“Moissanite Rings Are 10 Times Cheaper” — Jeweler Says Diamonds Are a Scam

Diamonds are a scam. Largely a product of marketing from the De Beers family, these stones are about as common as quartz and are way less rare than rubies, emeralds, alexandrite and a slew of other stones that are legitimately precious.

What's more is that diamonds can be grown in a lab, and there are a bunch of different shopping techniques buyers can employ when they're shopping for a stone so that they don't have to fork over several months' salary in order to afford a diamond that looks like one that costs thousands of dollars.

One such jeweler, Sam Jarman (@sam_jarman) uploaded a TikTok detailing what folks in the market for a nice diamond who don't want to break the bank should tell the sales person. In his clip, he detailed how moissanite stones that are below 1 carat (in the video he specifically asks for a .9 carat diamond) can be way cheaper than a 1 carat variety and that most people aren't going to be able to tell the difference.

Since folks aren't specifically asking for a .9 carat diamond, Sam contests that these stones can be sold significantly cheaper, and that moissanites result in even larger discounts. When acting as the Jeweler in the video, Sam remarks that anyone who gets proposed to with that ring is probably going to reject the offer, however Sam states that he's got a better idea for the money: putting it on a down payment for a house instead.

Sam's TikTok is a sketch between an interested buyer and a jewelry salesperson. The TikToker acts out both of the roles.

Customer: "Hi, jeweler I'd like to get a 0.9 carat diamond ring for my fiance."

Jeweler: Did I just hear a .9 and not a 1 or 2 carat diamond?

Customer: You sure did.

Jeweler: Boy, are you broke?

Customer: No I just know that diamonds slightly below the 1 carat mark are way cheaper and to the human eye, you can't even tell the difference.

Jeweler: Fine I got .9 hand-mined diamond for $4,000 and a 1 carat diamond for $10,000.

Customer: Whoa, whoa, closer, I want a lab-grown diamond, specifically a moissanite.

Jewler: Boy, you want this fiancée to say no when you propose?

Customer: Oh, she definitely knows. Moissanite diamond rings are 10 times cheaper.

Customer (continued): They rank 9.5 out of 10 on the Moh's Hardness Scale, are more shiny than diamonds, and all that money that we'll be saving we'll use for a down payment on a house.

At this point in the video, Sam cuts in a quick video clip of The Rock tapping his head with a text overlay that reads "smart man."

Jeweler: Fine, my finest moissanite will only be $600. But first, how did you know all my diamond tricks?

Sam concludes his video by giving himself a shout-out, acting that the customer in the video tells the Jeweler that he "follow[s] Sam and you should too"

Numerous people who responded to Jarman's post agreed with his advice as several TikTokers wrote that they indeed purchased moissanite rings and were more than happy with the jewelry they received.

"Bro my moissanite ring is beautiful, big, and no one knows. I’d rather put the money toward the wedding," one person said.

Another person said that as a piece of bling, their moissanite stone does the trick: "I’m absolutely obsessed with my moissanite ring and get hundreds of compliments on it from literally everyone. People assume it’s extremely expensive and look at my fiancé like he’s Bill Gates."

Someone else penned: "My moissanite ring wasn’t even $800 and it’s 2.5 ct with 14k gold. Much better than a normal diamond."

But there were several other people who thought that Jarman was trying to say moissanite is the same as a lab-grown diamond.

And while the stones do look similar and both diamonds and moissanite can be grown in a laboratory, they are different stones, something Ben Garelick goes more in-depth about here.

Of course, there were TikTokers who were also quick to mention this difference: "Moissanites aren’t diamonds though, because they’re not pure carbon. Big fan of lab-grown diamonds though."

"Moissanite isn’t a diamond, it’s a totally different stone."

What do you think? Did you get a diamond as an engagement/wedding ring and were dead set against getting anything except a certain kind of stone and certain carat amount? Or did you just want to get a piece of jewelry you felt fit your personality and the aesthetic you were going for?