So you’ve recently discovered moissanite; the magical stone from meteorites that’s environmentally friendly, socially responsible, as beautiful as a diamond, but costs dramatically less.
So what’s the catch?
It’s at this point that you scour the internet for proof that it’s too good to be true. You’ll sift through wedding forums where bride after bride claims no downsides, and that moissanite can and most definitely does pass for a diamond.
You want the real deal? Talk to a jeweler. Luckily, you’re in the right place.
Does Moissanite Look Like a Diamond?
Yes, moissanite looks very similar to a diamond. It’s near-colorless, has a similar refractive index to a diamond and the GIA deems moissanite the closest diamond imitation. Many jewelers consider moissanite a diamond alternative, not an imitation, though you will find plenty of that language on the internet.The truth is that moissanite is not a synthetic diamond or the often dreaded cubic zirconia, it’s a totally separate gemstone that is naturally occurring, though extremely rare and found in meteorites. Because of its beauty and durability, it’s one of the few gemsstones that’s incredibly well suited to fine jewelry. However, it’s so tough to source natural stones that the vast majority of moissanite on the market is lab created.
Moissanite cannot be directly graded on the diamond color chart, however, natural moissanite is comparable to a GIA-certified K-color diamond. To the untrained, non-jeweler eye, differences in diamond color are not perceptible up until about this point. Meaning: unless you are a trained jeweler, you will not be able to tell the difference between a colorless or near colorless diamond, and you probably won’t see a difference even if a diamond has a faint yellow tinge. Natural moissanite has a faint yellow tinge. But the chance that you have the option of natural moissanite is exceedingly small.
Just a few years ago, lab created moissanite or "classic" moissanite exhibited faint yellows, greens or gray colors. Most of the moissanite on the market today has been enhanced to be colorless or as close to colorless as possible. All MW jewelries are D colorless moissanite. Some discerning jewelry enthusiasts (I’m talking people who have looked at dozens of diamonds and moissanite side-by-side) maybe still be able to detect a slight yellow or gray hue in moissanite under certain lighting, but it’s getting more difficult as the technology gets better.
How To Tell Moissanite From Diamond
Unless you’ve seen a lot of diamonds and just as much moissanite, you probably can’t tell the difference. Even to a trained eye, because natural diamonds come in an infinite amount of colors, clarities,and cuts, some diamonds just look like moissanite. And as moissanite quality gets better and better, they can easily be mistaken for diamonds.
Only some professionals with the help of professional equipment can correctly distinguish the difference between diamond and moissanite. Under the detection of some commonly used professional equipment, like diamond, moissanite can also easily pass the test. It can be said that there is basically no obvious difference between moissanite and diamond.
Moving past the superficial, moissanite is almost as hard as a diamond on the Mohs scale; a 9.5 as compared to a diamonds perfect 10 rating.
Why is this important?
Because whatever stone you choose to use has got to be tough enough for the everyday bangs and bumps that jewelry often encounters.