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Introduction to Moissanite -
What is Moissanite and what are its uses?
Moissanite is a trade
name name given to silicon carbide which is used in the production of synthetic gemstones.
Moissanite gemstones are used in all different types of jewelry
including a variety of rings such as wedding rings, engagement rings,
earrings, eternity rings, necklace, pendant, bracelet all set in silver
sterling and gold. But the
cost of Moissanite jewelry is just a fraction of the cost of jewelry
containing real diamonds. Moisanite, Mossanite and Moisannite are all
common mis-spellings. The high price of gem-grade diamonds has
created a large demand for affordable imitation diamonds which have
similar characteristics, such as Moissanite and its predecessor
Cubic Zirconia (or CV). Even some jewelers
have experienced difficulty telling the difference
between a Moissanite and a diamond with the naked eye!
Identifying
Moissanite as jewelry
When Moissanite was
first introduced in in the summer of 1998 some jewelers misidentified
Moissanite as diamond. These early errors occurred when thermal testers
were used as an aid to identification because the thermal conductivity
of Moissanite is very close to that of diamond. Once the properties of
Moissanite were fully known and understood it became is easy to
distinguish from diamond - Moissanite is as it is doubly refractive and
has a slight yellowish / greenish tint to the stones which becomes more
noticeable with increasing gem sizes. So what are the other differences between stones created with
Moissanite as opposed to diamonds? What are the Pro's and Cons of
Moissanite?
Quality of
Diamonds compared to Moissanite
Comparing the
quality of diamonds compared to Moissanite. The Cut, Clarity,
Color and Carat Weight all have a significant impact on the cost of
diamonds because these factors are all used to value the price of a
diamond. The Cut, Color, and Clarity are used to measure the quality of
the diamond and the Carat is used to measure the weight of a diamond.
The elements of the 4C's have been used to compare Moissanite with
diamonds and the comparisons are detailed below.
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