Diamond industry 'in trouble' as lab-grown gemstones tank prices further (opens in new tab)

I remember the honeymoon we splurged on, much better value, much less planning and coordination to worry about.

Weddings are expensive. Marriage costs almost nothing.

I am basically anti-marriage for myself but an expensive diamond ring is acting like a form of collateral. It is a form of insurance that one party is not completely fraudulent about their financial situation.

Imagine that, these long held traditions actually have practical purposes and are not just random nonsense that is so easily solved by technology.

People hopelessly addicted to social media and bullshit are just total suckers for these type of stories though.

I went with moissanite for my engagement ring. A lab grown diamond with equivalent specs was $13000 (AUD). The moissanite was $700 (AUD) which was in line with other international jewellery vendors' prices. You can get much cheaper prices than what we paid but we were happy to go through the jeweller's preferred vendor rather than sourcing it ourselves.

I had considered other gems like emerald, sapphire, etc. but I'm rough on my hands and wanted something really tough.

I felt a bit silly that I wanted a ring at all, tbh. Just not getting one is an option we considered. I like shiny things and don't own any other jewellery. That's my excuse and I'm running with it!

I really love it. It's so dazzling it distracts me sometimes when the light plays on it. I'm a bit embarrassed when people think it's a diamond; we've got a million other things we'd spend tens of thousands of dollars on that's not a shiny rock.

Anyway, moissanite is great.