A Different Kind of “Diamond” Earrings

I’ve been frequently wearing this 3-year old earrings of mine (that I had custom-made) because of the way they sparkle and shine. Perfect for Christmas!

I always get compliments every time I wear this pair.  Others are curious to find where did I find such “yellowish” diamonds, especially the chunky ones in the middle.

But guess what?  These are not diamond earrings!  They may sparkle and shine like diamonds, but they are surprisingly NOT diamonds, hehe!

It all started when I saw a pair of pave diamond stud earrings being sold by my jeweler.  It looks very similar to this Ileana Makri diamond earrings, available at Barneys New York:

But there was no way I can afford its 6-digit price tag, so I decided to have a similar one made, but minus the very expensive diamond stones.

I thought of using Moissanites, but they have become quite expensive already because of their diamond-like qualities so I decided to use Tanzanites instead, which I also love because of their superior brilliance and best of all, they are not at all expensive.

I discovered tanzanites while looking for a cheaper alternative to blue sapphires that I wanted so badly for a jewelry project. The royal blue tanzanites that my jeweler found fitted beautifully in the classic earrings-and-ring set design that I commissioned her to make (I wrote about this simple but stunning jewelry set here).

The set has since been sold, so I really have to get tanzanites (again) for my collection!

Thankfully, my jeweler found these pale Yellow Tanzanites (also called Yellow Zoisites) that I first thought to be moissanites!  The yellow variety is said to be the most difficult color to find among the many mesmerizing colors of tanzanites – which includes royal blue, sapphire (darker) blue, violet and burgundy.  The different colors of tanzanites (so called because they can only be found in Tanzania) are a result of the mineral’s unique crystal orientation.

For the smaller gemstones, I chose bright yellow Imperial Topazes.  I didn’t mind the fact that this gemstone color is a result of heat treating (brown or pale topazes are being treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored) because this particular shade really brought out the color uniqueness and clarity of the yellow tanzanites.  Nagmukhang yellow diamond nga si yellow tanzanite!

I had the earrings set in 14k white gold.

I like pairing them with my lapis lazuli beaded bracelet.

As you can see, you can have diamond-like earrings without actually spending for real diamonds!   The technique is to find fine gemstones with visual appearances of diamonds.  The more brilliance and fire there are, the better. Of course, the diamond is famed for possessing both qualities at exceptional levels.

Other gemstones with high brilliance are sapphire, ruby, garnet, zircon and tanzanite.  The last three (3) are also notable for their fire quality.

Now that you know which gemstones can give the same visual impact as diamonds, you can tell the hubby or the boyfriend what you really want for Christmas, without breaking his wallet!

Have a great weekend, everyone!