Just Discovered My Engagement Ring is Cubic Zirconia Instead of Lab-Grown Diamond! 💍
Hey everyone! 🌟
I recently had a bit of a revelation: my engagement ring, which I thought was a beautiful lab-grown diamond, is actually cubic zirconia (CZ). At first, I was crushed. I had always believed that I was sporting a stunning, ethically-sourced diamond, and I had done a lot of research before making my choice. But now, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum.
Cubic Zirconia vs. Lab-Grown Diamonds: A Quick Recap
For those who might not know, cubic zirconia is a synthetic gemstone that looks similar to a diamond but lacks the same chemical structure. Lab-grown diamonds, on the other hand, are real diamonds created in a controlled environment. They share the same physical properties as their mined counterparts but are often more affordable and the ethical choice when it comes to sourcing.
Let’s Discuss:
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Emotional Impact: How do you feel about the distinction between CZ and lab-grown diamonds? Did you ever find out something surprising about your own ring after a purchase?
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Value vs. Sentiment: While CZs are undoubtedly beautiful and can be more budget-friendly, there’s often a value attached to authenticity. How do you navigate the feelings attached to a ring that you thought was “the real deal”?
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Beauty in All Cuts: I’ve always loved the look of my ring, and while knowing it’s CZ has changed my perspective, I still admire its sparkle! What do you all think? Can we appreciate the beauty of a ring regardless of its material? Show off your rings—pure diamond, cubic zirconia, or anything in between!
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Sharing Your Experience: For those who have bought rings, how do you recommend researching gemstones? What advice would you give someone looking to purchase an engagement ring? Any tips on differentiating between CZ and lab-grown diamonds when shopping?
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Rethinking the Ring: Now that I know mine is CZ, I’m contemplating how to approach the situation. Should I wear it proudly, considering the love and thought that went into the ring, or should I rethink my options for something that’s a true diamond? What would you do?
Show Off Your Rings! 📸
I’d love to see photos of your engagement rings! Whether they’re diamonds, CZs, moissanite, or something entirely unique, let’s celebrate our choices! Share your stories, advice, and what caught your eye in your ring.
This community is a fantastic place to learn and share, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Let’s keep the conversation going about what makes each ring special—beyond just the material it’s made of! 💖
Looking forward to hearing your experiences and seeing those beautiful bling-bling shots! ✨💍
All else aside, ruby is red sapphire. That’s literally what a ruby is.
Can I ask how much you paid? If you have paperwork saying they gave you abc and you have xyz, I might talk to a lawyer.
Did she put what she was “selling” you into writing (emails, invoices, or receipts)? If so, and you were charged for lab diamonds instead of cubic zirconia, charged for a natural ruby instead of a lab sapphire, and charged for natural opals instead of lab-grown ones, that’s fraud and breach of contract. You can absolutely sue for this. I’d start gathering all your documentation and look into your options. That’s awful, I’m so sorry this happened. While you’re at it, I’d also share the name of the business so others in your area don’t make the same mistake.
My one caution would be that a lot of jewelers will happily trash talk a competitors work in an effort to try and get your business, so be a bit cautious there. If you really want an honest opinion you need to see a gemologist/appraiser that has no interest in selling you jewelry.
rubies are red sapphires.
Based on what other people mentioned I think it’s probably worth talking to a gemologist to get confirmation that they are indeed fake. Assuming they are, you can most definitely sue and should.
The local jewelers are full of it. They just done like lab diamonds for several reasons, chiefly they cut into their markup.
Did you ever reach out to the store that sold you the ring? Apart from the stones not being what you thought you were buying, why in the world did they send you the ring back in awful packaging and why the lack of communication? I would want answers.
Not advice on your situation— I just wanted to say I love the design of your ring! Those colors together are really beautiful.
Theres a few things going on here.
1st I don’t think a reputable jeweler would try to rip you off. That company has probably been around for decades. How much money extra would they make? $200 or $300. I don’t think any high rated business owner would risk their reputation for that. That’s nothing.
A Ruby and red sapphire are the same. It’s like saying a banana and a yellow banana. It’s the same.
Did you request lab diamonds? Was the word “lab” used from the jeweler. Because I see companies online use the phrase “diamond stimulants” that are cubic cirzonia.
Did you see the lab diamonds tested? Did they use a hand held diamond tester to show you the diamonds were not reacting?
Lab diamonds that size are so cheap, again I just don’t see a reputable jewelry store ripping you off. It would literally be for a like $10 difference in price.
The opals. Are they stated as “natural opal” or opal. If you request lab diamonds it makes sense why they would use lab opal.
Why was your appraisal $450-$600?????
Who was it appraised by? The store that sold it to you. Or did you pay the 2 jewelry stores to check it.
An appraisal is $80-$200 max.
Are you saying that the ring was $1200 and an additional $450-$600 for appraisals. Making its $1650-$1800
Or did the original jewelry store you bought it from charged you $1200 total for the ring and included the appraisals for the stone.
You should have the paperwork for the appraisals. Post a picture of what the appraisals look like. What company did it?
Can you say the name of the business that did this to you? I’m in GR and I’d hate to end up in this situation😭
I’d get a another opinion. (Gonna just say clear stones while we don’t know for sure what they are)
The clear stones are so small, and lab diamonds are becoming so mass produced that it wouldn’t even be worth it for a jeweler to lie and give you Cz’s instead. As others have stated, red sapphires ARE rubies. Is it a lab grown ruby rather than a natural one? That could explain the more vibrant color and clarity.
Rubies ARE red sapphires!
Do you want to reach out to the jeweler on this because it’s possible they outsource repairs and the repair company could’ve stolen the diamonds and replace them you really don’t know
I would show up there in person
I had a jeweler tell me my moissanite was a CZ and my lab grown diamond was a moissanite. They were wrong so I went to someone else. So maybe get a second opinion.
A gemologist will probably charge $100 or more for an analysis and appraisal. If you want a quick check on the jewelers honesty, buy a diamond tester online. You can get one for like $15 on Amazon.
If your jeweler does not know that sapphires and ruby are both conundum and that red corundum is a ruby then they don’t know gems. You were likely dealing with either an idiot or dishonest sales rep.
It’s very very very bad when Wikipedia knows more than your jeweler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corundum#:~:text=Corundum%20is%20a%20crystalline%20form,impurities%20in%20its%20crystalline%20structure.
I’ve also met dumb sales reps. One told me my diamonds were cubic zirconia and started stuttering when I asked how they got the visible carbon spots in the cubic zirconia. Apparently he doesn’t get many educated consumers.
My mom took her ring with precious stones to a jeweller for repair. She got it back, everything looked great. A few years later while at another jeweller for another job, she discovered that the precious stones were swapped out for fake glass stones. As it turns out, the previous jeweller outsourced some of his work, and whoever he outsourced to stole the stones and replaced it with replicas. Be super careful with jewellers!
Ruby is just a red variety of sapphire. It’s just a trade name for red sapphire (literally interchangeable with no difference) so you’re good there. I’m a gemologist.
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If you don’t mind me asking, How much did you pay OP? And I would make sure you take your ring to a gemologist before you get too worked up because unfortunately I have learned in the past that some of the local jewelers will lie to you in an effort to get you to spend money “replacing” stones that never needed to be replaced in the first place. Especially when you come in with an expensive custom piece that needs repaired. I have also seen jewelers swap out expensive stones for cheaper stones that do not rate nearly as high. Look at your stones under a microscope, get to know every flaw they have and you will see some flaws when you do this. I have a very expensive custom Andre Lazar ring that my husband had made over 20 years ago. The center stone is damn near flawless rated as an IF, it has one tiny imperfection I can see under a microscope at a x10 level of magnification and I look for it every single time my ring comes back from any repair or cleaning lol
This is not a real ruby gemstone. Lab maybe? All the gems seem synthetic honestly. Always vet the shops you purchase from. A suspiciously low price is sometimes a red flag. 🚩
A red sapphire is literally ruby. 👀
Go to my friend Greg or Chuck Vandenberg, Vandenberg Jewelers. They’re old school jewelers out somewhere near Grand rapids. Greg’s a funny old guy but he’s legit as they come. He will be able to take care of you.
This is a terrible thing to have happen. But I think that given that they’re now not responsive, it’s unlikely to help the situation to pursue them with a lawsuit, unless they’re still in business and you have the funds and time to protect other customers. And once you’ve sorted out what happened, you could do that with a better business bureau report and reviews.
I wouldn’t worry about the small stones at this point. They aren’t very expensive to replace, and the difference in value between lab diamond and CZ isn’t much since small lab diamonds shouldn’t be a lot. My wedding ring lost nearly all the small stones over time (bad construction) – and it can happen even when rings are well made.
But I would pay for an appraisal of your center stone just to clarify what it is. This is the main value in your ring (along with the workmanship, which looks great!). I hope you can hold onto the fact that you had a beautiful ring made that you love. You can replace the small stones and hopefully will find out that the center ruby is what was represented. One thing to also keep in mind is that so many stones are treated or manufactured now, and they have very similar (or better) properties than natural stones. If the price was in the range of a manufactured or chemical treated stone, it probably is, but it’s just as durable and pretty as a natural stone if it’s what you chose!