I’ve been hearing for years that artificial gems (diamonds, rubies, moissanite, etc) cost a ‘fraction’ of the real thing. Is this true? If so, where can I as a consumer buy a handful of this stuff?
Note that I don’t want jewellery-grade gems, I realise that would cost a lot simply due to rejects and labour to cut / polish. I just want stuff I can mess around with for hobbies and crafts.
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Buy cubic zirconium then, it’s the cheapest artificial gem which is still jewellery grade (though on the lowest tier, just above high quality glass).
I’d bet you can find them on ebay and if that fails, google a jeweller supply shop in your country. They are very common and affordable.
There are artificial rubies and other gems which aim to mimic the index of refraction of the real gems, they are much more expensive and they exist in different types, but, they are still cheaper than the real thing.
For crafts, get the cubics.
Just looked them up, I knew they existed before but did not realise they came in different colours! Also, they’ve been around forever so I never really associated them with artificial gems. Thanks!
Alibaba has, unsure if you could find them through a more local store. Though I’ve never come across completely uncut lab diamonds, generally you can find rejects or poorly cut small ones pretty cheap.
EDIT: did a quick search on Alibaba and there are uncut lab diamonds as well even cheaper.
Speaking of Alibaba: Tianyu Gems is a quality dealer of moissanite. I originally got the recommendation on Reddit from someone who had ordered multiple stones. We used them for the moissanite in my engagement ring.
The larger stones are obviously jewelry grade but they have some cheaper bulk options too.
Here’s one I’m tempted to get:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Tianyu-gems-customized-design-special-cut_1600706238249.html?spm=a2700.shop_plgr.41413.26.3c024575m9Qowc
A gold ring with a pink sapphire shaped like a penis.
Ah, pink dick
They are a lot cheaper yes, diamond mining companies artificially limit supply to keep the price of the mined diamonds up. We have an abundance of them, so the lab grown ones are significantly cheaper because their supply isn’t artificially limited
My wife’s engagement ring is a giant moissanite rock (2 carat, I think) that would have cost 20x more if it were a diamond. She has gotten it cleaned at some jewelry places that even said they would have thought it was a diamond without really close inspection.