New to this website and totally lost when it comes to MMD's

[AussieLadyP]

Hi everyone,

I am REALLY hoping that you, the members, can help me with a couple of issues.

I have an engagement and wedding ring that have are inherited - they have been in my husband's family for many years. It is our 30th Wedding Anniversary in about a month and my husband has found the eternity ring that matches my set which he wants to give me, however it is missing a number of side stones.

I have been working with a manufacturing jeweller who lives in the same rural region as I do. I have taken the all the rings to him and he has suggested that I need three diamonds - a 1.5mm, a 1.7mm and a 2mm round to complete the setting - so obviously these are not large diamonds!

Although the original diamonds were mined, I am uncomfortable (for ethical reasons) to replace the lost stones with newly mined ones and so am considering MMD's.

I have read the posts regarding a similar question to mine, however the person who posted the question was based in the States...and I wondered if there were other manufacturers of MMD's, specifically any that are in Australia? The main reason for this question about Aussie based manufactures is that I did an on-line search and there was a company that states that they are based here and make "MAN MADE LABORATORY CREATED ASD DIAMONDS". This is taken from an ebay site, so I am immediately suspicious. They don't have a website associated with their ebay store.

So my first question is has anyone heard of this company or MMD's created by ASD? I haven't contacted them - the company trades in Australia as "Symmetry Jewellery" - simply because if they are not being true about their "MMD's", then they probably won't be honest in their response. When I have attempted to search for their company name, the only hits I get are for an Australian jewellery valuation centre...which I don't think is the same company (since the company logos are different).

My other predicament also relates to a lost - or to be more accurate, a substituted stone - in a ring that originally belonged to my Great-Grandfather. He was the manager at a diamond mine in Africa for a number of years and I was told that he always treated his workers well My Grandfather inherited the ring and many years later had it reset and gave it to my mother when I was born. Unfortunately the stone fell out when I was a baby. My father took it to a jeweller in the town I was born in and had it repaired. Years later, my parents found out that the original stone had been replaced with a cheap stimulant. I would also like to replace this stone with an MMD, although I have some doubt that I would be able to get an old cut similar to the original. The size of the stone, to fit into my mother's original setting, would need to be about 5.5mm in diameter. If "ASD" do in fact make real MMD's, then I would look at purchasing a stone from them...so really this is where both questions intersect.

At this point I am totally at sea and in desperate need of a life-line. I would be really appreciative of any feedback.

I am new to your website and was lucky enough to find it!

I apologise in advance for my long post, but all the rings involved in this saga hold great personal providence to me

Cheers!

 

[EEFranklin]

Re: New to this website and totally lost when it comes to MM

To the best of my knowledge, there are no diamond growers in Australia, though existing producers could certainly ship to Australia. In the sizes you need (<2mm), the price will be around the same as mined diamonds, since most of the cost of the diamond is for polishing.

A quick search turned up an eBay auction for "ASD Australian Simulated Diamonds". Simulated is the key word there, which means imitation, or not a diamond. In general, anything you find on eBay claiming to be a "man made diamond" is most likely a cubic zirconia. An easy way to differentiate is to ask the seller if it is 100% carbon with a hardness of 10. Any answer other than a simple "yes" probably means it is an imitation of some sort or another.

Lab-grown diamonds are certainly available in 5.5mm, but mostly modern cuts. What shape do you want to put in your mother's setting?

 

[denverappraiser]

Re: New to this website and totally lost when it comes to MM

Tiny stones are actually hard to come by in MMDs. The smallest I seem them selling are about a quarter of a carat. You, or your jeweler, might consider recovered diamonds from a previous piece that's been taken apart. They would meet your goal of not buying newly mined stones and may not actually be all that hard to find. Pawn shops and those gold buying places often have them.

 

[AussieLadyP]

Re: New to this website and totally lost when it comes to MM

Thank you so much, EEFranklin

I will post that question on the sellers ebay site.

My gut is telling me that this site isn't selling actual MMD's.

My mother's ring originally had a round diamond, with a very old facet design.

I have thought about putting a coloured stone in, from an estate piece of jewellery. However, I keep changing my mind about what stone I would be most happy with.

At the end of the day, the only thing about the ring that holds any real family providence is now the setting

I will keep the cz simply because it has an interesting story....and my mother used to wear it all the time.

Once again, thanks for the info!

 

[AussieLadyP]

Re: New to this website and totally lost when it comes to MM

Thanks denverappraiser!

I had thought about buying estate diamonds from a dealer or pawn shop, but here in Australia loose diamonds seem to be more expensive than new ones of the same size and quality...but at least I could get older style faceting.

I have also looked at buying another estate diamond ring with the size of stones that would be suitable, however when I look at rings like these I feel overwhelmed and sad about the idea of scrapping the ring for the stones.

I look at these rings and can't help but feel sad about the fact that someone's life story - all the happiness and sadness - is tied up in that ring...and it has probably ended up being cashed in by their family or the trustee upon their death.

I know that that is the harsh reality of life...and for the most part I am someone ruled by their head...not heart.

However, for me jewellery seems to be different. I think the providence, or story behind a piece, should be important to someone and it's just heartbreaking that a ring that has witnessed a person's journey through life should just end up in a shop window. I don't know if it is different in other parts of the world, but here in Australia, when a piece of estate jewellery is for sale, the store will not tell you anything about the source of the piece...unless of course it has providence which inherently makes the piece more valuable! It would be nice to know a little bit about the piece of jewellery, but of course privacy regulations come into play.

Cheers for your advice! I will look into the possibility of finding a ring that has already been raided

 

[AussieLadyP]

Re: New to this website and totally lost when it comes to MM

Hi everyone,

I thought I would let you know what "ASD" replied with when I asked them the question suggested by EEFranklin.

I copied and pasted their response:

" Yes but is not 100% carbon also not hardness 10 - only natural diamond have this hardness.
This is simulated diamonds with similar hardness like cubic zirconium
Thank You"

So my gut instinct - and the great advice from members of this website - proved to be true. This company are just selling cz stones as "man made laboratory diamonds".

If anyone reads this thread at a later date, steer well clear of "ASD" and "Symmetry Jewellery" (the Australian companies...since I think there is a jeweller based in the States with the same name...and I certainly don't want to tarnish their reputation).

I was unsure about all the companies that produce MMD's.

Thanks to the forum members and all the information that is available on this website, I now have a little more knowledge...and a whole lot of learning to do

I am still uncertain about what to do with the ring that belonged to my mother. My gut instinct is that the waters will be less muddy and a clear decision will come to me when the time is right, however I would still appreciate any input from people posting in this forum - or those just passing through - about design options.

As for my Eternity ring, I will seek the advice of the manufacturing jeweller that I am using and ask him about reputable places to start to look for the small stones I need. The more I have thought about it, the less comfortable I am with the idea of destroying an entire estate ring - especially for such small accent stones - which was probably someone's beloved piece

Thanks everyone for the responses and the invaluable information.

Cheers!