Choosing the Right Stone
Blue River Diamonds specializes in providing you with the perfect center stone for your ring. We understand how difficult it can be to find the right center stone to make your ring truly special, so we have broken down the benefits of each type of center stone that we offer. Whether you are looking for a natural diamond, lab grown diamond, salt & pepper diamond, vintage, gemstone, or moissonite, we have it all and can help you make the perfect decision. Read along to learn more about our options and visit us today to find the perfect center stone for your ring.
01
Conflict-Free Earth Mined Diamonds
It has always been incredibly important to us that we support the diamond industry in the most ethical way possible. Our natural, earth mined diamonds are conflict free and are in full compliance with the Kimberly Process.
What is the Kimberly Process?
The Kimberly Process is named for Kimberly, South Africa’s Northern Cape province, and was established by the United Nations in 2002 to help prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legal trade . Participants in the Kimberly process must adhere to basic standards in regards to export and import of raw diamonds. Only members who comply with these basic standards are allowed to deal with one another lawfully, and international shipments of raw diamonds must be accompanied with a certificate stating its conflict free status. At Blue River Diamonds we carry diamonds that meet those gudelines, including some of the most beautiful Canadian mined diamonds with mine tracing certificates.
Diamonds do good and they support the livelihood of nearly 10 million individuals world wide, while contributing 1.6 billion of annual benefits including jobs, education, biodiversity, and infrastructure to diamond producing communities. The natural diamond industry provides educational access to 1/2 million children and funds more than 400 women-led businesses across Africa.
The natural diamond industry is dedicated to conservation projects, ensuring protections to wolverines, grizzly bears, and caribou in the Northwest Territories and saves the lives of wild animals from going extinct. Over 1,000 square miles of land is protected by leading diamond producers in Canada and Southern Africa.
At Blue River Diamonds our natural diamonds retain value with us. We are able to offer trade in and trade up services on all of our natural diamonds.
02
Lab Grown Diamonds
Labratory grown diamonds are made from exactly the same materials as natural diamonds and are grown in a controlled environment over a short time rather than millions of years in the earth. Only very specialized equipment can differentiate between natural and lab grown diamonds.
Customers who choose lab grown diamonds are able to select larger carat weights and higher grades while fitting comfortably in nearly any budget. For many people their dream ring can become a reality thanks to lab grown diamonds and that is why we are so happy to offer them as an option. Our lab grown diamonds are price competitive and each diamond is laser inscribed, serialized, and comes with a third party gem lab report.
We are very transparent with our information and think it's important for customers to understand that while lab grown diamonds are a wonderful option, they are not necessarily eco-friendly due to how they are synthesized. Lab grown diamonds are also not expected to hold their value over time and therefore would not qualify for a "trade in, trade up".
03
Salt & Pepper Diamonds & Alternative Diamonds
For those looking for a natural diamond but more unique Salt & Pepper diamonds are a perfect choice as each is one of a kind with it's own personalities. They are known as "Salt & Pepper" diamonds because the characteristics in each stones give the appearance of scattered pepper and salt. Sometimes these stones are also known as "Gallaxy Stones" Because each diamond is unique they don't adhere to the standard 4c's. Instead they are chosen for their own individuality and personal preference. Some diamonds are more transparent with less "pepper", others are more opaque, some are misty grey in color or caramel, some black or almost black, and everything in between! Each true S&P diamond is cut not for sparkle but to highlight it's unique characteristics so you'll often find them as Rose Cuts, Kite Shapes, Shield Shapes (also known as Coffin), and other cuts which eliminate the bottom of the stone creating a smooth back. This allows the characteristcs to come through while also allowing each diamond to be set low to the finger for extra protection. S&P and similar diamonds allow for larger sizes at much lower prices, with much of the value being in the unique settings.
04
Vintage & Estate Diamonds
For those seeking the rarity of a natural diamond but are environmental conscious than vintage and estate diamonds make an ideal choice. Because they are pre owned they are truly the most sustainable choice.
Our Vintage diamonds come loose or already set in a variety of antique cuts including Old Mine Cut (1800s- 1900s) Old European Cut (About 1890- 1930s), Round Brilliant Cut (Modern) among others. Cuts such as Old Mine and Old European cuts, due to the number of facets, give off a more unique type of sparkle than the modern brilliant cuts, and truly come to life in low lighting. It's important to note that the GIA grading system that's used to determine a diamond's 4cs was not established until the 1950s, therefore many vintage diamonds were not selected for their clarity or color as much as their beauty, so finding antique diamonds with high color and/or high clarity is rare so customers should be open minded. A vintage diamond in particular will be less than a modern cut diamond so make a great option for those looking for a great value. Each one also has a wonderful history, being part of a couples love story of the past, or a prized possession of past generations and is a sentimental choice for a center stone.
05
Colored Gemstone
What many don't realize is that the diamond engagement ring is a relatively new idea. It's only been since the 1920s that engagement ring styles featuring diamonds has been marketed. Before that colored gemstone rings were much more common and even remained more popular for much longer in Europe.
Today many people are continuing to choose colored gemstones as their center stones of choice for those who prefer a more unique look, enjoy vibrant colors, and are looking for something more cost effective (although some gemstones are quite rare and can be price as much or more than diamonds!)
At Blue River Diamonds we LOVE colored gemstones. In our showcase we hand select stones to feature the most beautiful colors at extremely affordable prices. For loose gemstone we tout a very large collection of GIA cerftied precious stones including sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, and unique non certified stones including spinel, morganites, agates, and other semi precious stones of various shapes and sizes.
06
Moissanite
Moissanites were first discovered in 1893 and natural moissanite is extrememly rare, found in meteorites and very occasionally in diamond mines, therefore moissaintes found on the market are lab created.
Moissanite makes a perfect choice for customers looking for the most amount of sparkle as moissanite actually has more brilliance than a diamond. They are almost as hard as a diamond and make an excellent choice as a diamond alternative. Because they are man made they are a great value, allowing customers to have larger carat weight stones while staying budget friendly (running about 90% less than a diamond of equal size) as well as being environmentally conscience.
Moissanite is also available in a variety of shapes from traditional to more unique like rose cut for customers who like more of a vintage feel. Moissanite is also available in a variety of colors including, teal, blues, green, yellow, among others.
In most cases we can even include moissanite as accent stones for even more scintillation.
