Oh I see, sorry still confused but chemistry and geology were never my best subjects. I thought diamonds were formed when coal was compressed really tightly I didn't know it could grow like Nacre grows on a bit of sand to create a pearl. I am intrigued now, thanks for the info !
Check out this website- new diamond technology- 1/2 the price what do you guys think?
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Ashas are actually just diamond-coated CZs, and they're beautiful. I own two Ashas, and I'm totally blown away.
Diamond Hybrid, Miadonna, etc. are basically the Asha simulant. It's a cubic zirconia with a diamond-like coating fused to the outside giving it better, more diamond-like performance. Many companies claim to have such a product, but to my knowledge only Asha (and retailers selling Ashas as their own branded stone) uses this technology. Here is a link to pics and video of an Asha Old Euro (loose) compared to a few Old Euro diamonds. Note that the Asha is H color, and the diamonds are L-M color. I know a lot about sims, and more research can be done at www.betterthandiamond.com (Asha site, they also have a wonderful forum). These, in my opinion, are the best sims on the market. But they are essentially cubic zirconia. They have their place in the market and I would be happy to wear one, as they are very realistic. http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/jewelsbyericagrace/Asha Comparison/ For anyone looking to wear a sim, I strongly recommend either Asha (pricier) or alternately Winfields brand handcut cz (less expensive), which come in every cut and diamond-equivalent color imaginable (www.freecz.com) - these are sold by Wink Jones, who is also a well reputed diamond dealer and jeweler. Either will blow a typical department store/QVC stark white plasticky cubic out of the water 
(though, for the record, nothing beats a diamond!)
(though, for the record, nothing beats a diamond!)
Bling and Erica, Do the two of you work for BTD? I checked out their forum and another popular jewelry forum and saw you and a couple others from the BTD site consistently redirecting anyone talking about another simulant company to BTD. I also noticed that BTD tests peoples products and posts about them. Why not MiaDonna? And if MiaDonna is selling the Asha wouldn't it be bad business for BTD to allow its own retailers to be degraded on their very own site?
I understand that by buying from BTD you would save a couple hundred dollars, minus any warranty, If they do indeed have the same product. But when I look at both MiaDonna and BTD I cant help but want to buy from MiaDonna. Its like wanting to buy a Tiffany bracelet and then having someone tell me I could have gotten the same bracelet at Costco. I personally would rather tell someone I bought from MiaDonna and have them see all the charity work they do as well as the work they are doing in Africa through The Greener Diamond. But then again I am very big on charity and companies that try to make a difference. I see that BTD and almost every other company does nothing. Obviously MiaDonna's celebrity endorsees and the global organizations, like "Youth Action International", they are working with see value in them as well. I would think that some of the price difference is absorbed here as well.
I read both the blogs of these two companies and they are very different. BTD seems to be into manufacturing and technology. Were MiaDonna has a more customer orientated feel really based on giving back, again why Im so attracted to them beyond their overall trendy look and feel. Their like Tiffany's but selling simulants. And the selection is incomparable. BTD sells like 3 things and MiaDonna has a lot of styles and will custom create anything.
If the two of you haven't seen their blog I would check it out http://www.miadonnadiamondblog.com and their charity foundation http://www.thegreenerdiamond.org.
I dont think that price, in this case not being very different, is as much of an issue as some make it. If price is such a big deal, then why does everyone shop at Tiffany's?
So back to the original question, I think that MiaDonna is a cool company with innovative ideas and a nice product.
Cheers.
LOL, nope, I don't work for BTD. I've been a forum member over there for a long time now and greatly respect the product and founder of the company. I used to wear sims and have invested a lot of time researching them. I've seen hand cut cz, asha and moissanite and feel I know a lot about all of them and just like to be helpful.
Quite the contrary, actually, I own an antique diamond business, so your question is doubly humorous to me - I no longer wear sims, strictly antique diamonds for this girl
I can't confirm whether or not Miadonna is selling Asha's. I just speculated that's might be it. I don't trust any company that isn't upfront and honest about what they are selling. If it's a cz, call it a cz and then prove to me why it's the best cz on the market. Don't blow smoke up my butt - sorry, but it just reeks of Diamond Nexus Labs-esque marketing (don't get me started).
As for the owner of BTD, to my knowledge he has never commented on BTD's forum about MiaDonna, so you can rest your mind at ease that he's not engaging in poor business practices.
As for cost, sorry but my preference would be to buy the Asha and donate the difference to a charity of my choosing, so your argument regarding MiaDonna's charitable work isn't particularly compelling. What they are offering is basically an overpriced cubic zirconia, comparable (if not the same) to Asha simulants. Folks can buy from whomever they please, I just want them to understand what they're really buying.
Here's a link to BTD's FAQ's which explains the difference between Asha (cz core with diamond layer fused on top) and their Takara lab grown diamonds (true diamonds, just grown in a lab rather than mined). I think of it in terms of hardwood flooring: cz = laminate (varying qualities available, Winfields (www.freecz.com) being the most believable and realistic cz I've seen); Asha = engineered (real deal fused over the top of a core material); lab grown diamond = solid, perhaps reclaimed hardwood floor (not mined so no natural resources being tapped, however it's still the real thing); mined diamond = brand new solid cherry floors (we just finished building a house so I find myself converting lots of things into construction terms these days!) http://www.betterthandiamond.com/answers/
(we just finished building a house so I find myself converting lots of things into construction terms these days!) http://www.betterthandiamond.com/answers/
ericad, you took the word right out of my mouth regarding miadonna.
and no, prettystuff, i don't work for BTD, either. but i am also a member of their forum and i've had the pleasure of owning a couple of the stones. i also own a few of the winfields stones. they hold up very well next to my diamonds.
if someone is interested in owning a sim and if i could help them get the most realistic sim out there, i will do that. i've tried most of the sims out there myself, and i've found that ashas and winfields are the most realistic.
and no, prettystuff, i don't work for BTD, either. but i am also a member of their forum and i've had the pleasure of owning a couple of the stones. i also own a few of the winfields stones. they hold up very well next to my diamonds.
if someone is interested in owning a sim and if i could help them get the most realistic sim out there, i will do that. i've tried most of the sims out there myself, and i've found that ashas and winfields are the most realistic.
Here's a link to BTD's FAQ's which explains the difference between Asha (cz core with diamond layer fused on top) and their Takara lab grown diamonds (true diamonds, just grown in a lab rather than mined). I think of it in terms of hardwood flooring: cz = laminate (varying qualities available, Winfields (www.freecz.com) being the most believable and realistic cz I've seen); Asha = engineered (real deal fused over the top of a core material); lab grown diamond = solid, perhaps reclaimed hardwood floor (not mined so no natural resources being tapped, however it's still the real thing); mined diamond = brand new solid cherry floors
A couple more questions on this subject:
1. Would you say that a lab grown diamond is the next best thing to a real diamond? If so, I'd appreciate suggestions on where to get one.
2. Do any particular cuts of synthetics look better than others?
3. Have any of you had one for an extended period of time? Do they hold up well and stay sparkly?
TIA!
I stopped buying mined diamonds after trying stimulant and lab-grown varietals, just because the difference doesn't mean that much to me. I'm just still trying to figure out whether or not Ashas are better than DNL (sent EricaD a PM, since she seems like a subject matter expert on this). I wonder why nobody talks about Diamond Nexus Labs. It's my go-to. I had also shopped at BTD but the selections are so limited. Although the few I did purchase I loved, and would probably go there more if they had more. The lab-grown varietals like Gemesis and Apollo are kind of pricier but I can't really tell the difference that justifies the price.
But, I don't think that I will ever buy another mind diamond ever again, especially after reading the book Glitter & Greed. (My husband is extremely, extremely happy about this, and just wishes I had this epiphany before he bought my Tiffany six-prong 1.8ct solitaire. But I mean, at least with the anniversary rings et al, there are a lot left, so he shouldn't complain!). The whole fiasco with General Electric and how DeBeers purchased that patent for multi-millions back when the dollar was like so much more before inflation... paired with the controlled stock of underground inventory that is slowly leaked into the market based on demand to create the "rare" perception which seems purely fabricated, makes me think we're paying a lot more than we should for them. Not to mention the fact that most of the mined stuff that is high-end and sold to the high-end retailers are cut by children in India under the age of 14, because apparently, there is nothing as "clear" as a child's eye, even with 20/20 vision (and there's no greater "C" than Cut. And these children end up with lung disease because of the diamond dust. I actually know this one guy whose brother owns a mine in Botswana and it's fascinating to learn how a mined diamond exchanges hands like 14 times before it reaches the end consumer. 14 TIMES. They use this chart, I forget what it's called, when quoting with other brokers the rates they are getting - not by currency but by... something under something chart, I forget. The point is, the chart standard is what the wholesale retailers get (like the local jeweler) before the consumer purchases it, and like 13 hands before, the discount is like... 45 percent below x chart (can't remember the terminology).
I know I seem like such a staunch activist but I'm actually not. I'm just trying to be a savvy consumer. In fact, I will admit that I used to work for DeBeers as a client back in 2002 when they were having a real hard time breaking into the U.S. retail market befor they first opened up their 5th Avenue store, and did their issues and perception management work against apartheid misperceptions.
However at the same time, value is in the eye of its beholder so... to each their own.
But, I don't think that I will ever buy another mind diamond ever again, especially after reading the book Glitter & Greed. (My husband is extremely, extremely happy about this, and just wishes I had this epiphany before he bought my Tiffany six-prong 1.8ct solitaire. But I mean, at least with the anniversary rings et al, there are a lot left, so he shouldn't complain!). The whole fiasco with General Electric and how DeBeers purchased that patent for multi-millions back when the dollar was like so much more before inflation... paired with the controlled stock of underground inventory that is slowly leaked into the market based on demand to create the "rare" perception which seems purely fabricated, makes me think we're paying a lot more than we should for them. Not to mention the fact that most of the mined stuff that is high-end and sold to the high-end retailers are cut by children in India under the age of 14, because apparently, there is nothing as "clear" as a child's eye, even with 20/20 vision (and there's no greater "C" than Cut. And these children end up with lung disease because of the diamond dust. I actually know this one guy whose brother owns a mine in Botswana and it's fascinating to learn how a mined diamond exchanges hands like 14 times before it reaches the end consumer. 14 TIMES. They use this chart, I forget what it's called, when quoting with other brokers the rates they are getting - not by currency but by... something under something chart, I forget. The point is, the chart standard is what the wholesale retailers get (like the local jeweler) before the consumer purchases it, and like 13 hands before, the discount is like... 45 percent below x chart (can't remember the terminology).
I know I seem like such a staunch activist but I'm actually not. I'm just trying to be a savvy consumer. In fact, I will admit that I used to work for DeBeers as a client back in 2002 when they were having a real hard time breaking into the U.S. retail market befor they first opened up their 5th Avenue store, and did their issues and perception management work against apartheid misperceptions.
However at the same time, value is in the eye of its beholder so... to each their own.