When shopping for engagement rings without enough budget for natural diamonds, you can find alternatives at lower prices. A few alternatives available in the market for diamond rings are discussed in the paragraphs that follow.
Seek Artificial Diamonds
Colored or white lab-made diamonds appear the same as natural diamonds and have the same chemical characteristics. Natural diamonds are formed over three billion years before under extreme pressure and heat deep inside the crust of the Earth. The extreme conditions are replicated in a lab setting to artificially produce diamonds. These are known as lab grown diamonds. The number of diamonds that can be made in a lab is innumerable. Therefore, these are not rare like natural diamonds, which makes them 40% to 50% more affordable.
Go For Diamond Simulants
Simulated substitutes for diamonds like moissanite and cubic zirconia are also available. These appear almost the same as lab-made diamonds or natural diamonds but shine relatively less brightly and have chemical differences. Expert jewelers or laboratory specialists can tell diamonds and diamond simulants apart, but casual observers usually cannot do so.
Know The Source Of Your Diamonds
Had the Earth not put diamonds within the reach of humans, it would have been impossible to discover these stones. Magma eruptions propel rocks with diamonds up to around the surface of the planet where it is possible to extract the stones. A large mining company uses advanced mining technology. On the other hand, alluvial diamond mining is manual and likely to be unregulated.
Low-paid staffers mine many diamonds from the Earth in some warn-torn areas under dangerous conditions. The proceeds from those diamonds aid in funding violence, which makes a situation that incentivizes more violence. These are often referred to as conflict diamonds or blood diamonds.
A way of confirming whether the stones you purchase are ethically acquired is to check their Kimberley certificates. These seals of approval usually ensure that diamonds are devoid of conflicts in every phase of the supply chain. So before purchasing diamonds, demand the certificate and every attached document from your jeweler.
The country from which diamonds originate is important too. When you are seeking diamonds mined somewhere in Africa, consider Botswana as their source for its environmental standards and labor laws. Canada is also a good ethical diamond source, but the stone is costlier than an African diamond mainly due to the stricter labor laws in the nation.