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James, actually this guy that I knew back in the late 90's told me that he would never buy a woman a diamond engagement ring. He said he would buy sapphire or ruby or something. Now at the time I looked at him like he was crazy. Now I guess that I undestand a little better. So I guess there are men out there willing to actually let that idea come out of their mouths. Personally, I like diamonds but if there was no way to determine that they were not "blood diamonds," I guess that I'd have to forgo it. Fortunately, there are measures in place to reduce this likelihood. :)

SC

Quote:

Originally Posted by James (Post 1399907)

Ahhh . . . I suppose that men should stop buying women diamonds and diamond engagement rings to stop supporting these exploitational practices.

It would be almost like a public service not to buy diamonds. I wonder how well that would go over in conversation . . :)

Soror, I'm not either. Hence my questions. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SKEEphistAKAte (Post 1399898)

I remember back when the big deal was Nike and their inhumane labor practices during their manufacturing process. Now it's diamonds. Honestly I haven't looked much into this issue. Not sure if I'm ready to give up the "real" diamonds though. ~shrugs~

^^ Right, soror. And maybe I've been brainwashed, but if some dude proposed to me and handed me anything other than a certified diamond he would get a blank stare, LOL. My attitude would be horrible, lol. :o

Quote:

Originally Posted by SummerChild (Post 1399896)

So Jubilance, are these lab-created diamonds typically identified when one goes into the jewelry store? Are they pretty widely distributed? I'm just wondering if I've bought a lab-created diamond w/out even knowing it.

Also, this may seem like a weird question but, although it is the same chemical composition, is it technically a "fake" according to gemstone standards or is it considered as genuine as those from the mines? Do you know whether the determination of whether it's genuine is based on origin or composition?

If you were to go to Kay's or something, most likely you'd buy a mined diamond. But there are several companies out there who sell lab-made diamonds, not only as loose stones but also set in gold and platinum.

As for the chemical composition...All a diamond is is carbon. What makes it so different (and valuable) is the way that the carbon atoms bond together to form a crystal structure. If it has that structure, its a "real" diamond, no matter whether is was made in a lab or made in a mountainside. Determination of being a "genuine" diamond is only based on having the correct chemical composition and the correct crystal structure. For example, graphite (pencil leads) are also carbon, the atoms bond in a completely different way, giving you different properties. Testing can be done to determine how the carbon atoms are bonded and chemical composition.

Below is a great article from salon.com if you're interested in learning more about the lab-made diamond industry.

http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/the_b...nds/index.html

VH1 is having a show called "Bling, Blood, and Hip Hop" coming on Thursday night at 8/7 central. Looks very interesting.