The Ring

Cyndi's engagement ring features a single blue diamond. The stone is a cultured gem from Chatham. This type of gem is also called "synthetic" or "laboratory-made." I personally don't like to call it "synthetic," since that suggests the diamond is artificial. It is in fact a pure diamond, composed of carbon and a few stray boron atoms (which give it the wonderful blue color). Like diamonds created in the Earth's crust, it has a cubic crystalline structure, a refractive index of 2.42, hardness of 10, and density of 3.52. It truly is a real diamond.

Cyndi and I wanted a cultured stone for a few reasons. First, it's the only way to guarantee that the gem doesn't come from a conflict zone or from exploitative circumstances. Second, we don't like the idea of a single cartel monopolizing the diamond industry. Third, cultured stones are actually quite rare, much rarer than natural stones (over 150 million carats worth of diamonds are produced annually).

We bought the ring at Goldsmith Jewelers in downtown Provo. Rian Robison was extremely helpful. And, more importantly, he was the only jeweler I talked to that didn't look at me funny when I asked about cultured diamonds.