Moissanite, Friend or Foe

Moissanite seems to be a highly controversial topic. Before I read any of the discussions here, I purchased two Moissanite stones. One was a 2.55ct brilliant-cut bluey-green stone with an amazing sparkle. The second was a green 3.22ct stone in an Octagon step-cut. Both were stunning. However after reading all the hate mail for Moissanite I freaked out a little as to whether I could sell it. Anyway, it arrived and they were so BEAUTIFUL. So gorgeous, that the 3ct Moissanite was my first item to sell. I did have a very low price on it, just $50 AUD ($38 USD), but I was very happy it was actually saleable. Both Moissanite stones received some of the highest likes on my Instagram account and many compliments, and anyone I showed the stones to in real life LOVED them. My mother actually made me take the 2.5ct stone off the shop so she could have it. So even though gem connoisseurs scorn them due to their incomparable value to diamonds (I do love diamonds, of course) it seems the general public is willing to buy them!! Personally, I’m neutral on the topic of diamonds vs Moissanite…they’re both beautiful, and I feel it’s like comparing a diamond to a sphene (yes, I know most Moissanite is lab grown, but so are cubic Zirconias and they’re still pretty and the general public loves them)…they’re different but both stunning!!

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as long as there pretty to you and others and a marvelous sparkle, there worth it to you, try not to compare the stones for others

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Personally, I have no interest in synthetics or imitations because, for me, a big part of the beauty and romance of gems is knowing that people have understood these gems to be precious since before written history or even agriculture.

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Yeah true. I personally refuse to wear or own in my personal collection “fake” gemstones. Even if they’re tiny stones I would prefer that over a big cubic zirconia lol. I’m interested in what sells though

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The general public do love diamond simulants and we are routinely asked what are the best fake diamonds? The answer is dead simple, Moissanite and cubic zirconia. Now gemmologists, diamond merchants and even members of the wider jewellery retail community may not like moissanite or cz but even the GIA admits their importance and recognise that they allow consumers to enjoy the flash and dazzle of diamond-like jewellery, inexpensively.

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I’ve found that it’s MUCH easier to sell gems I love! :wink:

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My preferred choice of a “colorless” colored stone is a toss up between white sapphire and goshenite.

I have no love for moissanite, cubic zirconia, other diamond simulants, or diamonds in general. (With exception of color diamonds.) From my perspective, diamonds are over-marketed and typically over priced. There is a reason why mall based jewellery stores are able to afford 70% off sales every other weekend. And the best natural diamonds are next to indistinguishable from top end lab-grown, resulting in the need for provenance paperwork tracing the stone’s origin back to region and even the specific mine.

The De Beers cartel managed the fast one of the centuries when they used movies to market diamonds for engagement rings, and their near monopoly over the African mines, among other monopolistic practices. A very interesting and enlightening topic to read about when you find time.

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While I only collect colored gemstones. I do have a few colorless diamonds.the moissanite &
strontium titanate stones came with a parcel
I haven’t bought any lab diamonds yet.
If you like bright white and sparkly then I don’t see the need to judge what fits in your budget.
Enjoy the gemstone market.

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I personally am not a fan of diamonds, or rather the diamond industry/ cartel. It’s ridiculous to me for people to spend a down payment on a home to buy a stone just to “keep up with the Jones’”. I’m with Victoria Beckham on this one in a way…15 new rings in 20 years of marriage or something close to that. :grin: I’ve never seen a moissanite in person yet, I’m kind of on the fence about lab grown stones…I get it…I just don’t think I want them personally. If I was a seller I might feel differently perhaps, as a collector they’re pointless.

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I dont like lab stones generally, but the only way to get a moissanite is to purchase a lab stone- real ones, that fell to earth presumably in an asteroid, are way too rare and the crystals are way too small. Someday, I hope to own a real moissanite after I win the lottery, but until then, I will settle for a lab stone. I recently purchased a small ring for a very good price, and am incredibly pleased with it. VERY shiny and sparkly and brilliant. No regrets at all, and it’s small size is not garish so it feels real when I wear it. With the price I think.

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Same, I really don’t like lab stones, but I do like lab Moissanite - really cool stone, so pretty. If you like Asteroid stones you might like to look up Jepara Pallavine, they’re fabulous (https://www.gemadventurer.com/gemstones/jepara-pallavine/).

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Marilyn Monroe is famous for crooning “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, making many crazy for flashy engagement rings. However in recent times we’ve witnessed growing popularity in non diamond engagement rings and gemstone alternatives for diamond. There appears to be a generational shift happening. Some millennials come to the decision from a humanitarian or philosophical standpoint of not wanting a diamond,

Millennials are also paying way less for engagement rings. According to a recent survey from TD Ameritrade, two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials think an engagement ring should cost less than $2,500 or less than half the national average. Many appear to be happy to opt of moissanite though it will be interesting to see what happens with moissanite as the price for synthetic diamond falls further.

I personally like all gemstones. I’m not a snob. I prefer selling synthetic diamonds and moissanite because I worked in Africa and have seen the human cost that diamond mining has. The movie Blood diamond is not that far from the truth.

I worked all over west and east Africa and have seen the victims of forced amputations. In Ivory coast and Tanzania I saw many people that were the victims of forced labor and amputations to ensure they were not able to escape the mines.

You can never really unsee those people and forget the stories they tell because of the extraction of natural diamonds.

There is a market for everything under the sun. We should all feel free to sell or purchase whatever we like as long as it is legal where you live.

Most people do like the look of moissanite and there are some very well cut moissanite being produced. The hearts and arrows moissanites are very attractive and are an excellent choice for rings and other jewelry. the best thing about them is the price. Moissanite comes in many different colors and the quality varies from factory to factory. I buy moissanite directly from factories and have them hand cut and polished and the end result is a stunning gemstone.

in fact most people will never be able to tell the difference between a moissanite and a diamond even if both are equally well cut or poorly cut. Just make sure to label the gemstone as a moissanite.

Well designed jewelry will be stunning with whatever synthetic or natural gemstones are set into it. Some people can afford natural stones, while others can’t or don’t want to have the huge carbon footprint that most natural mineral extraction requires.

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Moissanite has a dispersion rate of 0.104 compared to 0.044 of a diamond, and it has more fire and brilliance than diamonds and a different quality of sparkle. :sparkles:

So if you’re indeed fascinated by their unique beauty, there’s no need to care about their downside—lab-created nature and lower value. :slightly_smiling_face:

Colorless Zircons are also beautiful stones to set in jewelry if diamonds aren’t in the budget.

Natural gemstones stood the test of time to get here. Synthetic ones have not proven themselves in that way. Color enhancements can fade over time. Color Fading & Reviving Sapphires | The Physics of Color in Sapphires

Synthetic gemstones may or may not be just as good as the real thing, but if someone can afford the real thing, why not buy the real thing? I get into the same discussion about music instruments. If you can afford a Stradivarius, why not buy it? They aren’t making anymore of them. Call me a snob.

Sure. The only other problem i have with diamonds aside from the ethical one is the economics of diamonds. Diamonds are not anywhere near as rare as De Beers would have us believe. They basically buy the world’s supply of diamonds and then artificially inflate the pricing. That is why no member of the De Beers family can fly to the united states’ because they are wanted for price fixing.

Diamonds are not scarce. The price is artificially fixed by a monopoly. Why pay an artificially inflated price for something.

There is no monopoly on other natural gemstones so buy those instead.

I’m not a radical. I’m as capitalist as you get. i have an MBA and have worked for five fortune 100 companies before starting my own company.

Let people decide what to buy, but at least educate them.

Diamonds are not a Stradivarius. Diamonds are more like polaroids. There are millions of ct of diamonds produced every year and only a small fraction of them are put into the market. Let them put the entire supply into the market and let’s see where the true price of diamonds are.

Diamonds are not works of art. The jewelry made from them is.

Remember that industrial grade diamonds were first made in a lab in the 1950s by GE. In about 2000 or thereabouts, no one knows for sure, some companies in the USA were able to make gem quality diamonds and began selling them without disclosure. So no one really knows if they have natural or synthetic diamonds. It’s only about 2018 that a machine was made that could separate synthetic from natural earth mined diamonds.

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I’m not really sure what your diamond/polaroid analogy means. I can show you gold prospects that no longer contain gold. Mines eventually run out of their resources, but Polaroid factories have an endless supply of plastic.

What exactly are the standards for synthetic stones and substitutes, anyways? It’s easy to see the differences between standard commodity graded diamonds. Take a VS1 compared to a SI2 for example. The VS1 looks better to me, even though the SI2 was cut perfectly. I’m not a gemologist, but I think the 22% price difference is justified. Maybe I’m wrong. https://www.diamonds.pro/education/i1-clarity/

Lab-created diamonds have minimal resale value: https://www.diamonds.pro/education/lab-created-diamonds-prices-value/