For the past year, I have been selling rings without sentimental value that no longer fit me (what is it that happens to your fingers as you get older???). I have also been selling costume jewellery I no longer wear, thus releasing them into the circular economy for other people to love. With the money, I have been buying a couple of new pieces.
When I travel to countries that have a higher crime rate, I never wear my sentimental or valuable jewellery. Instead I use cheaper placeholder jewellery – for example on my wedding finger because it feels naked without a ring. One option for this has always been moissanite rather than cubic zirconia. I love its fiery sparkle. The quality of moissanite varies, and they are not as cheap as zirconia, so I have a handful of trusted shops where I buy it. There are a couple of shops on Etsy, a couple on Amazon, and a couple on AliExpress.
It pays to closely look at prices and stick to a trusted few sellers because there are loads of scams out there.
If you look at the ring below, it costs a third of the price on AliExpress than it does on Amazon. It is exactly the same item from exactly the same person. The item price was way way less on AliExpress, plus VAT is included and postage is free. On Amazon you pay for shipping and handling as well as VAT charges. The AliExpress shop takes custom orders and has representatives live on online chat to answer questions, where the Amazon shop does not. I use Paypal on AliExpress, and my card on Amazon.
All I bought was a cheapish ready to ship piece, but if this works out well, I would like to order a custom pair of moissanite stud earrings in 14kt gold. It is often a pain to return things to China or India so buying locally can be better, though usually way more expensive. Sweden does not have a good range of moissanites so I usually buy from other countries, from shops I trust.
