The public’s fascination with “real” natural mined diamonds has declined somewhat as various groups began raising awareness of the role these gems play in funding repressive and devastating wars. Even when diamonds are “conflict free,” it’s clear that working conditions in mining operations are far from salubrious.
What can you do to avoid contributing to exploitation? Buy ethically-sourced, recycled, or lab-grown stones. Gems in the latter category are chemically and qualitatively identical to mined gems, but they aren’t tainted by questionable supply chain issues that contribute to global conflict.
On our blog, we’ve explained a lot about jewelry — gemstones, metals, things to consider — but here’s what we believe: You don’t have to spend a thousands, or even hundreds, on beautiful jewelry these days.
Awareness of the terrible working conditions of miners harvesting natural precious gems, as well as the advances in lab-grown diamonds and other stones, have created a new environment. Now, people with ordinary incomes can obtain gorgeous-looking jewelry without the guilt, and without the high prices, formerly associated with these sparkles.
Jewelry should be precious to you because it makes you look your best and because you’ve worn it to make valuable memories — not just because someone else says it’s valuable.
Here’s what really matters:
Jewelry shouldn’t be obtained at the cost of lives in dangerous mines.
Jewelry should look beautiful.
Jewelry should wear well and be durable enough to wear every day. Hence “Everyday Sparkles.”
Jewelry shouldn’t cause allergic reactions or turn your skin green.
Jewelry shouldn’t be mysterious — you should know what you’re getting.
That’s why, in this store, we focus on curating a collection of beautiful pieces that meet all these requirements, knowing that there are people out there — like you — who share our values.
Gemstones are generally evaluated based on what are called “the three Cs”.
Cut
Although there’s technically a distinction between the cut of a gemstone — the way it’s faceted — and the shape it ends up as, the word “cut” is typically used to describe the shape of a gemstone.
Below, you’ll see images of the most common shapes in which gemstones are cut. When it comes to diamonds, the round cut is one of the most common you’ll see because it is especially effective at showing off the stone’s sparkle. When it comes to emeralds, what’s called the “emerald” cut is probably the most commonly seen.
The most common gemstone shapes
This drawing illustrates typical faceting styles, with round brilliant cuts the most common for diamonds, and step cuts most common for emeralds.
Color
The second “c” stands for color, which jewelers to characterize the purity and luster of a stone. In a diamond, colorless white stones are the most prized. These days, the majority of synthetic or created diamonds are still white, but they, and other diamond-stand-ins like moissanite, can be created in a wide variety of beautiful colors.
Though sapphires are often thought of as blue, this is just a name for the mineral corundum, and “fancy” natural sapphires can also be found in colors like yellow, purple, orange, green and teal. Interestingly, red varieties of corundum have their own designation: rubies. Meanwhile, a pink-colored corundum stone could either be called a sapphire or a ruby.
Clarity
The term clarity, the third “c” is fairly self-explanatory — it means how free of impurities the stone is. Impurities in the crystal formation can affect how sparkly a gemstone is. Lab-created stones, whether they’re diamonds, moissanite or cubic zirconia, are typically free of impurities.
