The Ring...

The engagement ring is actually a little unique because we decided to go with moissanite for the main stone. The 30 tiny shoulder stones are actually diamonds, as moissanite isn't cut as small as those needed to be, but the .5 carat main stone is moissanite, which is a lab-created gem not found naturally on Earth. It was actually first discovered as fragments of a meteorite by Nobel Prize winning scientist Henri Moissan in 1893. Only one company in the U.S. produces these stones, which are quite similar in many characteristics to diamond. They are the second-hardest gem next to diamond, but may actually be stronger and more durable as they won't have any natural faults that mined diamonds may have. Like diamonds, they don't fade, cloud or change colours with time. And they actually have more fire, luster and brilliance than diamonds. After seeing the movie Blood Diamond, Chryslyn and I did some more research and talked quite a bit about the state of the diamond industry, and so for both ethical and financial reasons, we decided that moissanite was the way to go for us. And we're both so happy with this gorgeous ring!

If you're interested in knowing more about this fairly new diamond alternative, you can check out the company's web site at www.moissanite.com