A shiny piece of jewellery has for many years been the adornment of choice for many women. But as the saying goes, “the times they are a-changing”, and the significant budget involved with purchasing diamonds has moved beyond most people’s reach. Moissanite, however, is about to have its day as it is not only more cost-effective than Diamonds there are also more radiant. At this point, I would like to make it truly clear that they are not some cheap diamond replica. They are the glorious jewel in their own right, with no dark ethical considerations.
Lab-grown diamonds are of course another alternative to mined diamonds, but they remain expensive. Moissanite comes with a far more dazzling light spectrum and a far lower price tag. What’s not to like about this strange new jewel?
So are they fake diamonds?
Diamond purists will find any excuse to belittle something as being a diamond replica. Let me say this a little louder for the people in the back: moissanite is not a diamond replica. Moissanite is in fact a mineral compound consisting of silicon carbide.
Although moissanite diamonds come at a far lower price tag than diamonds, do not fall into the trap of believing that this is a flea market diamond. On the scale that measures hardness in gemstones, diamonds come in at 10, why moissanite is not far behind it at 9.5. Moissanite is as much of an heirloom as diamonds are, and comes with a significant refractive ability, giving off double the light spectrum when compared to a diamond.
Where does moissanite come from?
Henri Moissan, from whom moissanite takes its name, discovered silicon carbide, which is the base compound of moissanite, at a meteorite impact site in 1906. Due to the fact that it was found at the meteorite crater, many people erroneously credit moissanite is coming from space. This is however not the truth. Silicon carbide is a naturally occurring compound that can be found across the world. It cannot be used as jewellery in its raw form but is converted into usable moissanite through a series of laboratory processes.
At the moment, there is only one company that holds the exclusive rights to produce moissanite. Charles and Colvard is the company that holds the licence, and if the moissanite stone does not carry some form of paperwork or hallmark that links it back to this company, you can safely assume that someone is trying to tell you a knock off. Unfortunately, fraud is rife in the jewellery industry and moissanite is no exception.
Is moissanite worth spending my money on?
If you are looking to buy an engagement ring, he will undoubtedly at this point be weighing up whether a diamond or moissanite is better. Moissanite comes with a series of unique aspects that make it equal or better to a diamond in many ways. From a far lower price tag to a more ethical production process, not to mention a greater brilliance and better sparkle, moissanite is a solid choice for investing your money.
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