NEED HELP ASAP..... MMD

[jmona]

Hi everyone, im new to the forums, so anyways, am an Army wife, my husband and i have been married for 6 years, he is about to be deployed but he wants to upgrade my rings and center stone so we can renew our vows before his deployment in January 2010, i have been doing lots of research, i know diamonds are supposed to be a girls best friend but we only have so much money to invest on the set, center stone included, and so i need some pointers on prices and help towards this topic.

I have been wearing my husbands ex rings for all this years so its time to get my own, i never asked for them because i didnt want him to feel bad, this man is fighting for his country so who am i to say no to his efforts, it would have been worse if he wouldnt have given me a ring at all.

the thing is since i dont want a conflict diamond i have expressed to him i want instead a MMD, that would be reasonably cheaper and slightly bigger than what he had planned, i dont mind yellow or orange diamonds but i need prices cus no one seem to want to help and i have been reading your forums and there is tons of useful info here so im hoping someone can help.

how much does a 2.ct mmd run for, im aware there are no colorless stones around this size as of yet, i rather have yellow or orange mor ethan blue or any other color, i cam across sitaragem dot com and they cant seem to give me any info in weather their stones are mmd or cz''s everytime i ask how reputable they are they say they are but yet i have found NO reviews anywhere else but their website and its just not enough for me.

What would my other options be? i dont want a diamond but i dont want a CZ either, my husband and i are going for a Simon G set from RB since we are returning the center stone of the set i have that my husband purchased from them, this was the set we had decided on getting:


but http://www.robbinsbros.com/engagement-rings/engagement-ring-detail.asp?prod_id=31488&strewshid=1514180&pType=ring

instead of a real center stne diamond we wanted to go for the alternative, maybe get a cushion center stone for it and this is what the ring looks like on a better picture:

please look at the attached picture, HELP!!! time is running out!


Jen

Proud mommy of a 3 year old boy that

& Proud Army Wife!

 

[EEFranklin]

Jen,

A 2ct orange-yellow man-made diamond will most likely be in the $5000-$7000 range, depending on specifics. White MMDs are currently up to around .70cts and blues up to about 1.25ct. Ourselves and Apollo are the currently only two companies that offer gem-quality white man-made/synthetic diamonds.

While I don't have any experience with Sitara, they say on their science page it is zirconium oxide, which is a CZ.

MMDs from the few companies that make them are real diamonds in every way, just grown in a lab. I hope that helps.

Eric

 

[jmona]

Hi Eric, THANKS so much for your reply.... i have a question, you seem to know a lot about this stuff and i dont, the sitara people say they are high grade CZ''s are they even worth the price they are selling them for? my husband would have loved to get me a real diamond and i know not all diamonds are conflict diamonds, the thing is i know he cant afford too much at the moment, would one of thise sitara gem CZ''s be a good alternative for a few years till we can afford the real thin? i try contacting Gemesis and the update is that a 2ct stone goes higher than 3K, i only have my old rings for trade and just a few more bucks to add to the whole amount for the set or just one ring in this case.

what do you think about the sitara gems, your honest thought cus i may or not go for it depending on your insight.

Thanks so much in Advance!


here are the rings i have rightnow that are my husbands ex-fiances.

 

[EEFranklin]

Jen,

PS doesn''t allow discussion of simulants like CZs. You need to make the decision if a man-made diamond, mined diamond or simulant is the right choice for you, as each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

What Gemesis told you about the 2ct orange sounds about right. Please let me know if you have any more questions about an orangy lab-grown diamond.

 

[jmona]

Hi Eric, Thanks for replying, you are right about talking CZ i forgot not to talk about that here since its the rules, Thanks so much for reminding me, am waiting on my husband to see what he thinks about a Ritani set or the Simon G set he picked from kranichs jewelers and see what can we do, they are giving me full value for the rings im trading in, all i have to pay pretty much is the 3K of the center stone, i just cant decide between cushion or round, Thanks for all your help!

this is the Ritani ring, the other one is the Simon G i already attached.

 

[EEFranklin]

If you wanted some feedback on choosing between the two rings or center shapes, try posting them in RockyTalk.

 

[arjunajane]

Have you actually done any research on "conflict or blood diamonds" jmona?

I think you will find most of it is as BS at the Hollywood movie.

The Diamond Trade is governed by The Kimberley Process - you can search here to learn about it.

Honestly, if that is your main reason for choosing an MMD I would re-evaluate.
If you are choosing because you don''t like white diamonds and would like a coloured one (which is not in your budget for a natural), than that is another thing.

 

[Alexei Zarakhani]

Date: 11/21/2009 6:01:38 AM
Author: arjunajane
Have you actually done any research on ''conflict or blood diamonds'' jmona?


I think you will find most of it is as BS at the Hollywood movie.


The Diamond Trade is governed by The Kimberley Process - you can search here to learn about it.


Honestly, if that is your main reason for choosing an MMD I would re-evaluate.

If you are choosing because you don''t like white diamonds and would like a coloured one (which is not in your budget for a natural), than that is another thing.

Kimberly Process is not a panacea. Thare are a lot of loopholes there. Conflict diamonds continue to trickle into the diamond trade. Numbers are much less than it was a decade ago but smuggling, corruption are still there. Besides, there is a supply of "conflict-free" diamonds from a "legitimate" KP member, Zimbabwe. Please go to Human Rights Watch to read more.

Basically, the only difference between mined diamond and lab grown is in their respective origins - both are diamonds and both are beautiful. Origins dictate their intrinsic values. Presenting natural diamond many pay attention to its age - yes, it''s billion years old. However, what is being overlooked and not publicized is an environmental impact of diamond mining. It''s not a secret. You can, for example, go to De Beers Canada to read about Victor Diamond mine. Recovered grade (rough) stands at 0.23 ct per ton of kimbelite. To get that one ton of kimberlite you have to move thousands tons of empty rock. Could you imagine what environmental impact it does? Also, as I''ve already mentioned, "blood diamond" issues are not going away...

So, with natural diamond we have a very old rock with bad environmental record and possible "conflict" pedigree (once diamonds are polished, KP doesn''t track them). With lab grown diamond, we can''t boast about its age but it''s environmentally-friendly and absolutely conflict-free. It is up to a customer to determine which one of those has more or less emotional value.
Over 90% of sales of D.Nea Diamonds, a subsidiary of AOTC Group, are bridal. Our customers find more value in lab grown diamonds than in natural ones. FYI, there is no price competition in colorless diamonds (yes, we do produce those), we market them on par with natural diamond prices to remove price differential and give a customer an unobstructed opportunity to make a choice. And that is their conscious choice.
As for fancy colored diamonds, they are not so bridal. Demand for white MMds is greater than for fancy colors. Nevertheless, we sell many blue diamonds to bridal couples. Off course, prices for our blues are much less than similar natural blues but higher than similar D color natural whites. In other words, lab grown diamonds are not a low cost alternative to their mind counterparts on average.

People buy man-made diamonds not because of their price but mainly because of their values.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 11/21/2009 9:57:46 PM
Author: Alexei Zarakhani

Date: 11/21/2009 6:01:38 AM
Author: arjunajane
Have you actually done any research on ''conflict or blood diamonds'' jmona?


I think you will find most of it is as BS at the Hollywood movie.


The Diamond Trade is governed by The Kimberley Process - you can search here to learn about it.


Honestly, if that is your main reason for choosing an MMD I would re-evaluate.

If you are choosing because you don''t like white diamonds and would like a coloured one (which is not in your budget for a natural), than that is another thing.

Kimberly Process is not a panacea. Thare are a lot of loopholes there. Conflict diamonds continue to trickle into the diamond trade. Numbers are much less than it was a decade ago but smuggling, corruption are still there. Besides, there is a supply of ''conflict-free'' diamonds from a ''legitimate'' KP member, Zimbabwe. Please go to Human Rights Watch to read more.

Basically, the only difference between mined diamond and lab grown is in their respective origins - both are diamonds and both are beautiful. Origins dictate their intrinsic values. Presenting natural diamond many pay attention to its age - yes, it''s billion years old. However, what is being overlooked and not publicized is an environmental impact of diamond mining. It''s not a secret. You can, for example, go to De Beers Canada to read about Victor Diamond mine. Recovered grade (rough) stands at 0.23 ct per ton of kimbelite. To get that one ton of kimberlite you have to move thousands tons of empty rock. Could you imagine what environmental impact it does? Also, as I''ve already mentioned, ''blood diamond'' issues are not going away...

So, with natural diamond we have a very old rock with bad environmental record and possible ''conflict'' pedigree (once diamonds are polished, KP doesn''t track them). With lab grown diamond, we can''t boast about its age but it''s environmentally-friendly and absolutely conflict-free. It is up to a customer to determine which one of those has more or less emotional value.
Over 90% of sales of D.Nea Diamonds, a subsidiary of AOTC Group, are bridal. Our customers find more value in lab grown diamonds than in natural ones. FYI, there is no price competition in colorless diamonds (yes, we do produce those), we market them on par with natural diamond prices to remove price differential and give a customer an unobstructed opportunity to make a choice. And that is their conscious choice.
As for fancy colored diamonds, they are not so bridal. Demand for white MMds is greater than for fancy colors. Nevertheless, we sell many blue diamonds to bridal couples. Off course, prices for our blues are much less than similar natural blues but higher than similar D color natural whites. In other words, lab grown diamonds are not a low cost alternative to their mind counterparts on average.

People buy man-made diamonds not because of their price but mainly because of their values.

You think High T, High P machines and the huge amount of electricty they use are environmentally friendly?

 

[Alexei Zarakhani]

Date: 11/25/2009 1:39:23 PM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

Date: 11/21/2009 9:57:46 PM

You think High T, High P machines and the huge amount of electricty they use are environmentally friendly?

Yes, HPHT diamond synthesis is eco-friendly, no pollution at all. Indeed, in order to create high pressure, high temperature environment for a diamond synthesis we use electricity. Contrary to your belief, our machines do not use "huge amount" of it because those (HP-HT) conditions are created in a relatively small volume (1 cu.cm). On average, our HPHT diamond press consumes 2 KWh. Is it a huge amount? I don''t think so - take a look at electricity consumption of basic household appliances...
Besides, at our European facility we use "green" electricity derived from wind, solar, hydro, etc. installations. It''s a bit more expensive but makes a perfect sense.