Moissanite vs Diamond,Which Should you Go For?Top 15 Best Moissanite Engagement Rings for 2021
This article will take a quick look at moissanite engagement rings and see how they compare. If you wondering what moissanite is, here’s what to know.
What is a moissanite?
Moissanite is a look-alike of the diamond.It is a late entrant in the jewels world. The emergence of Moissanite is dated back to 1893 when it was discovered by the noble laureate Henri Moissan, who is a French scientist in chemistry. In fact, Moissanite was named after this great scientist. Upon discovering Moissanite, the scientist’s initial impression was – it’s a diamond. However, he had to change it later as the crystals in Moissanite consist of silicon carbide.for those who don’t know much about moissanite – it is not a diamond but it looks a like a diamond. Unlike the diamond, moissanite is not original and also not mined from the earth. It is completely man-made, which is grown in the laboratories. It may take 2-3 months to create a piece of willemite in the laboratory.
What is a diamond?
On the other hand, the diamond doesn’t need any introduction. Everyone knows what a diamond is, how rare it is, and also how precious it is. The fact about diamond is – it takes millions of years to become a diamond. It is made up of natural substances and carbon crystals. All these make the diamond not affordable to everyone but highly pricey. Only highly affluent can afford a diamond. The value of a diamond is immense. People feel it a proud possession and it is passed through generations.
Similarities between moissanite and diamond
Unless one has much familiarity with both moissanite and diamond, it is not easier to differentiate between these two. The similarities are many. Similar to the diamond,moissanite is highly durable. It comes pretty close to the diamond on the Mohs scale scoring a 9.25 whereas the diamond is a bit ahead by scoring 10. Moissanite also won’t break or scratches like the diamond.
Moissanite is also used as a wedding ring by the ones who can’t afford to go far the pricey diamond.The price of moissanite is really music to their ears of many. You can avail it at just $600 per carat.
Like the diamond, moissanite is available in a variety of shapes. In terms of color, though moissanite emits yellow or grayish hue in certain lights, you also can get completely colorless Moissanite from Charles and Colvard who is a highly reputed name in moissanite business creating excellent gems in an environmental-friendly manner.
Differences between moissanite and diamond
Now, let us see the differences between moissanite and diamond on various parameters.
Price
Price is the one which differentiates diamond and moissanite greatly. As discussed earlier, only the affluent can go for the diamonds. The reason being- they are very expensive.
For example, one carat of diamond costs not less than $5,000. But, you can get one carat of moissanite for just $600. It is way below the price of the diamond. There is really a huge gap in price.
Clarity
You don’t see flaws on moissanite. The reason for this is - it won’t be made available for sale or it is not sold unless it is achieved the clarity grade of VS or more than that.Here, VS means ⁖Very Slight’. However, in the case of diamonds, clarity doesn’t matter much. People generally assume that high clarity diamonds don’t have any
flaws. What is important here is – if the diamond looks clean to the eye, then one can consider it as of high clarity.
Sparkling
On the sparkling front,moissanite scores more. It sparkles more than the diamond. Comparatively, the refractive
index of moissanite is more than that of a diamond. When it comes to the color of sparkle, moissanite has rainbow sparkle whereas the diamond contains both white and rainbow.
Durability
Both diamond and moissanite are very much durable. However, comparatively, diamond outweighs moissanite by
a whisker. To be precise, on the Mohs scale of hardness, the hardness of moissanite is 9.25 whereas the diamond scores 10. The reality is – this difference is only a miniscule and both are equally good in terms of durability.
Ethics
As moissanite is grown in the lab, there is absolutely no scope for unfair ethical practices. So, if
you are a person who gives more importance to ethics, then you don’t need to worry. However, you can’t expect the same with diamonds. Since diamond is extracted by mining, there might be a possibility for unfair ethical practices.
Value
Unlike diamonds, moissanite is not very valuable. Diamonds are very precious and people feel proud to
possess a diamond because of its immense value. And, possessing a diamond is a bit of sentimental too. Though Moissanite is also sentimental, it is no match to the diamond in terms value. There are reasons for this. The first one is –
unlike diamond, it is not rare. And, it is not pricey too. Its price is much less when compared to the diamond. Where as a diamond can be passed onto generations,people might not be that possessive about moissanite.
The table below gives a concise picture of the differences between the diamond and the moissanite:
|
Aspect |
Moissanite |
Diamond |
|
Price |
Around |
Between |
|
Refractive |
More |
2.42 |
|
Clarity |
Ranging |
Mostly |
|
Color |
Emits |
It |
|
Durability |
9.25 |
10 |
To sum up
Even cleaning Moissanite is easier. You just have to put it in a bowl containing mild soap and water for some time. Then, scrub it softly with a toothbrush. Finally, rinse and dry it with a dry cloth or with air.
Moissanite is not adiamond but only a look-alike of it. Unlike the diamond, it is not mined and not extracted from the earth. It is completely man-made and is created in laboratories. One of the major advantages of moissanite is - it inexpensive when compared to diamond. People who can’t go for a diamond wedding ring can go for moissanite as it costs just $600 only per carat. Moissanite is eco-friendly too as it is created in the lab. Even cleaning Moissanite is easier. What needs to be done is to put it in a bowl containing mild soap and water for some time. Then, scrub it softly with a toothbrush. Finally, rinse and dry it with a dry cloth or with air.
There are similarities between moissanite and diamond. Both are highly durable and available in a great variety. There are differences too between moissanite and diamond. Unlike moissanite, diamond is original and extracted from the earth by mining. Pricewise, the diamond is very costly compared to the moissanite. On the durability too, the diamond is slightly more durable than moissanite. Diamond is completely colorless or almost near to colorless whereas moissanite discharges a yellow or grayish hue in certain lights.
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