows Organic, Natural Diamond in the ground, diamonds can now be grown in a lab.  Truly Lab Grown Diamonds are grown from a tiny piece of natural diamond!  So a Lab Diamond is a genuine diamond!  You can’t tell the difference from an Organic, Natural Diamond without very special equipment.  Lab Grown Diamonds are less expensive and give the same look so they are an excellent choice – especially for those wanting a larger diamond on a budget. We offer certified Lab Grown Diamonds upon request!

NATURAL AND LAB CREATED WHITE SAPPHIRE

Natural White Sapphire is a nice alternative for those who want a genuine gemstone for their Diamond Alternative.  If the White Sapphire is a high quality Sapphire, it can have lots of sparkle!  However, it will not have the fire of a diamond – it has a more muted sparkle.  Sapphires are natural gemstones, so they will have inclusions (just like natural diamonds), but the higher quality the sapphire is, the fewer visible inclusions it will have.

Lab Created White Sapphires are genuine sapphires that are grown in a laboratory instead of in nature.  So it’s still a sapphire, just not an earth mined sapphire.  In general, lab grown sapphires will be close to flawless, and are less expensive.

WHAT STONES ARE THESE?

Just to show you how hard it is to tell the difference between real diamonds and some of their alternatives, here’s a picture. Try to guess which is which, and then see the answers below!

DIAMOND JEWELRY CARE

Diamond jewelry is very easy to care for.  In general, things like soap or beauty products don’t stick on diamonds as much as they do on other colored gemstones.  Our Jewelry Cleaner works great to clean up your Laurie Sarah Diamond Piece! Our Ultrasonic Cleaner is also great for that extra deep clean. For more about jewelry care, please see our Basic Jewelry Care Blog.

NOW ENJOY SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND PIECES WE HAVE CREATED!

CONTACT US TO MAKE YOUR DIAMOND OR DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE PIECE.

SINCERELY, LAURIE SARAH & AVO