Let me defend this title for a moment. That might’ve been an acceptable thing to say circa 2006 when the economy seemed to offer endless cash and financing to everyone and anyone. People were taking 2nd mortgages on their homes to buy expensive diamond engagement rings at fabulously low interest rates, purchasing blingtastic earrings with their Wall Street bonuses, and it was hardly unusual for boyfriends to give their ladyfolk some sparkling tennis bracelet as a “happy anniversary, baby” type gift.
Fast forward to 2009: We’ve still got diamond taste, but with CZ budget. Sh*t. That’s not gonna work.
I’ve always been of the mentality that if you’re going to buy something, you better buy quality. It’s a waste of money to buy anything that’s low quality, because it’s just throwing the money to the wind. If you’re going to buy jewelry, the metal should be fantastic (white or yellow gold, platinum), and the stones should be great. To be honest, the last piece of jewelry I got as a gift was a pair of diamond studs. They were nice. White gold setting, and of modest size… but when I tried on a pair of 2+ carat Diamond Nexus Labs earrings, all I could think was “I wish he had saved the money and got me these instead.” I’m guessing he spent a decent chunk of change, but he could’ve spent $470 on these glambombs and impressed me even more by spending the money he saved on a pair of fantastic leather boots (which he would’ve enjoyed later, trust me) and a weekend in the Bahamas.
Think about it, $470 is like buying a Coach bag (which you wouldn’t really love anyway, let’s be honest), and 2 carat diamond simulant earrings NEVER go out of style. Ever. And if you decide you don’t like the setting anymore, who cares, 5 years from now you can make your earrings into a ring (or two)!
Personally, my other favorite item from this collection of basically-the-same-as-natural diamonds is the Andromeda necklace which retails for $4950. And yes, I do actually wear it. If I had purchased a necklace of the same weight and quality with non-lab created diamonds, we’d be looking at a price tag of over 280k. Forgive me, but I can think of better things to do with 280k. I wore this 40 carat, 18 inch white gold stunner last Tuesday night. And then again on Wednesday night just because I loved it.
I think my favorite part about Diamond Nexus Lab’s jewelry is that you can mix and match. Tuesday night I wore my grandmother’s 100% over-the-top family heirloom diamond ring, paired with Diamond Nexus Lab’s Andromeda necklace. No one can tell which is which, or that any of the simulated diamonds aren’t 100% natural. DNL creates diamond simulants in their labs with the same pressure and chemical composition as a real, found in Africa diamond, but with no bloodshed… which is exactly why I’d love to see this become the going trend in jewelry. You can’t beat gorgeous diamonds, comparatively low prices, and and the ability to custom-design your baubles!
