Diamonds walk a fine line between being classic, classy and cliche – particularly in a day and age when people worry about whether a ring, earring or other piece of diamond jewelry is a conflict-free and otherwise reasonable thing to buy.

Stephanie Maslow has thus timed her Modern Rock collection well to tap into a market where consumers fret about being cheap on the one hand (perhaps that one with the engagement or wedding band?) and too self-indulgent on the other. Sterling silver takes the place of the traditional diamond solitaire, maintaining the same traditional physical form in a unique and unusual material: metal.

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Unlike conventional kitsch materials such as plastic or glass, there is no true attempt to mimic the original diamond in terms of reflectiveness, transparency or other visual features with which we are familiar. Instead, these faux-jeweled pieces are works of industrial design that celebrate their alternative materiality.

So these ear studs, pendants and even wedding-and-engagement-style rings have the same sizes, cuts, facets and could serve the same function as other real-diamond jewelry … but whether a spouse would accept them as a replacement for typical and truly-precious metal jewels is, however, another matter entirely.

“This solid 14k palladium white gold ring is rock star quality. I make this ring to look like a real diamond but without the consequences. It’s bling with a conscience. Not for the faint of heart- you know who you are, hot stuff. You do things on your own terms, your way, and no one can tell you otherwise. I made this ring for you, you get me? This is faceted, modern metal. I use the same techniques a stone cutter uses and the real thing would be 2 1/2 carats. The asscher cut is a faceted square cut with a high crown so you’ll get some serious shine. I use palladium white gold because it’s a truer white color than traditional white gold. There’s no need for rhodium plating, it’s a very white metal naturally. I exclusively use 100% recycled metals to create the smallest footprint with my jewelry as possible. Handcrafted in our NYC studio, this ring will take about 5 weeks to make.”

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