I’ve been hearing for years that artificial gems (diamonds, rubies, moissanite, etc) cost a ‘fraction’ of the real thing. Is this true? If so, where can I as a consumer buy a handful of this stuff?
Note that I don’t want jewellery-grade gems, I realise that would cost a lot simply due to rejects and labour to cut / polish. I just want stuff I can mess around with for hobbies and crafts.
My wife and I got moissanite for her engagement ring. It was about 1/10th the price of a diamond of the same size. I think it looks even better than a diamond, personally.
It is a brighter sparkle than diamond, def more desirable to me.