"There is something a little different about your engagement ring", my sister says?

Now my mind is wondering what I should say!  Should I tell her the truth?  Should I tell her it's a diamond?

"Your right, it's not a diamond, it's a Moissanite", I say to my sister!

A look of judgement comes from my sister face and a look of why?

Awkward right?  

Well THAT NEVER HAPPENED!  

WHY CHOOSE A MOISSANITE INSTEAD OF DIAMOND?

There are a lot of reasons customers choose Moissanite over DIAMOND.  Here are just a few below that I have personally used in my long career selling high end diamonds to customers.

1)  "Ive been told that when shopping for a diamond if you stay under a 1ct center then you will save money on the loose diamond."  I myself being in the jewelry industry for many years now selling diamonds in 5 million a year guild stores have even used this line in my own sales approach many times.  I must say that it helps close a sale of a diamond sale keeping the customer under budget or even maybe slightly over budget.  While this tactic is a good one, it really is just a sacrifice in order to keep you under budget, but you may be sacrificing your dream ring at the same time.

2)  "I'll just buy my diamond on discount websites, like eBay or BlueNile to save money."  While you can save money buying from sites like mentioned above, you are not able to touch hold and feel the diamond before you make the purchase.  As mentioned above, being in the jewelry business for a while now I too had to leap this hurdle (objection) with each customer that brought it up.  Easy though since we had the diamonds in stock and were able to let the customer realize that you do not always get what you think you will receive when ordering from diamond websites.  On eBay more especially there are sellers offering fracture filled treated diamonds.  Fracture filled diamonds should be an entire new blog post...however to put it simply fracture filled diamonds are diamonds that are a low clarity like an I2 clarity.  Then the company will remove the imperfections making the diamond a higher clarity.  This is always noted on the diamond certificates and must be known before you make the purchase.  However, the prices of these diamonds are way to expensive for what they should be.  

3)"You can sacrifice a little on color and clarity to get the size diamond you have dreamed of."  This is probably the one used most often to overcome the price objection to get the perfect size the customer is wanting to obtain.  I too have used this one as well over the years.  Many customers over the years have come in and expected to pay a certain price for their diamond.  Lets say for example a 1.50CT round.  Coming in they had no clue of what goes into a diamonds cost and how they are priced according to the 4 C's (Carat, Color, Clarity, Cut).  This to should be another blog post, but to put it simply the higher up the grading scale the more rare and more valuable each diamond becomes.  Many times I have helped customers get their 1.50CT round diamond by sacrificing a little on color and a little on clarity.  Its a great tactic, but once again you are settling and sacrificing what really matters most!

There are many other ways you can save money by sacrificing, but why in the world would you want to do that?

There are a few issues as well with the Diamond Industry and how they are priced!  Here are just a few

1)  In 1938, the diamond cartel De Beers began a marketing campaign that would have a major impact on engagement rings. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the price of diamonds collapsed. At the same time, market research indicated that engagement rings were going out of style with the younger generation. While the first phase of the marketing campaign consisted of market research, the advertising phase began in 1939. One of the first elements of this campaign was to educate the public about the 4 Cs (cut, carats, color, and clarity). In 1947 the slogan "a diamond is forever" was introduced. Ultimately, the De Beers campaign sought to persuade the consumer that an engagement ring is indispensable, and that a diamond is the only acceptable stone for an engagement ring.

2)  A diamond is not an INVESTMENT.  I have heard so many untrained sales people and even customers over the years say that buying a diamond is an investment.  This is just not true.  An investment is an asset that you plan to sell at a later date for a profit.  However unless your world is turned upside down financially, then you probably never really plan to sell your engagement ring right?  If you must sell it as a last resort, then you will never recoup what you paid for it, and I mean never!  Would that be considered a bad investment?  I think so :-(

3)  Young adults should probably spend their money in smarter ways, like paying off student loans or saving money for a down payment on a house!  Don't get me started though on student loans.  OMG they are so expensive these days!  I do not even know how these young adults can come out of college ahead in life!  Buying a $10,000 diamond definitely will not help matters after college.

4)  Oh and the elephant in the room!  BLOOD DIAMONDS!  Most jewelers have adopted the Kimberly Process however can we really vouch for all brick and mortar jewelers out there today?  Just food for thought.

SO WHAT THE HECK IS MOISSANITE?:

Moissanite, or natural silicon carbide, was discovered over a century ago when Nobel prize-winning French chemist, Dr. Henri Moisson found tiny particles of the substance at the site of a massive meteorite strike in Arizona.

The stone was named Moissanite in his honor.

Years later, scientists created the gemstone that we know as Moissanite today.

There are now so many brands out there today!  Our Eternal Moissanite is also really awesome and is a very good substitute and what we call a "diamond like" Moissanite!  We also sell Charles & Colvard and NEO Moissanite!  Both are excellent brands of Moissy!  Some other jewelers out there like ourselves have tried to adopt brands themselves, but the product is not as nice our Eternal Moissanite and their prices are OUT OF THIS WORLD!  Moissanite should not be expensive and priced like a diamond!  It should be a fun buying process and also affordable at the same time :-)

WHAT DOES MOISSANITE LOOK LIKE?:

Here are a few videos from our Instagram page below that we uploaded to Vimeo.com

This beautiful Eternal Moissanite is our Round "Diamond Cut."  The "Diamond Cut" is faceted perfectly to tone down the high dispersion of Moissanite, giving it a more diamond like appearance!  This Eternal Moissanite is our GH Color Round Diamond Cut" which faces up really white compared to the competition out there today!  And its super affordable unlike out competition out there.  

Eternal Moissanite GH Color "Diamond Cut" Round GH Color from Port City Jewelers on Vimeo.

Below is our Eternal Moissanite Elongated Cushion Cut in EF Color!  Look how beautiful each facet is placed on our Eternal Moissanite!  

Eternal Moissanite elongated cushion cut EF color from Port City Jewelers on Vimeo.

HOW DOES MOISSANITE COMPARE TO A DIAMOND?:

First, Moissanite a lot less expensive than a diamond. A 1ct Moissanite goes for $300-$400 as a loose stone whereas a 1CT diamond could run anywhere from $3,000 to $20,000 and even more depending on cut quality, color and clarity.

Secondly, Moissanite is more refractive and has more brilliance, which gives it more fire and sparkle!  Oh Yeah!

Third, Moissanite is not as hard as a diamond (about 9 to 10 on the mohs scale) but the difference is negligible. We can set Moissanite in any type of metal and apply heat to the stone just like a diamond!  

Like diamonds, Moissanite can range from colorless to some color.  Moissanite will be a little more expensive as you get closer to colorless. However the cost for a colorless Moissanite is a lot less than the highest grade of diamond comparatively.

SO WHY ARE COUPLES CHOOSING MOISSANITE INSTEAD OF DIAMONDS?

Couples aren’t necessarily choosing Moissanite because they don’t have the money to buy a real diamond. They’re not necessarily planning on upgrading it to something else someday either.

Moissanite is a choice. It’s not settling at all.  Moissanite is the eco-friendly, affordable, conflict free & SMART choice for your new engagement ring!  It just makes sense all the way around.

In my mind, everyone choosing a diamond is settling by not questioning the propaganda that has pressured them for years into thinking that a diamond is what they DESERVE!

SO WHY DO I NOT TELL PEOPLE ITS NOT A DIAMOND?

It's really your choice to tell people its either a diamond or not a diamond.  I would say most of our customers do not tell their friends or family that they choose Moissanite and here are a few reasons why.

First, I think it’s rude to compare rings. I don’t care about the cut, color, carat or clarity of anyone else’s engagement ring so why should you go into the details of yours?

Second, no one will ever bring it up. Our Moissanite rings look great, so no one will question it. After selling diamonds for many years, Moissanite out performs diamonds hand down no matter what price point diamond you may have been shopping for!

Third, most customers do not tell anyone that their ring is not a diamond since I unfortunately know how some people would react. Most people don’t want anyone to judge their relationship because of the ring. It's honestly the customer driving the decision to get a Moissanite stone instead of a diamond from the beginning.  

Also most customers do not share that the ring is not a diamond because they try to keep their personal views on controversial topics close to the vest and don’t think it’s worth getting into a potentially dividing discussion with family or friends. Most customers also do not want their opinion to make someone else feel bad or feel like they have to defend their decision to get a diamond. Everyone can make the right choice for them.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO BUY MOISSANITE AND WHERE TO BUY IT?:

1)  DO NOT BUY MOISSANITE AT YOUR LOCAL JEWELER!  Most jewelers will not have any clue first of all what the Moissanite pricing should be for the particular brand.  I have heard horror stories from a few customers where they overpaid by $300-$400 for the same Moissanite stone we can get from Charles & Colvard just for example.

2)  Don't go to big if you are trying to pass your Moissanite off as a diamond to your friends & family.  Stay in the Moissanite carat weight range that would seem affordable if you purchased a diamond from your local jeweler.  If you are ok with telling your friends that your stone is a Moissanite then do not worry about the size of your Moissanite!  GO AS BIG AS YOU WANT :-)  And if you just do not care what people think, then still GO AS BIG AS YOU WANT!  

3)  Our Instagram page @PortCityJewelers has a TON of useful video content showing the different brands with a lot of content centered around our exclusive Eternal Moissanite gems!  Our Eternal Moissanite gems are AWESOME and very diamond like.  They also are the most affordable Moissanite on the market today!  Oh and we do not Compromise quality to bring you Eternal Moissanite!  Moissanite should not be expensive!  Always give us a call, find us on social or send us an email and we will find you the perfect Moissanite way below other price points out there!

4)  Do not be afraid to choose Moissanite over a Diamond!  You'll be sure glad you did!

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https://www.instagram.com/portcityjewelers/

Author:  Ivey - Port City Jewelers ©

Creating Memories With Beautiful Jewelry®

Date:  9-21-17