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Moissanite
Engagement
Rings
This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked
questions on this topic. I hope you find this information helpful.
Whether to choose a diamond or a moissanite is actually a matter of
choice. Moissanite is gorgeous, eye-catching jewelry and is
budget-friendly. It does, however, represent a far less valuable
financial investment, meaning the market and resale value is lower. It
really depends on what the purchase is for.
To the untrained eye, it is almost impossible to tell the two apart.
Moissanite and diamonds cannot be told apart without the patented Model
590
Charles & Colvard, Ltd. tester. Viewed at a certain
distance from the naked eye under the illumination of a penlight, you
will know a moissanite double refraction of light. This will show up in
a rainbow pattern that is not present in diamonds.
If there is the presence of miniscule pipe-like inclusions under
magnification, that would indicate that the stone under examination is
a moissanite.
The most significant difference between diamonds and moissanite is that
of industrial applications. A diamond has a legendary value as 'anvil
material' that moissanite does not have owing to its inherent
elasticity under extreme heat conditions. Moissanite is unstable at
temperatures exceeding 400 degrees and is quite unreliable at
temperatures reaching 1000 degrees. Moissanite also has so-called
""shear stress"" properties.
After further development in the manufacturing process, it is possible
that moissanite will match diamond's industrial value. Currently,
diamond is still the best for industrial-grade hardness.
Have you heard about "The Four Cs of Diamonds?"— cut,
clarity, color, and carat determine diamond grade. A diamond
certificate is provided for each diamond and includes grades for each
of the four Cs as documented by a gemologist.
Cut refers to the physical cut, not the shape of the diamond; it
affects the brilliance of the diamond. If the cut is too shallow or too
deep, the refraction of the light detracts from the brilliance. Grades
for cut include Ideal, premium, very good, good, fair and poor. Noe
that only the round diamonds have the ideal grade.
Clarity measures the purity of the diamond. Most diamonds include some
flaws, called inclusions. All but the rare flawless diamonds contain
inclusions of varying numbers and sizes. The purity of the diamond is
measured. Clarity grades the appearance under 10X magnification. Top
grades include F (flawless— you'll never see this), IF
(internally flawless, you'll never afford it), VVS1-VVS2 (very, very
slightly flawed—This is a ittle more realistic), VS1-VS2
(very slightly flawed), and SI1-SI2 (slightly flawed). All but the
VS1-VS2 and SI1-SI2 diamonds contain flaws that are invisible or barely
visible under 10X magnification. Lesser grades include I1- -I3 (flawed
and obvious without magnification). If price is a consideration, then
invisible to the naked eye is the way to go.
Color suggests the absence of color in diamonds. The finest diamonds
are colorless, which allows them to absorb and reflect more light,
allowing more brilliance. White diamonds range from ice white to light
yellow. Color is graded on a scale from D-Z, with D-grade diamonds
being colorless and Z-grade diamonds containing the most color. Grades
G-J are near colorless to the human eye, and offer the best value for
the money.
Carat refers to weight. Large diamonds are rare so the price rises
exponentially rather than arithmetically according to carat weight.
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