Today’s feature is for all of you looking for a beautiful engagement ring – and we’re talking about stones which are sparklier and rarer than diamonds, ethical and sustainable, and about 90% more affordable. How amazing does that sound?

We’re talking moissanite – or moissy, as it’s affectionately known by some! If you’re not familiar with moissanite, I’m thrilled to be introducing you to it here on English Wedding, and I hope I can win your hearts with this beautiful, ethical diamond alternative today! Moissanite engagement rings are the future – and I want you to fall in love with them.

Let’s get over diamonds first. Our parents’ generation had little choice – a diamond was a diamond, the most precious gemstone of its time, the sparkliest stone you could get, and the only alternative was a coloured gemstone. Diamonds were mined, and their origins fell somewhere between bearable and intolerable, with awareness of conflict diamonds coming as late as the millennium. Diamonds may be certified conflict-free these days, but they’re still mined by workers whose pay could never afford them a diamond ring of their own. Thought-provoking, hey?  See more...