Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 2Diamonds
Diamonds are a girl's best friend... they are also De Beers best source of income.
The way in which De Beers controls the pricing of diamonds is frankly absurd, and add to that the exploitative manner in which some diamonds are mined and you're left wondering why the hell anyone wants a diamond in the first place. The answer, of course, is that they are simply amazing to look at.
So, how do you get real diamonds without the ludicrous cost, and ethical ambiguity?
You should start by giving Apollo Diamonds a call. They make them significantly cheaper than nature does.
I like to think Apollo do it through some sort of giant Rube Goldberg'esque machine in a wooden shed, but I've been reliably informed that it is slightly more scientific than that, involving big metal machines and, most likely, magic. You can read more about the process they use in this article.
The diamonds Apollo create are identical in all respects to the ones formed naturally. Same, hardness, same chemical composition, same refractive index, everything. They are not substitutes like Cubic Zirconia or Mossanite, they are real diamonds, without the nasty mining process.
Apollo create white diamonds, I got two 0.21ct VS2 F diamonds, 4.5mm x 3mm emerald cut from them.
The process they use is slow, and creating large diamonds is tricky and expensive, so most of the created diamonds they offer are less than 0.5ct. Which suited me fine as I only wanted two side stones. Apollo have limited inventory, but do sell loose stones to the public.
The way in which De Beers controls the pricing of diamonds is frankly absurd, and add to that the exploitative manner in which some diamonds are mined and you're left wondering why the hell anyone wants a diamond in the first place. The answer, of course, is that they are simply amazing to look at.
So, how do you get real diamonds without the ludicrous cost, and ethical ambiguity?
You should start by giving Apollo Diamonds a call. They make them significantly cheaper than nature does.
I like to think Apollo do it through some sort of giant Rube Goldberg'esque machine in a wooden shed, but I've been reliably informed that it is slightly more scientific than that, involving big metal machines and, most likely, magic. You can read more about the process they use in this article.
The diamonds Apollo create are identical in all respects to the ones formed naturally. Same, hardness, same chemical composition, same refractive index, everything. They are not substitutes like Cubic Zirconia or Mossanite, they are real diamonds, without the nasty mining process.
Apollo create white diamonds, I got two 0.21ct VS2 F diamonds, 4.5mm x 3mm emerald cut from them.
The process they use is slow, and creating large diamonds is tricky and expensive, so most of the created diamonds they offer are less than 0.5ct. Which suited me fine as I only wanted two side stones. Apollo have limited inventory, but do sell loose stones to the public.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I was looking on their website to buy a diamond and it says," Apollo Diamond will be selling it's cut and polished cultured diamonds in finished pieces of jewelry. At present loose stones are not available." Is this information old, did they change their policies, or you buy your side diamonds elsewhere?
However, I gave them a call and spoke to them directly when I ordered the stones, they were very nice and sold me them loose.