Weddingbee boards

I'd ask him. If it were me I'd probably politely of course but honestly tell my customers it's nothing against you I've just had problems with this before etc. I dunno about the whole dropping of a ring with a synthetic and then saying it was real, because really what's to stop them from saying the same thing about a white sapphire or a white topaz or a white zircon, there are plenty of colorless stones out there that are natural not synthetic. To me it sounds like he has a problem specifically with synthetic jewels I'd ask him why. Maybe it's just his own opinion maybe there's more to it but I'd certainly want to know what my jewelers reasons where.

A pretty popular jewelry store wouldn't even resize my ring onsite because it was a moissanite.  They were pretty snotty about.  Needless to say, I will never go back to that store again.

I had a jeweler disdainfully tell me he'd never work with titanium, not realizing I have a titanium engagement band. I chalked him up to being a loser and didn't give him my business for our wedding bands (which he'd be pleased to know are. not. titanium.)

I can see the validity in the perspectives others are offering about why they wouldn't work with moissanite, but honestly, I think it's because then they don't make as much money off of a synthetic stone.

Sigh. This makes me sad. I love my moissanite ring and never wanted a diamond in the first place. I hate how diamonds are the end-all-be-all for bridal jewelry. If jewelers were smart, they would get with the times; many brides are choosing alternatives, whether white gemstones, colored gemstones, or other options. This makes me worry about where in the world I can take my ring if anything happens to it and it needs repair ( I bought it online, and live in a mid-sized city; many jewelers here are mall jewelers, and I have been treated with hostility if I mention Moissanite.)

Of course I can understand the problem that might arise from a guy presenting his bride to be with a moissanite and trying to pass it for a diamond. That could cause problems for them.

Vonnegurl- you are exactly right about the money thing. Soooo many jewelers spread rumors about Moissanite turning green over time, etc, because they wouldn't make as much money from a Moissanite ring. This ends up confusing people  and it's a shame.

I have to be honest, I can normally identify a synthetic stone upon seeing one, and it always puzzles me to see someone use precious metals with a faux stone.  A good jeweler is going to give you good information.  They know the value and the reasoning behind the value of a specific stone is based on it's rarity. 

@LittleAudrey-- I hear you! For titanium, the cautionary tale is how it can't come off of your finger in an emergency. But that's really only a possibility if the ring is made of aerospace grade titanium (ie metal repurposed from a submarine), not commercial grade.

I bet you could find someone on Etsy to repair your ring if you ever needed it. That's my plan for titanium since apparently it's so offensive to the store jewelers to even be asked about it :p

Hmm, that's a good idea Vonnegurl. I'm a little paranoid about letting it out of my sight, but I need to remember that my ring was only 800 dollars lol. So worst case scenario, my ring gets stolen or damaged, I can buy another one relatively cheaply. Another reason why I'm so glad I chose Moissanite over a diamond. Ring insurance isn't even worth it, becuase it would exceed the price we paid for the ring in a matter of a year.

Titanium sounds cool. My fi will be picking out a wedding band soon. Maybe we'll look into it  : )

lfair3iw- Good for you! Jewelers are so threatened that people are figuring out that diamonds aren't the only rout-- and it's all about money. I have been treated smiiliarly before. My friend works at Zales and I went into say hi. He hadn't seen my ering, so I showed him. I mentioned the word "moissanite" and suddenly his manager rushed over and grilled me with questions, "Why didn't you get a diamond?" "What's wrong with diamonds?"

I tried to be polite, but he was being so rude that finally I said, "I have concerns about the sourcing of diamonds, since it's almost impossible to know the true source of the diamond." Normally I would feel terrible mentioning this in front of a jeweler, but since he was so rude, I didn't feel bad at all. I also said, "I think it's a more beautiful gemstone, and I tell everyone I show it to what it is. I'm not passing it off as some kind of fake."

I think with the rising popularity of moissanite, jewelers will have no choice to either adapt their business or lose some customers.

While I think its a bummer that a jeweler won't work with palladium, titanium, man-made stones, etc. - you really have to see jewelers as artisans- and they are allowed to work with whatever media they prefer.

You wouldn't make an oil-paint artist work with watercolor- I can only imagine the precision and skill-set and liability it must take to set a stone or repair a prong.

I ran into this problem while research palladium- it's such a new concept that jewelers can screw it up and you have to be sure they are experienced with working with it. Who knew?

Then again- it's their loss if they lose business in this economy!

I have a moissanite ring. I got it from Moissaniteco.com. I think they have a list of vendors who will work moissanite. Also, moissanite is NOT FAKE! It is its own gemstone. Just like say...a ruby. It is not considered a fake diamond, it is an alternative to diamonds. Also, I have heard some jewelers refuse to work with it becuase there business is based on diamonds and because they are so similar (to the naked eye) they would not want to alter the scope of their business. Also, I bet they make a lot more money off diamonds. The mark ups are astronomical. Lastly, from the jewelers perspective, if they started carryiing more moissanite, more people would turn to it and they would make less money overall. I can get a 1 carat moissanite stone at sometimes a fraction of the cost of a 1 carat diamond. Thus overall sales revenue would fall. I love my ring and I think it is prettier in bright light than diamonds are.

Oh also, I have noticed that certain big box retailers in malls carry moissanite. It may be possible to get repairs done with them since they do sell moissanite. You would probably have to pay since the purchase wasn't made there. Hopefully that would work.