All women love glittery shine – especially when it’s on a ring and worth it. But today, it is difficult to recognize a real diamond from substitutes like Moissanite. These differences will reveal to you what it is really about.
Girls Love Diamonds
We all seek true love. A person with whom we laugh out loud and enjoy small life moments. When we find such a person – there is no greater happiness. The moment in which we decide to formalize the relationship with marriage will mark the choice of an engagement ring or wedding ring.
In addition to diamonds, engagement rings can be decorated with other unusual gemstones. Yet diamonds have always been a symbol of eternity. There is also a famous saying by Elizabeth Taylor who said: Big girls need big diamonds. And that’s true, it’s just not always feasible.
The fact is that when choosing a ring, the stone dictates the price – and in the case of diamonds, we know that the price is not a real trifle. So it is not surprising that there are some quite decent substitutes like zircon, or even better – Moissanite stone. Although they may look alike – there are still differences, so we will point out some of them.
Diamond And Its Substitutions
Diamond is one of the most expensive minerals widely used in various industrial areas. Only faceted crystals are used in jewelry – because only in this form can you see its unique optical properties and enjoy the amazing range of colors.
However, very often, due to its rarity and high price – replacements such as zircon or the lesser-known Moissanite stone are used in the making of rings. And what exactly is Moissanite? This stone is mostly used today as a replacement for diamonds in rings. This is actually silicon carbide – a mineral that can rarely be found in nature.
Therefore, synthetic Moissanite is often created. Although they are very similar at first glance – the distinction between these two stones is large. So, let’s see what the differences are.
Diamonds And Moissanites: What Is The Difference?
1. A Diamond Is An Older Stone
According to some historical data, it is believed that the first diamond ring was gifted back in 1477. Soon it became the symbol of true love and desire for marriage. In contrast, Moissanite was discovered in the 20th century.
The discovery of this mineral is linked to Nobel laureate Henry Moissan who found a small amount of silicon carbide crystals. It was then discovered that these were not ordinary fragments of a mineral – but a new mineral, which today is considered a precious stone.
2. Unlike Moissanite – Diamond Contains Only One Element
Diamonds are unique precious stones, created from just one element: carbon. Most diamonds were formed a billion years ago, deep underground, under extreme conditions created by high pressure and heat. This makes them almost non-flammable.
Unlike diamonds, Moissanite is made up of silicon carbide – which makes it very different from diamond in terms of physical properties. Natural Moissanite is very rare to find. Therefore, most Moissanites that we can find on the market are artificially created in the laboratory.
3. Moissanite Production Is Great Because It’s Cheaper Than Diamond
Although we can’t say it is cheap, Moissanite is still far cheaper than diamond. Therefore, it is not surprising that Moissanite production is far greater. Namely, this stone in its natural form is very difficult to find in nature, so over time, the production of synthetic Moissanite has developed. Therefore, today’s hyperproduction is not at all surprising.
4. Moissanite Has Both Hardness But Better Shine Compared To Diamonds
Despite their dissimilarities, these two gemstones are seemingly quite similar in appearance – so they are sometimes very difficult to tell apart. Moissanite by its properties is not too far behind diamond even in terms of hardness and quality.
Their rating on the Mohs scale is 9.25, which is very close to diamonds. However, according to www.moissaniteco.com, Moissanite is even more shiny than diamond – and has the property that experts call double refraction.
It has a different luster than a diamond, where the refraction of light seems like a rainbow. Moissanites also could be distinguished because even colorless draws on a grayish-green sheen – while diamonds are completely colorless.
5. Moissanite Has Greater Clarity
As already mentioned, this mineral is very difficult to find in nature. Therefore, today, most Moissanites are made by working in a laboratory – where they are produced under strictly controlled conditions. It is this fact that minimizes all possible disadvantages of this precious stone, so it has far greater clearness and brightness compared to diamond.
Even though it is not the same as diamond, a lot of ladies would say that it shines even more beautifully – so it is no wonder that it adorns rings in jewelry stores all around the world. If you are on the hunt for engagement rings in the Gold Coast, GS Diamonds should be your first stop.
How To Make A Distinction?
That can be quite a difficult task for ordinary people, but jewelers are much better at it. Namely, there are certain tests that are conducted to determine the authenticity of a gemstone. Jewelers most often resort to thermal tests, but with Moissanite, this is a little harder to do. Its properties are quite similar to the properties of diamonds – except for specific weight and density.
Therefore, Moissanite will always be slightly lighter compared to diamond. A certain circle of jewelry experts even consider it analogous to a diamond. However, we must say that despite all pointed out similarities – they are still two different stones. Today, special testers are most often used to indicate whether you’re dealing with Moissanite or diamond. They are most often based on whether and how a particular gem will perform when exposed to heat or electricity.
We have already said that Moissanites are very much like diamonds in terms of thermal conductivity. Still, there are differences when it comes to tests of electricity conduction. What is interesting to say here is that such a test will only show whether a stone is a diamond or not – but it will not confirm whether it is Moissanite.
