Does anyone know of any Moissanite dealers in Houston? I'm looking to replace my mom's wedding ring for my dad and I think Moissanite could be an option.

I am looking into engagement rings and I also am considering it...i am lucky, the gf doesn't like the thought of throwing down $10-15k that could be used for a down payment on a ridiculously overpriced price-manipulated diamond that someone has probably either bled or been enslaved for.

You can just be honest, you are looking at engagement rings

Prepare to get flamed by numerous internet millionaires...

[This message has been edited by North Mayne (edited 7/31/2012 12:20p).]

Haha, well if I was a dude, then maybe you could accuse me of that.
In summary, Not a dude and my mom really does need a new ring. The moissanite rings I saw look really good. And I totally agree with you and your gf!

Edit: well I guess even as a chick I could be looking at engagement rings...I do like to oogle at them!!

[This message has been edited by little blue (edited 7/31/2012 1:32p).]

[This message has been edited by little blue (edited 7/31/2012 2:09p).]

I approve of this thread.

Www.diamondssuck.com

Wessimo...any advice?

I haven't actually bought one but will do so in the future if sparkle is needed. Luckily my wife is not that into jewelry.

I have a a moissanite in my wifes engagement ring. Looks awesome. Cost me $200 I think, equivalent to a $6k at Jarrods. I bought mine intentionally, not to save money, and only partially to be anti-cartel.

The only thing about it is a slight greyish hue when you're outside holding it next to a colorless diamond. Because of this, hers is set as a solitaire... and NOT surrounded by real diamonds. So be careful thinking about the setting.

I got hers at JC Penny (in Houston). They were the only ones I found that carried moissanite. They only came mounted in a ring, and I just had the mall jeweler pull it out and put it in another (more expensive) engagement ring. So consider non-loose an option too. I put a CZ in the JCP ring to make it a "travel engagement ring" that's worth like $10.

I bought mine at like 4am on Black Friday with a new JC Penny card, because I could get it like 80% off, so consider monitoring sales etc.

Supposedly they do have a day where you can buy them loose if you want different sizes, as they only carry a few options mounted. But from the efforts I put in, since they are mass produced, you "should" be able to buy whatever size and cut you want online, because color etc are consistent.

i always thought that the point of an engagement ring was to give something of great value to your lady. doesn't buying a ring for a couple hundred bucks kind of make the whole thing pointless?

i'm not saying it has to be a diamond, but it seems like you're missing the point if you're buying it because it's super cheap.

I thought the point was for her friends to think she got a $$$$ piece of bling

if that was the case, i would have told her to get over it.

anyway, how pathetic is it to buy a ring that's x number of carats and present it to people as if it was a diamond when it's really a couple hundred bucks of fancy glass?

I like the fact that some lolpoor had to die so my lady can show off to her jr league friends.

You realize a diamond is just carbon, right? If you are just blowing money for the sake of it you might as well propose by setting fire to a stack of $100s to 'prove' your love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GFZKPQuAaw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

quote:

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Sol: It's a moissanite.
Bad Boy Lincoln: A whatinite?
Sol: Moissanite is an artificial diamond, Lincoln. Spurious. Not genuine. And, it's worth . . . fu**all.

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quote:

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I am looking into engagement rings and I also am considering it...i am lucky, the gf doesn't like the thought of throwing down $10-15k that could be used for a down payment on a ridiculously overpriced price-manipulated diamond that someone has probably either bled or been enslaved for.

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As a casual observer it would seem like there's some room between $200 and $10-15k where one could make a reasonable engagement ring purchase.

quote:

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You realize a diamond is just carbon, right? If you are just blowing money for the sake of it you might as well propose by setting fire to a stack of $100s to 'prove' your love.

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of course i know it's just carbon. the point is not that it's a diamond, the point is that what you are giving her actually has value at all. it could be a chunk of moon rock (worth way more than a diamond, likely). the point is that it's actually got worth. giving her a piece of glass that has little to no value is pointless.

you can talk about a diamond being "just carbon" intellectually, but in reality, it does have monetary value. the same goes for rubies (aluminum oxide) or sapphires (aluminum oxide) or emeralds (beryl) or pearls (hardened oyster slime).

why engage in the cultural custom of ring exchange at all if you're gonna go the cheap ass way about it?

I'm just going to go outside and find a pretty rock to drill a hole in. Then give it to her as an engagement necklace. Because **** the man, that's why.

schmendeler,

giving her a ring with a jewel other than a diamond probably has more value. the resale market for diamonds is absolute dick.

The alleged 'value' of diamonds is one of my biggest problems with them. If you went out today and bought a $10k rock, how likely would it be that you could sell it for anything near that a year or two later (even assuming you got a decent deal in the first place)?

that may be true for other precious stones, but i doubt it for moissanite.

i can tell you right now i didn't spend anywhere near $10k for a diamond.

in any case, i didn't buy her the ring with "resale value" in mind.

quote:

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You realize a diamond is just carbon, right? If you are just blowing money for the sake of it you might as well propose by setting fire to a stack of $100s to 'prove' your love.

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POTMFY. And I am ironically celebrating it with a blue parachute.

My wife has a diamond, but only because I inherited it.

Girls that say they do not want a diamond are lying. That is not to say if a girl is given the choice between a diamond and down payment for a house that she won't choose the house. They all would love a nice diamond but may make more practical choices if given the option.

So if you aren't going yo sell it, what does it really matter if it is 'valuable' or not? The real value is in what it symbolizes, not what it is worth. Debeers has done a masterful job at brainwashing us (and ladies in particular) that you have to spend big $$ (3-4 mo salary??) to prove that you love your fiancee.

If two people are in love and want to do what it best for their new family, it probably makes more sense to spend that money on the wedding or a down payment for a house or something else that will benefit the family. I really cringe when I see people going into debt to buy a rock.

Full disclosure: I bought my wife a diamond. Didn't go into debt to do it. I'll never buy another one. My wife and I have discussed it and if she ever loses her ring we would replace it with moissanite. Then again we're both very practical people - that's part of what makes the relationship work.

[This message has been edited by wessimo (edited 8/1/2012 1:53p).]

Yeah you sound like a lot of fun.

You too buddy.

Disdain for financial responsibility is a big part of the reason that this country is where it is today.

[This message has been edited by wessimo (edited 8/1/2012 2:20p).]

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Debeers has done a masterful job at brainwashing us (and ladies in particular) that you have to spend big $$ (3-4 mo salary??) to prove that you love your fiancee.

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Who the hell pays 3-4 months salary for an engagement ring?

The general "rule" is 2 months and even that is just a made up diamond company thing. I bought my now wife a ring for right around $2k (in 2010) and paid cash and she was very happy.

4 months of my salary is like $300K. No way I'm buying my baby momma a $300K ring! lolpoors!

i didn't know you were the walter white of houston!

quote:

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If two people are in love and want to do what it best for their new family, it probably makes more sense to spend that money on the wedding or a down payment for a house or something else that will benefit the family.

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So dropping that money on a one day party is fiscally responsible, but spending it on a rock that at least holds part of its value isn't?

True, I guess you could just not have a wedding. Even I'm not that cheap though.