THE COMPLETE GUIDE
Our materials — and what you need to know about them
Every material we work with, how each compares to the alternatives, and our honest take on when to use what. No upselling, no marketing fluff — just what we'd tell a friend asking what to choose.
What 10K, 14K, and 18K actually mean.
Karat is a measure of gold purity, on a scale where 24K is pure gold. Because pure gold is too soft for jewelry, it's alloyed with other metals — the karat number tells you how much actual gold is in the mix.
10K
41.7% gold
Hardest of the three
Palest gold tone
Most affordable
14K
58.5% gold
Balanced hardness
Warm gold tone
Mid-tier price
18K
75% gold
Softest of the three
Richest gold tone
Highest price
Higher karat means more gold — richer colour, more luxurious feel — but also softer metal that scratches more visibly over time.
18K is the prestige karat — and if that's what you want, we make beautiful 18K pieces. But for most customers optimizing value, 14K is what we'd recommend: subtle colour difference vs 18K, actually better durability, meaningfully lower price. The industry has historically nudged customers toward 18K because the margins are better — we just want you to know that 14K is genuinely excellent, not a downgrade. And even 10K gold can still look stunning - especially on whitegold jewelry and pieces that don't take a center stage.
The comparison, honestly.
Diamonds get their reputation honestly. They move light better than nearly any other natural stone, they don't wear down, and people have been mining for them since 4th century BC India. Romantic, but the romance is earned.
However, diamonds aren't actually as rare as their pricing suggests. De Beers spent most of the 20th century carefully managing supply and running one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history to position diamonds as the only acceptable engagement stone. "A diamond is forever" is brilliant marketing — and it's shaped how we think about engagement rings for nearly a century.
| Attribute | Diamond | Moissanite |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness (Mohs scale) | Diamond10 | Moissanite9.25 |
| Sparkle (refractive index) | Diamond2.42 | Moissanite2.65 (more) |
| Daily life durability | DiamondIndestructible | MoissaniteIndestructible |
| Cost (same size, lab-grown) | DiamondPremium tier | Moissanite~90% less |
Visible difference to the naked eye? Virtually none. Even gemologists with a loupe struggle to tell them apart under 1 carat. Technically, moissanite sparkles slightly more, especially in the rainbow flashes gemologists call 'fire.' In day-to-day life — work, errands, dinners, anywhere — no one will know which stone you're wearing.
Moissanite is, objectively, the smartest value in fine jewelry — visually identical to diamond in daily life, equally durable, at a fraction of the cost. But if a diamond carries meaning for you, that's valid too. We make pieces with lab-grown diamonds at far below retail markup. The choice should be yours. Not a marketing campaign's.
The five we work with.
Coloured gemstones carry a different kind of meaning than diamonds — more personal, often more symbolic. We work with five, each with its own character, hardness, and price point.
Sapphire
MOHS 9
Most recognizable in deep royal blue, but available in pink, yellow, green, and beyond. One of the hardest gemstones in jewelry — exceptionally durable for everyday wear.
Ruby
MOHS 9
The red variety of corundum — same mineral family as sapphire, same exceptional hardness. Rich, saturated, traditionally tied to love and passion.
Emerald
MOHS 7.5–8
Distinctive deep green, one of the most recognizable coloured stones. Softer than sapphire or ruby and typically inclusion-rich in nature — lab-grown versions tend to be much cleaner.
Alexandrite
MOHS 8.5
The famous colour-changing stone — green in daylight, red-violet under incandescent light. Vanishingly rare in nature; lab-grown makes this dramatic property attainable.
Coloured Diamond
MOHS 10
Diamonds in pink, yellow, blue, and beyond. Natural fancy diamonds at meaningful size cost well into six figures. Lab-grown brings them within reach while preserving the diamond's signature brilliance.
Sapphire and ruby (both Mohs 9) are the most practical for everyday wear. Emerald is softer (Mohs 7.5–8) — beautiful, but better suited to lower-impact pieces like pendants and earrings than to rings worn daily. Alexandrite and coloured diamonds are essentially unobtainable in natural form at meaningful size — lab-grown is what makes them accessible at all.
Why we only work with lab-grown stones.
Every stone we use is lab-grown — a deliberate choice across three dimensions: the science, the price, and the impact.
The Science
Chemically identical.
Lab-grown stones share the same crystal structure, chemistry, hardness, and optical properties as their mined counterparts. A lab diamond is carbon; a mined diamond is carbon. A lab sapphire is corundum; a mined sapphire is corundum. The difference is the origin, not the material.
The Price
70–90% less, but still the same.
Without the cost of mining, transport, and decades of artificial supply control, lab-grown stones cost a fraction of mined equivalents. Same look, same durability, far lower price.
The Impact
No mining footprint.
Mining for gems can mean displacement, environmental damage, and supply chains that aren't always traceable. Lab-grown sidesteps it entirely — no conflict zones, no scarred landscapes, no opaque sourcing.
Some people prefer natural stones for the romance — something earth-formed, billion years in the making. We respect that. But the difference is sentimental, not material: same atoms, same brilliance, just a different origin story. Lab-grown lets us deliver fine jewelry at fair prices without mining's trade-offs. That's why we don't offer anything else.
Pearls.
Pearls are the one organic option in fine jewelry — formed by mollusks rather than crystallized in the earth. They behave differently from every other material on this page.
Unlike crystalline gems, pearls are soft (Mohs 2.5–4.5) and far more delicate. Their value isn't in sparkle but in luster — the soft surface glow distinctive to a well-formed pearl. Virtually all pearls in fine jewelry today are cultured: grown with a small seed implanted into a living mollusk, the global industry standard.
Pearls suit pieces where soft elegance matters more than sparkle — pendants, drop earrings, sophisticated necklaces. We work with cultured pearls (the industry standard and the only realistic source today).
Honest recommendations, by piece.
Different pieces live in your life differently. A ring on your finger daily takes more wear than earrings worn occasionally. Here's how we'd think about material choices for each major piece type — broad views, not strict rules.
Engagement ring.
Worn daily. Central stone. The most important piece.
Material durability matters most here. The diamond-vs-moissanite decision is the bigger one — both are valid choices, at very different price points.
Wedding band.
Worn daily, paired with the engagement ring. Often unset.
Material is the main consideration since most bands don't feature a centre stone. For white-toned bands: all karats of white gold need the same rhodium plating to look bright white, so platinum (no plating ever needed) or 10K/14K gives the same end result as 18K at significantly lower cost.
Earrings.
Lower wear and impact than rings or bracelets.
The case for premium materials is weaker here. 10K gold holds up perfectly. Softer coloured stones like emerald work without concern, and pearls particularly suit drop or stud designs.
Pendant necklace.
Worn often, but lower-impact than rings or bracelets.
Wide latitude on materials. Pearls and softer coloured stones can shine here without the durability concerns that limit them in rings.
Bracelet.
Surprisingly high-wear — brushes against clothing and surfaces constantly.
Hardness matters more than people expect. Sapphire and ruby (Mohs 9), diamond, and moissanite all hold up well. Softer stones like emerald require more careful wear.
Statement piece.
Worn occasionally for events, not daily.
Durability becomes a lower priority. If 18K gold or a dramatic centre stone is what you want for an occasion piece, the practical objections weaken.
In the end, the right material is the one that fits how the piece will live in your life — and what feels right to you.
Now, let's make your piece.
Tell us what you have in mind. We'll respond within 48 hours with a quote and clear material options — no commitment until you've decided you want it.
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