RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT WHEN BUYING AN ENGAGEMENT RING

As we all know, Diamonds are a girls best friend hence it is customary for men to buy their girlfriends, sisters and mothers expensive diamond jewelry. However many women tend to or even prefer to buy their own jewelry because of their personal preferences. But when it comes to buying an engagement ring, it's definitely the man's responsibility to buy the ring and above all, get it right.

Jewelry Preference

For any man, shopping for an engagement ring on his own can be a very rewarding experience or it could turn out to be a nightmare if he should get it wrong. You could simply walk into a jewelry store and buy your girlfriend the first ring you like or you could have a ring custom made especially for her. Either way, you need to know the style of jewelry your girlfriend likes and any other jewelry preferences she may have. Should you buy the first ring you like, she may not like it and if you have a ring made to your liking she may not like it either. To circumvent this dilemma, it  requires you to at least know 10 things before you even consider popping the question. 

Does she like dainty jewelry or elaborate jewelry or does the like antique jewelry as opposed to  ultra modern jewelry? Does she prefer  white gold to yellow gold or rose gold is she a platinum girl? Does she prefer  a solitaire ring setting to a halo ring setting or a tension set stone in preference to a tube set ring. Is she into round diamonds or square princess cut or eye shaped marquise cut diamonds or some other shape of stone. Is she into white diamonds or blue diamonds or pink diamonds or any other colour stone. Does she prefer a single stone or a stone  set with accent stones.  Will the size of her complement a 1 carat diamond or are they very dainty so that it would  look oversized on her finger. Perhaps a half carat diamond ring would suit her ring finger better. These are just some of the things you need to know that will make your engagement memorable.


Before you even consider the 4 Cs (cut, color, clarity and carat), at least know what shape stone she loves. Bearing  in mind, shape refers to the actual geometry of the stone, whereas  cut, relates to the angles and the multitude of facets in the stone. View the diamond in natural light shade and not under the bright halogen lights of the display cabinets nor under the flourescent or tungsten lights in the show room. Halogen lights give off blue light and gives the diamond a very slight  blueish tinge whereas tungsten gives it a very slight reddish reflection and florescent light gives it a very slight greenish tinge. Non of these artificial lights gives a true reflection of the diamond. That being said, the whiter a diamond the more it costs. So if your lady is into white diamonds get the whitest reflection you can afford. Before buying a diamond engagement ring know how much you intend to spend but do get the best ring you can without sticking yourself into major debt. And don't be coersed by the counter assistant into buying a ring you didn't intend to buy in the first place.  Also check the what the  store's return policy is because you may want to exchange the stone or the entire ring  if it's not the one she really want.


Choosing a ring with the traditional in a four-prong setting does look nice on a diamond shy of a carat but anything above 1 carat aught to have a six-prong setting because there is less chance of the diamond getting dislodged and loosing it. Yellow gold, white gold, rose gold  or even green gold is just  a few of the metals available for a ring. But the ideal choice ring for a diamond of 1 carat should be platinum because  it's extremely hard and durable. Not only will it compliment the diamond in hardness and durability but it also makes the perfect  hypoallergenic choice should your bride to be have a  sensitive skin.

If you buying custom designed ring, bear in mind  a ring can take a good six weeks to eight before delivery arrive and if you wish to engrave the inside of the ring, don't forget to request the inscription when you place your order. Before taking delivery of the ring ensure you get the specs in writing. Essentially diamonds one carat or larger should be accompanied by a diamond-grading certificate issued by an independent gemological association of note. It also a good idea to "fingerprint" your ring on the bill of sale. The information should include the stone's 4 Cs, shape, dimensions, and any heat or colour enhancements. 

UNIQUENESS OF DIAMONDS

UNIQUE DIAMONDS

As we all know, people are globally diverse, each born with a unique character, specific idiosyncrasies, a biochemical individuality, each with distinguishable retinas and fingerprints; and so much more.  In a nutshell no two people are alike, not even identical twins with their inherent telepathic language. To take this analogy further, there is absolutely nothing in nature that is ever identical in every respect, not even two snow flakes fluttering down from the sky at the exact moment are remotely identical, even though they appear very much alike. That being said, the same principal applies to Diamonds, because no two Diamonds are alike. 

On a stone-by-stone basis, each and every diamond has a different shape, a different carat, a different fluorescence, a different colour, a different sparkle, a different clarity and will, more than likely end up in a differently cut, that  can range from marquise, to round, to oval, to pear, to emerald, to princess, etc. Not even two round diamonds (RBC) of the same carat and identically cut, are exact replicas of one another because, grinding stones wear off as the diamond is shaped, tolerance of grinding equipment vary over time that affects the outcome. The final product even depends on the mood of the stone cutter at the time of polishing. This very loudly shouts that much like people, "diamonds are not born equal" but are rather unique, unique, unique in every respect. The inclusions inside the diamond are even unique.

Fake "tension set" diamonds

Of all the precious and semi precious stones, diamond are the best known and undoubtedly the  most marketed gemstone globally. Diamonds are extremely light and really small, yet have the greatest value amongst the objects of human property. Hence millions of people invest their hard earned cash in diamonds because it's worth it.  Fake diamonds are not only an  insult to real diamonds, but they are an insult to your loved ones who deserve real diamonds rather than fake, imitation, man made diamonds that practically sell for around 70 % of the real thing with claims hat that shine brighter than diamonds.  So don't be mesmerized by their sparkle, their brilliance and  their clarity because they only shine under the display cabinet lights and there is absolutely nothing unique about man made diamonds, manufactured in a lab under artificial conditions.

Moissanite  is a naturally occurring mineral found in limited quantities in the earth.  Initially it was discovered in a crater, created by a meteorite that fell to Earth. In some sense Moissanite could possibly be ill formed impact diamonds. Be that as it may, Moissanite  is often pasted off as diamond though it only measures 9.5 on the Mohr scale. Fake diamonds are commonly known as diamond simulants, man made diamonds, lab diamonds, simulated diamonds, faux diamonds, and diamond imitations. Popular diamond substitutes are made from  Cubic zirconia, Moissanite, Spinel, Synthetic Rutile,  Synthetic Garnet, common glass.

Fake diamonds have a totally different chemical composition than that of real diamonds and are commonly manufactured from Cubic zirconia. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic substance made from zirconium dioxide powder and is probably the most popular diamond substitute, though not the only. The resultant stones are hard, and measure about 8.0 on the Mohr scale. Cubic zirconia is hard yet not as hard nor as durable as real diamond, that measures 10 on the Mohs scale. 

Spinel is a natural mineral that occurs in black, brown, red, green, blue and white. White spinels are in fact are colorless, hence passed off as diamond -fake diamonds, because it only measures 7 on the Mohs scale. Rutile and Garnet are also  natural minerals that occurs in brown, red, however synthetic Rutile and synthetic garnet can be created colorless, which are also past off as diamond -fake diamond though they measure 7.0 on the Mohr scale. Even cheap common glass is sometimes passed off as diamonds though they don't reflect anywhere close to that of diamond.

This is The cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) synthesized into a
hard material called Cubic Zirconia (CZ) , that is optically flawless and usually
colorless - aka fake diamond.

Regardless of the  fake materials used to make diamonds, they all scratch or chip and and substantially fragile compared to diamond. In a nut shell, if doesn't measure 10 on the Mohr scale it's fake. Diamonds are durable, more durable than any thing else that glitters, sparkles and shine.

WHY ARE DIAMONDS SO EXPENSIVE?

Why are diamonds so expensive?

This is a multi-part question which can be addressed by two answers, the first being "No they're not", the the second being "Yes they are".  This paradox has stymies most people interested in investing in diamond or diamond jewelry for a very long time. So allow me to shed some light on the paradox. For the sole purpose of my answer, Diamonds essentially comes in two grades, the first being Gem Quality / Jewelry Grade Diamonds, the second being Industrial grade diamonds. Since not all diamonds mined, are not sufficiently beautiful nor precious enough to be used for jewelry, it can quite comfortably be said that as little as 30 percent of all diamonds mined are suitable enough for Jewelry, whereas 70 percent of all mined diamonds known as bort or boart and are used for industrial applications. 

In a nutshell, Industrial grade diamonds  look ghastly in their raw form, because  they have no luster, internally contain excessive un-crystallized carbon dots and flaws, and are normally discoloured and small. Since Diamond is the hardest substance on earth with the highest thermal conductivity characteristics of any type of material at room temperature, it is ideally suited for an incalculable amount of industrial applications. Besides diamonds also have chemical, optical, and electrical properties ideally suited for manufacturing hard-wearing and corrosion-resistant coatings,  lenses for laser radiation equipment. Industrial diamonds are predominantly used for abrasives, drilling, cutting, grinding and polishing, among which is polishing silicon wafers and computer disk drives.

While as much as 70 percent of all diamonds mined  turns out to be industrial grade diamonds, it only represents a mere 3% of the all diamonds used by industry and the remaining 97% is full filled by synthetic diamonds.  Synthetic diamond is a material chemically identical to natural diamond, manufactured in large quantities, tailored to specific industrial applications. Major consumers of industrial diamonds are computer chip manufacturers, mining and oil exploration services drilling for mineral and natural gas. And of course for manufacturing diamond saws and drills and other tools used in stone cutting and polishing of diamonds. Camparitively speaking, mined industrial diamonds are cheap compared to Gem quality diamonds and range in price  from as little as $0.30 per carat for bort-size diamonds to about $10 per carat for mackle diamonds size stones, whereas larger stones do sell for up to $200 per carat. 

On the other hand, Gem quality diamonds are a completely different kettle of fish.  Several factors can influence the price of a diamond on a stone-by-stone basis. For example, a quarter carat white  diamond can cost as little as $275 to as much as $1750. Whereas a quarter carat blue diamond can cost as little as $475 to as much as $2500 with yellow and orange diamond prices ranging somewhere between the cost of white and blue diamonds. Moving on, a one carat white diamond can range from $4400 to $7700 whereas a one carrat blue diamond can range from $6800 to R11500. Again diamond prices are not cast in stone and are forever fluctuaing and are always influential by the four C's hence diamonds are expensive.

Much of cost of these expensive diamonds are value-adds provided by man who expects a certain level of remuneration for a certain amount of work done to the diamonds like cutting, polish and grading or  for a certain amount of time or money spent on enhancing the product in fancy velvet packaging and display cases. 

Then there are Lab-grown white diamonds, that are priced and sold at some 15-40 percent less than mined diamonds, all carrying  the expectancy of the value-add previously mentioned. Globally millions of carats of white diamonds are mined  annually, apposed to a thousands of carats of white lab diamonds grown that are sell for 60 percent to 80 percent of natural diamonds. Lab diamonds are unnatural diamonds that are grown en-mass in a laboratory that aught to cost a lot less because of its artificial nature. 

Restated lab diamonds diamonds should be considered as faux diamonds, fake diamonds, synthetic diamonds, concocted diamonds, bogus diamonds, inexact diamonds, deceptive diamonds, dishonest diamonds, fraudulent diamonds and should be avoided like the clap. It is not worthwhile investing in any sort of diamond other than those naturally mined, untreated diamonds even though it is unaccompanied by a certificate. On the other hand certificates are is just a way of extracting more money from prospective buyers for some service that is only valued by those running the diamond industry. Personally, I eschew lab diamonds and prefer to invest in jewelry made from natural loose diamonds, if  purely for their attractive firery sparkle, smart cuts  and true value.

CRATER DIAMONDS

CRATER DIAMONDS

Diamonds are found in several countries throughout the world though almost 65% of the entire World's diamond are mined on the African Continent in mines scattered throughout South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Angola  and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The world leading diamond giant De Beers situated in Kimberley controlled almost 90%  of the diamond market share, and manipulated diamond price up to the late 1980s prices. But during the past 25 years De Beers lost control of the diamond industry, for the first time in a hundred years, resulting in supply and demand unaffected by their monopoly. Russia and Canada, are also two of the leading diamond-producing countries, closely followed by Australia.  

Diamond, Jasper, Quartz and Mica prospected in an open mine.

Be that as it may, we find that the world's leading consumer of diamonds has virtually no production. Millions of carats of diamonds are annually consumed by the American public  in the United States, either in the form of beautiful jewelry or as loose stones for jewelry production.  However, the only active diamond mine in the US, is the Crater of Diamonds Mine near Murfreesboro, Pike County, Arkansas.

Day visitors at the Crater of Diamonds State Park

This North American 3.7 km² public park attracts thousands  of visitors both locals and foreign tourists annually, in their quest to find diamond. Their primary purpose may be to experience prospecting first hand, though they have hope in finding  a valuable stone buried somewhere in the vast volcanic crater. Diligence and knowing how to dry sift for diamonds can lead to very rewarding experience. Most people do find grey rocks and several other brown and yellow, minerals like garnet, jasper, agate, amethyst, and quartz. Mica a mineral also commonly found in volcanic soil and is found in abundance which many people mistake for diamond. If you find a diamond, it is yours to keep, no questions asked. 

Young couple prospecting for diamonds

The  reality TV  program "Suddenly Rich" showcased a young couple who were down on their luck with only sufficient funds to celebrate their anniversary as a one day picnic at the Murfreesboro State Park. Within minutes of their arrival, whiles  the boyfriend went to hire a sieve to sift through the dirt, the young lady started  digging with her  hired shovel.  The first dig uncovered a shiny stone which she thought it was a shiny piece of quartz, only to be surprised later when an official at the Diamond Recovery Centre at the State Park examined it and told her it was in fact a diamond and offered her $30 000 on the spot for it. She was elated but reluctantly declined his offer even though the pair of them were virtually pennyless. Weeks later after having her newly discovered rough diamond evaluated by a gemologist of note, the diamond turned out to be one and half carats in weight, colour D (ice white) with clarity somewhere between vs and vvs, worth over $300 000. 

A 1.5 carat ice white diamond worth more than $300.00

Another such open mine is the massive Popigai crater situated in Taymyr Peninsula of northern Siberia, Russia , which is at least 25 times larger than the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.  It is believed that these diamond bearing craters were formed when asteroids  measuring between 2 to 8 kilometers in diameter slammed  in to the earth at  hypervelocity speeds of 20 km per second. The intense flash of heat and pressure it produce is the exact conditions needed for diamonds to form.  In the case of Popigai it is believed that flakes of graphite in the Archean graphite-garnet gneiss that converted into tiny diamond under 2.0 millimeters in size, are more suited for producing diamond abrasives that jewelry. Since it is also believed there was insufficient time for large, single-crystal stones of great clarity and purity to develop, it is  unlikely that the Popigai Crater will become the site for a gem-diamond mining operation. 

But that is just speculation by the west because there are lots of news reports of major diamond deposit containing trillions of carats of gemstone-quality diamonds that Russia has kept secret. If the Russian government should prospect the crater and bring those diamonds to market, the value of diamonds and the diamond will fall like ninepins due the huge diamond surplus. The largest consumer of diamonds in the world will instantly loose the investment value in diamonds and mind you, so will the the rest of the world.

State Park official showing a family the diamond prospecting ropes.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

LETS TALK DIAMONDS

If you're interested in Diamonds, then I'm certain you've met the four C's, but if you haven't, allow me to introducing you to them or perhaps just refresh your memory if you've forgotten. An important characteristics to consider when buying a diamond is Carat, though Colour is the more important characteristic when it comes to value. Carat and Colour is then closely followed by Clarity. Cut / shape and are the two least important characteristics yet plays a huge role in the elegance and style of the jewelry piece it adorns. Having said that, in reality these are the four term that most people find familiar or are familiar with,  each  of which are very carefully considered when grading a Diamond. However, there is a fifth C, which is most often neglected, and that is certification.

1) Carat - weight of the Diamond 
2) Color - Starting at D (white) and and extending to Z (yellow)
3) Clarity - Internally flawless to flawed
4) Cut / Shape - (RBC-round brilliant cut, pear shape,  etc.)
5) Certification - the proposed / insurance replacement value 

Certification is probably the most neglected C of the 5 C's, event though certification by an accredited establishment like the GIA, AGS, IGI, EGL, etc, gives your diamond enormous credibility. Credibility attributed by "Diamond experts" about the physical physical features of the diamond. Diamonds inherently have internal features which are known as inclusions. They are in essence black pinpoint inclusion (imperfections) unique to each Diamond. Diamonds also have surface irregularities, known as blemishes which include scratches and nicks on its surface. In Jewelry circles they are referred to as clarity characteristics.   Collectively, it is these characteristics that gives Diamonds their real character.

Diamonds without inclusions and or blemishes are somewhat rare, except that most of their characteristics / imperfections can only be seen with a jewelers lupe or under magnification. Clarity is the relative absence of inclusions and blemishes. Diamonds without inclusions and blemishes are called internally flawless, fetch  the highest prices, are sought after and really expensive because they are rare. This is what makes flawless Diamonds a girls best friend. All women want to find love but they also don't want love to be broke. They also want a stone that is hard wearing. 

The hardness exhibited by Diamond makes it the ideal gemstone because it maintains its polish extremely well. Since it can only be scratched by other Diamonds, it is well-suited to daily wear due to its resistance to scratching. This is the major contributing factor to its popularity as the preferred gem for engagement and wedding rings, allowing it to be worn every day.

BEYOND THE 4 C's

Diamonds certified  using the AGS (American Gem Society) Scale, are written  in a preferred order, the cut Cut grade is always first, followed by the Diamond Color grade, then by its Clarity grade and lastly its Carat grade. If the finest Diamond Cut is also Colorless, Flawless, and weighs one carat, it would be written as: 0/0/0–1.000 carat. By the American Gem Society Diamond Grading Standards, a Diamond of this quality would be known as  Triple Zero  or Triple 000 or AGS 000.

GIA grade their diamonds as triple excellent, implying they are the most brilliant and the best-cut diamonds which as commonly known as a triple excellent ratings or 3ex.  A diamond with a 3ex  ratings in a GIA lab report doesn’t mean that it has the best possible optical performance or is  the best looking diamond. It does guarantee that it's not an "ugly diamond" because  diamonds are tested for fire, brilliance and scintillation during their grading process.

GIA Triple Excellent quality and  AGS 000 quality doesn't necessarily mean they have consensus on gemstones,  no, no, no, their certifications are often conflicting especially with regards to heat treated and radiated diamonds and other precious gemstones. I know of a case when heat treated stone was graded as a sapphire by one and as a ruby by the other. But their say so does 

Diamond is the April gemstone  and as birthstones go, Diamond is deemed as the “King of all Birthstones,” and therefore makes the ideal choice for a gift to loved one born in April.

MISREPRESENTATION

DIAMONDS VS JUNK

Fine  jewelry and costume jewelry fall into two very different and distinct categories or jewelry markets. Fine Jewelry is more often than not made from one of the noble metals. So, as a rule fine jewelry pieces are manufactured from either solid silver, solid gold or solid platinum. Noble metals resists chemical action, doesn't corrode easily, and is not easily attacked by acids.  Solid noble metal jewelry is long lasting and expensive and are normally beautifully designed which ads to their value. One can find 925 silver or 9kt gold earring that are made hollow but that's the exception to the rule. Solid silver rings, earrings and broaches are normally not diamond encrusted, whereas solid gold and solid platinum pieces encrusted with diamonds are beautiful and expensive and construe true and  real investment. 

SILVER

However,  just because it is solid silver, solid gold or even solid platinum doesn't mean it's 100% pure. Silver commonly known as 925 Sterling Silver is in fact an alloy, composed of 92.5 % pure silver by weight and 7.5% by weight of one or more other metals, which is usually copper. The reason for making fine silver jewelry from an an alloy is that  silver  99.9% pure silver, is generally too soft to be durable. Fine 925 Sterling Silver is commonly used for jewelry hosting semi precious gemstones like Ruby, Amethyst, Morganite, Onyx, Garnet Cabochon, Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz, etc...   You may find Silver jewelry  hallmarked with one of the following inscriptions. 800, 925, 950 or 957.   

GOLD

Solid gold is especially matched with diamonds but one may find gold rings, gold earrings and gold broaches hosting some other gemstones like emerald, or sapphire or tanzanite, etc. Some of these gems  are often used as accent stones to flank  the center diamond and make for beautiful contrast in stone colour. Gold also come in different grades ranging from 9kt to 24kt.  Once again, like silver is an alloy composed of one or more metals, gold can be found as several alloys, gold mixed with either platinum, silver, palladium and rhodium so that it give gold the hardness needed to make men's jewelry which is normally 9kt. Women's jewelry is mostly manufactured from 14kt and 18kt.  Gold rings can also be found with the European Gold Purity Stamp of  999, 917, 750, 583, 500, 417, 375 corresponding to 24kt, 22kt, 18kt, 14kt, 12kt, 10kt, 9kt respectively. Gold of 37.5% purity is better known as  9kt, gold of 41.7% purity is better known as 10kt, gold of  50.0% purity is better known as 12kt, gold of  58.0% purity is better known as 14kt,  gold of  75.0% purity is better known as 18kt, gold of  91.7% purity is better known as 22kt, and gold of  99.9% purity is better known as 24kt. The higher the gold content the higher the value. Jewelers use an X-ray fluorescence meter to test the karat purity of precious metals in jewelry without damaging the fine jewelry.

PLATINUM

Platinum is predominantly reserved for diamond encrusted jewelry and can also be found as an alloy even though it is he hardest of the noble metals. My personal favorite is a 1ct solitaire diamond tension set in platinum because of its strength.  Jewelry hallmarked PL, or PLAT or PT950  means it is made of  95% platinum  by weight . When platinum is alloyed in a lesser ratio, it will be hallmarked with the alloyed metal first, for example  IRID/PLAT which implies 10% iridium / 90% platinum by weight. Platinum is more expensive than gold and reserved for hosting the best diamonds for making he finest jewelry.

Be that as it may, desperate jewelry sales staff commonly  use inappropriate terminology  to dupe unsuspecting clients into buying worthless pieces of Jewelry at  exorbitant prices. Calling stones other than diamond, diamond. In my opinion, if the jewelry item doesn't boast a  diamond then the word diamond should never be used to describe it.

A beautiful pair of ruby earrings or a Sapphire ring will never be advertised as diamond rubies or ruby diamonds neither diamond Sapphire or Sapphire diamond but just as either Rubies or Sapphire. But the jewelry industry is replete with silly advertising, for example.

Eg:-1
Breathtaking! 4 Carat TW SIM PEAR Cut Diamond Ring with Accents Engagement Ring  

Eg:-2
Amazing! Huge 4 carat SIM Diamond Solitaire With Accents Wedding Engagement Ring  

Eg:-3
Astonishing! Huge 4 carat SIM Diamond Solitaire With Accents Wedding Engagement Ring  

Eg:-4
Exquisite! Luxury British Princess Engagement Ring -Platinum Colour  

The small print saying:- Rings manufactured from "Jeweller's metal" with 18k gold and rhodium plating, simulated diamond. Looking at the above adverts, if you don't know that "SIM" stands for simulant or "platinum colour" doesn't mean platinum then you in for a big surprise. Especially if you bidding for said ring on an online jewelry auction. And the facade continues. One site had the following label to advertise their wares.

"Absolutely beautiful round brilliant cut 1 carat
CZ diamond wedding engagement style ring". 

Here, the term CZ written in uppercase stands out, almost alerting the prospective buyer into querying it. But when it it written in upper case like the eg below,

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL ROUND BRILLIANT
CUT 1 CARAT CZ DIAMOND WEDDING 

ENGAGEMENT STYLE RING

Prospective buyers are duped into making a bid and if successful are sort of prohibited from returning it to the suppliers because of their  Ts&Cs (Terms and Conditions) which look something like this.

Shipping method Shipping details:- Registered Airmail R350.00 for "each" item purchased. -Returns: A 20% restocking fee is deducted for all returns of Jewelry items from amount paid due to the delicateness of items and shipping fees are non refundable on all items,

Watch out for the junk which is advertised as:-

New 18K RGP* in Yellow gold, ladies Infinity style ring adorned with Genuine AAA crystals

Main Stone: 
Genuine Top Quality Swiss cubic zirconia simulated Diamond

Material: 
100% Brand New White Gold overlay Ring

NB!
Gold-plated means "covered with a thin layer of gold".
Rolled gold means a "thin coating applied to a baser metal by rolling".
Gold filled  means a "slightly thicker gold plating". 
Simulated diamonds means "not real diamonds". 
"Lab diamond means crystals" made in a laboratory.

MISREPRESENATION DIAMONDS VS JUNK

CUBIC ZIRCONIA KNIVES

WEDDING RING OR WEDDING KNIFE

Diamond, is  the best-known and the most sought-after gemstone globally. As such, Diamonds are ever increasing in value and rightfully so because there is nothing in the world that can rival them since they are absolutely unique in all of their characteristics. Their continual hike in price is making it somewhat difficult for those on a budget who wish to invest in Diamonds to even enter the Diamond market. Since this bar for entry into the "Diamond Playing Field" is progressively rising, many a young man who intended to buy his fiancé a genuine rock, is settling for an engagement/wedding ring populated by some Cubic Zirconia (CZ) crystal or the other. 

Be that as it may, this is not because they can't afford a genuine Diamond but rather, with the recent advances in the manufacture of faux Diamonds, a large amounts of Cubic Zirconia set rings that mimic real Diamonds are in their faces wherever they go. You can find Cubic Zirconia jewelry in virtually every Jewelry store, on display at every pawn broker and listed on every jewelry auction. 

They are also extremely pervasive in online catalogues and private sales and even on general online auctions like e-bay, bidz, bidorbuy and propertyroom, etc. The general idea of the CZ pundits, is to flood the market with this low cost or rather a "No Cost" excuse for a Diamond which shouldn't even be associated with the name Diamond. In a nutshell, simulated diamond is actually a misnomer. Man-made diamond is another misnomer and so is faux diamond and lab created Diamond. Some lab Diamonds may be chemically identical to natural Diamonds but are still not real or genuine Diamonds, ask any gemologist.

18ct gold half carat diamond three stone ring worth $2000 US.

Jewelry auctions displaying engagement/wedding  rings made of copper/brass that is 14kt white gold plated, with 1 - 2 ct Cubic Zirconia crystal starts with bids from as little as R1.00 are inundating the internet. This doesn't mean  you won't be outbid for it by some other amor who actually attaches some suedo value to these "stone" and its EP (electroplated) piece of copper. 

Yet, I've seen auctions where 925 silver rings with 1 ct Cubic Zirconia crystals go for R1.00 at the fall of the hammer. However, many young men tend to think because Cubic Zirconias are pervasive and not too expensive (typically 1/10th - 1/5th of Diamond prices) it is OK to buy them. In my opinion they are not OK to buy because they have no real value.

The preposed one tenth to one-fifth of the value of a Diamond of equal size is a fallacy. In reality it's an out-right lie that faux jewelry merchants, scientist  and "femologists"  are trying to sell you. Marketed as an affordable synthetic stone as brilliant as a Diamond,  cut in the same shapes as designs as a Diamond to replicate a Diamond almost exactly ("almost diamond" but not). 

To the naked eye, a Diamond and a Cubic Zirconia can look identical. After all, that’s the whole idea, but while a Diamond is said to be a girl’s best friend, that will  never, ever, ever, ever be said about a Cubic Zirconia. The bottom line is, you get what you pay for. So ladies, do yourself a favour and get a diamond education at "What every women should know about Diamonds".

Silver 925 ring with 1.5 carat Cubic Zirconia available on auction from ZAR 1.00

Let me put this into perspective. Diamonds are the hardest naturally-occurring surface  material known to man, thus  much harder than every type of rock, even harder than steel. This implies that a Diamond regardless of how old it is, even the oldest of heirlooms would most likely be in prestine condition, unscratched and looking like it was cut yesterday. Nothing is able to scratch the Diamond except another Diamond. 

This makes it an everlasting jewelry item suitable to be handed down from generation to generation, with the full knowledge that its value will keep-on increasing. Diamond hardness is measured on the Mohr scale which is a qualitative scale that characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals by the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material.

For example, Obsidian is volcanic glass and has a hardness of 5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale.  The blade of the average kitchen knife blade is also 5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. A hardened steel file that can sharpen a knife blade is around 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. Cubic zirconia  has  a hardness  of 8.5 on the Mohs hardness scale thus several times harder than both steel and hardened steel. 

Corundum on the other hand has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs hardness scale and is even harder than Cubic Zirconia. Sapphire and ruby are two varieties of corundum both twice as hard as topaz and has nothing to do with Pokémon Omega Ruby Versus Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.  Moissanite measures 9.5  on the Mohs hardness scale and Diamond has a hardness of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, and is four times as hard as Corundum. 

Having said all that, it is more than obvious that a natural sapphire engagement ring or a natural ruby engagement ring is a far, far better purchase in both hardness and value than synthetical manufactured Cubic Zirconia. Cubic zirconia crystals are formed by melting powdered zirconium and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) together and heating them up to a temperature of 4,982ºF. The produced crystals, so called "gemstones" are then cut to shape to  resemble Diamonds in its various shapes and passed off as almost Diamonds / artificial diamonds. 

However, Cubic Zirconia is 1.7 times denser than a diamond and about 50 percent heavier than natural diamond. So in reality there is no such thing as "almost diamond" and neither is there a thing as "making diamonds" and neither, is there a thing like "artificial diamonds". Diamonds are natural and anything unnatural that resembles Diamonds are not diamonds but are fakes. 

Cubic Zirconia crystals are fake, even though they do not look fake or glassy, they do resemble diamonds yet doesn't even qualify to be called gemstones. Jewelry quality Cubic Zirconia crystals are way overrated and are much more akin to rhinestones (rock crystals originally gathered from the river Rhine) and the modern day varieties of  "rhinestone" manufactured from lead glass, aka crystal glass.

Cubic Zirconia worth a fraction of the diamond weight it represents.

Again in my opinion, Cubic Zirconia doesn't have the necessary hardness to withstand years of wear and tear that Diamond heirlooms should and can withstand. It should rather be put to other uses like making dental crowns, dental implants, bridges  and dentures because Zirconia as a ceramic biomaterial is more suited to making teeth and ball heads for prosthetic implants.  Zirconia ceramics have several advantages over regular ceramic materials, due to their very interesting mechanical properties. 

During the 60's extensive research on the use of Zirconia ceramics as biomaterials started. Since, low-quality zirconia were used as an abrasive in huge quantities  and  refractory Zirconia ceramics were used to manufacture parts operating in aggressive environments, like valves and port liners for internal combustion engines and thermal shock resistant refractory valve parts in foundries. By the turn of the century industrial quality Zirconia blades were used to cut Kevlar, magnetic tapes, cigarette filters because of their ability to withstand wear. 

But today’s main applications of zirconia ceramics is in total hip arthroplasty (THA) ball heads because of its biocompatibility and microstructural characteristics. Cubic Zirconia is relatively hard, though nowhere near diamond but harder than most other materials hence it can scratch glass. 

Different size hip joint  ball  socket (cup and socket)  manufactured from Zirconia ceramics

Prosthetic hip implant with Zirconia bearing coupled to the pelvis
and the ball is attached to a Titanium pin embedded in the femur.

But the newest and latest use for Cubic Zirconia -Zirconium dioxide and Zirconium powder- is to make knives. So in order to perpetuate the "bling industry's facade" that Cubic Zirconia has gem quality value, these knives are not called Cubic Zirconia knives but rather Ceramic Knives.

By dry-pressing Zirconia powder in the shape of a knife and firing it through solid-state sintering, the resultant blade edge is then sharpened by grinding it with a Diamond-dust-coated grinding wheel, producing a knife of 8.8 hardness on the Mohr scale that is harder than any steel knife with a sharp edge that can only be destroyed by cutting material harder than itself. Ceramic knives are substantially lighter than steel knives, and do not conduct electricity at room temperature,  will not corrode because they are non metallic thus also non-magnetic. So, say goodbye to you  magnetic knife holder.  

Cubic Zirconia knives are also strong acid and caustic resistance, highly resistant to bacteria  and have the ability to retain a cutting edge longer than any metal knives. As such,  ceramic knives are better suited for slicing boneless meat, vegetables, fruit and bread. However, since ceramics are brittle, blades may break if dropped on a hard surface and therefore unsuitable for chopping through bones, or frozen foods. In fact, you can have infomercial-like fun slicing and dicing all kinds of food  because they will slice  through foodstuff like a hot knife through butter.  

Cubic Zirconia knives and peeler

Unlike a traditional steel knife blade that can be honed  in  order to keep the  sharp edge, a ceramic knife will stay sharp and retain its cutting edge for  up to 10x longer.  Although a ceramic knife does not need sharpening in the same way as steel, its blade edge will eventually degrade or chip and lose its sharp cutting edge, especially if not protected and stored carefully after use. That means  slicing metal cans are completely out of the question. Today more and more Chef's knives are made of Cubic Zirconia like the black ceramic and  the Kyocera Z206 Advanced Ceramic knife, which tend to fetch a higher price than the regular kitchen knife.

A Cubic Zirconia knife with an average weigh of 100 grams can be bought for as little as $5.00 whereas a Cubic Zirconia  crystal weighing as little as 1ct is expected to sell for $100.00. Really now! Besides it probably takes longer to press a knife and sharpen it than it takes to polish a tiny CZ crystal. So where does the supposed value of Cubic Zirconia "gemstones" really come from? It's obviously thumb-sucked to con the gullible. The old adage "A fool and is money is soon parted" has never be truer when it comes to Cubic Zirconia jewelry.

Anyway, can you even image the sharpness and longevity of a knife edge if made from genuine Diamond let alone its cost? If this was even possible, what would they actually price the simulated diamond knife at?