diamonds aren't always a girls best friend

I've been meaning to write a post about my wedding ring for a long time but... well I don't have a good excuse. But no better time than now. I've never been a "bling" girl. In fact I would have loved to have a turquoise wedding ring, but I knew that no one would be able to tell if I was married or if that was the only finger the ring would fit on. So a while back, I stumbled upon a ring that was made of something called moissanite, that looked just like a diamond... and it changed my life. Here is a brief summery of moissanite (although the Wikipedia page is posted at the bottom of this post for further reading):

• Natural moissanite is actually rarer than diamonds, and was discovered on a meteor in 1893. However all moissanite in jewelry is man made because of it's rarity.   
• Moissanite is a fraction of the cost of diamonds but usually only trained gemologists can tell the difference. Don't be shocked if you had never heard of it. Most jewelry stores don't carry moissanite because they want you to spend more on the real deal.  
• Moissanite is hard like a diamond because its made of some of the same components and properties. A diamond is one of the few things that is harder than it. 
• Moissanite refracts more light than a diamond.
• All moissanite gems are near flawless and nearly colorless. 

Moissanite on the left; diamond on the right. 

Below is the article I first found that truly converted me to moissanite:  

http://diamondssuck.com/

If you don't want to read the article, I will paraphrase a few of the great points that sold me:

1. Why start you marriage in debt? Moissanite is a fraction of the cost of a diamond and you get more for your money. If you are looking for a cheap alternative go with moissanite, NOT cubic zirconium. CZ is cheap, scratches, doesn't shine, and you will have to replace it about every 3 years. Not worth it. The total of my ring was still in the 4 digits, but the very very low 4 digits, AND I got a 1.5 carat stone! That would have cots me anywhere between $3,000-$6,000 if I had gotten a real diamond (and that's just for ONE diamond since my ring is a solitaire). It meant a lot to me that Spencer paid for my ring and not his parents. I can look down at it and know that it's truly from him. And the best part was that he paid it off in about a month.  
2. Now many of you have hear of "blood diamonds." Through out history, it's been a known fact that whenever a precious resource is found, the locals die in great numbers. Take for example oil, ivory, rubber, and gold. Now, only about 3-6% of diamonds in the US are blood diamonds, but 2/3 of ALL diamonds in the world are imported by the US! We may be getting better about buying conflict free diamonds, but it was OUR countries demand in the first place that caused the blood shed. Why is it that we as women feel like we need a big sparkler to validate our relationship and to "one-up" our friends?
3. Moissanite is also better for the environment because it's man made. Diamond mining can often cause great damage to the land to the extent that nothing will grow there for several years afterwards; not to mention the extra pollution it causes.

The article lists many more reasons why to make the switch but you can read it yourself. One last thing I would like to say about why I didn't buy a diamond, is because that's not what was important to me in my marriage. The first thing people say when you get engaged is "Let me see the ring." And sometimes you can't help but feel judged by it's size. Why isn't the question "Are you happy?" "Does he treat you well?" My ring is a reminder of the promises I made, but my choice in spouse is the true reflection of the rich blessings I am going to receive through out my life. I know some you don't want to compromise and you have your heart set on a diamond. That's just fine! I'm only writing this for those who may not know they have other options. It's a personal decision that everyone has to make, and I know if I had gotten a diamond, it just wouldn't have felt right. For anyone in Utah who is interested, Sierra-West Jewelers was the only place I found that had moissanite on site at the store. I custom made mine and it turned out just as I had described! I'm so happy with my ring, but I'm even happier with me cute husband! :)  

                                                                                                       
 

Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite