Moissanite Vs Diamond Jewelry: Is It A Contest?
Designer Inspired
CZ Jewelry
Moissanite jewelry and loose stones are fast becoming hot competition to cubic zirconia and even diamonds. What is this mysterious, greenish stone? Introduced in the late–1990s, the brilliance and sparkle of this laboratory-created gemstone will surprise you with it features and benefits.
Moissanite isn't created to simulate a diamond's properties, so some feel that calling moissanite a "fake" or "artificial" diamond is inaccurate, however, it is not a gemstone in its own right. Moissanite does exist in nature, but only in minute quantities found in meteors. Its chemical properties were studied and a company in the U.S. named CREE developed a process for recreating this mineral in a laboratory.
Other entirely lab-created stones include white sapphire, white spinel, yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) and cubic zirconia.
Moissanite stones are not graded and are considered comparable to VS1–VS2 diamond grades in terms of look. Moissanite jewelry is extremely durable as it has no natural fractures and is considered a competitive alternative to a real, but fracture-filled diamond, which is susceptible to breakage.
Moissanite's color lies in the darker ranges, about I–K, and has a very slightly green or gray cast which is not visible once it is placed in a setting.
It's fire and brilliance can rival real diamonds and a disreputable dealer might try to pass off a moissanite stone as a diamond to an unsuspecting buyer. A special tester is needed to distinguish it from real diamonds.
How To Identify Moissanite
Here are three easy tests to identify moissanite to make sure it isn't cubic zirconia (and also to make sure you have a real diamond and not moissanite):
- Hold your moissanite stone under a lighter or match flame. Moissanite turns green as long as it is held under the flame.
- Use a jeweler's 10x loupe. Carefully examine where the facets join on the lower pointed part of the stone, also know as the pavilion. If the facet junctions appear to be a little blurred or they look "doubled," you have a moissanite stone.
- Use Charles & Colvard's Tester Model 590 that distinguishes moissanite from diamonds by testing for absorption of ultraviolet light.
Moissanite jewelry is a hot trend, so if you want to show off with a huge chunk of glitter, go for moissanite with no apologies.
At about 1/10th the cost of a real diamond, moissanite jewelry is worth checking out whether you have champagne taste on a beer budget or you want to add some elegant glitter to your jewelry collection.
Top Celebrities Wear Moissanite Proudly
"The jewels are flawless. They sparkle so much. Wearing moissanite made me feel awesome, and I got a lot of compliments. When I explained how moissanite is made and what it is made from, everyone was in shock. Moissanite sparkles like no diamonds I ever wear. The stone is just beautiful. Moissanite is better than diamonds!" Niki Taylor, Super Model
"Moissanite jewelry is lovely to wear dressed up or with jeans. Wearing the jewelry made me feel elegant, confident and proud." Vivica A. Fox, Actor
"Moissanite jewelry is very classy...it's not pretentious and wearing it makes me feel delicate and approachable." Elizabeth Pena, Actor
"My moissanite cufflinks are very classy looking. I would recommend moissanite jewelry to my friends because it costs less than diamonds and the look is the same." Marc Anthony, Musician
