What is the difference between Moissanite and Diamond?

The biggest question we often get asked is why Buy Moissanite?

To the untrained (and in most cases even trained) eye, you really cannot tell the difference between a Moissanite and a diamond. To put it into perspective, we have sold Moissanite to several customers who have taken their jewellery to respected jewellers for valuation and have come away with a valuation of a diamond!!!

It is a known fact that certain celebrities have replicated their engagements rings in Moissanite which they use for everyday wear whilst the real diamond rocks are locked away for safekeeping for those special occasions!

Moissanite is a gem in its own right and ranks up high amongst the precious stone list. They are the closest alternative to a diamond with more sparkle and brilliance and sell at a fraction of the price which is a huge plus if you have designer tastes but not a designer budget. To give you an example a 1 carat diamond solitaire ring in 18ct gold would set you back between £2000 & £10000, a Moissanite direct equivalent would be just £500 - £800 a massive saving which could even pay for a honeymoon of your dreams.

Diamonds are the hardest of the precious stones and on a scale of 1 to 10 rank top, scoring 10 for hardness. Moissanite comes in at no 2 on the scale at 9.25 making it harder than sapphires, emeralds and ruby’s and is perfect for everyday wear.

Moissanite Colour

Whilst diamonds are graded on the 4 C’s (cut, clarity, colour and carat) moissanite stones are solely graded on colour. At jewellery moments we offer 3 different colour grades; Charles and Colvard Forever One and Forever Classic, and Moissanite UK Pure.

Charles and Colvard are the company that created Moissanite jewellery and are the brand leader, their most prestigious stones are the Forever One which is colourless (Grade D, E, F) icy white and would be a match against the best diamonds out there. Only a small amount of forever one stones can be produced at a given time, so these stones are rare and more expensive.

Charles and Colvard also have a more economical stone called Forever Classic which is grade (J/K), this can have a faint yellow hue which a lot of people prefer as it is warmer.

We also offer Moissanite Uk pure which is colour grade G/H, this is a beautiful near colourless stone and is our most popular stone at jewellery moments, we believe this is the most realistic. In fact, most diamonds sold in the UK are around a grade G as the stone is not too yellow and not too icy.

Moissanite Clarity

When grading a diamond, the clarity of the stone has huge importance on the value. Clarity refers to imperfections and most diamonds have imperfections (flaws) which are pieces of little black carbon in the stone, some of these can be seen with the naked eye which makes the grading lower. Better diamonds still have flaws, but these can only be seen with an eyepiece by an expert, very few diamonds are graded as flawless.

Choosing a diamond can be hard, the clarity on Moissanite is nearly flawless so you are assured that you will not be able to see any imperfections in the stone.

Moissanite Cuts and Carats

Like Diamonds, Moissanite is available in a wide variety of shapes (cuts) and sizes (carat). Our most popular stone is brilliant round cut.

Moissanite Brilliance

Brilliance refers to the appearance of light reflected from the interior of the stone, the faceting (cuts) on Moissanite is different to diamonds. There is far more brilliance with Moissanite which creates a disco ball effect especially in sunlight, some people find this overpowering but a lot of people prefer the sparkle and the bigger the moissanite stones the more sparkle there is. Our best-selling ring is a Moissanite one carat brilliant round solitaire in 9ct white gold.

Ethicality

Whilst diamonds are beautiful, there is an ugly side because they aren’t always ethical. A diamond miner in Africa can be paid peanuts with extremely bad working conditions, you risk your diamond being a conflict diamond, this has been highlighted in films such as Blood diamonds. The Kimberley process was introduced to combat blood diamonds this with all good diamond sellers conforming to this process. Also, the effect on the environment of diamond mining is enormous; for every carat of diamond mined, over 1 tonne of earth is taken out leading to barren wastelands and erosion. Moissanite is truly an ethical choice as the stones are created in a lab, with good working conditions and minimum wastage.

Summary

If you want the closest alternative to a diamond then Moissanite is for you. Don't think you will be wearing a fake diamond, Moissanite is a true gem!

And at jewellery moments all of our Moissanite jewellery come beautifully packaged with a certificate of authenticy and the moissanite stones come with a lifetime guarantee.