• Since the beginning of the 20^th century diamonds have traditionally been the choice of gemstone for engagement rings. However, at the tail end of the 20^th century we learned how to create moissanite in a lab and now Moissanite is quickly becoming a popular choice for new brides. It’s a practical choice with all the lasting beauty of a diamond but without the astronomically inflated price. Also, unlike diamonds, which drop in value by nearly 70% as soon as you take them out of the jewelry store, Moissanite retains much more of its value.

• “What Is Moissanite” you ask, “and how does it compare to diamonds”? Well, I’ll tell you.
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•    Moissanite is silicon carbide that was first discovered in nature as a mineral attached to a meteorite in Diablo Canyon, Arizona by French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893. When Dr. Moissan was studying the crater, he assumed that he had found diamonds but upon further study he realized that he had discovered an entirely new mineral. Twelve years later another prominent gem expert and mineralogist, suggested this new mineral be called Moissanite after the man who had made the brilliant discovery.  Moissanite is incredibly rare in nature, so today nearly all of it is synthesized in laboratories.

•     It is a truly conflict-free alternative to diamonds. While not all diamonds are blood diamonds, many companies call their diamonds, "conflict free", but the reality is that rarely can you trace the origin of a diamond with 100% certainty. If you want to be 100% confident that the stone you’re going to wear on your hand every day as a symbol and reminder of love, is eco-conscious and cruelty free then Moissanite is your best choice.

•     How durable is Moissanite compared to diamonds? An engagement ring or wedding set is something you’ll wear on your hand every day for the rest of your life, so it’s got to be durable. The Mohs Scale of Minerals measures scratch resistance.    Moissanite scores a 9.5 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamonds, which score a 10. So basically, there isn’t a daily task that would ever scratch your moissanite.

•    So now you’re probably wondering how the color, clarity and cost of Moissanite compares to diamonds. With diamonds their cost is dictated by their size, color and clarity, the same can be said of moissanite.

•   Diamonds can be found in colors like blue, pink and yellow as well as white.  Diamonds are classified—and consequently priced—by their color and their clarity. The most popularly purchased color classification of white diamonds are H or I, which are essentially nearly colorless diamonds. The most popular clarity for engagement rings is VS2, this clarity grade means that under 10x magnification, imperfections and inclusions are "Very Slightly Included".

•    Moissanite is a white (or really, clear/transparent) colorless stone, and like diamonds, the more color that the stone contains, the less valuable it is deemed. Unlike diamonds, moissanite can be manufactured to be totally colorless—something that is nearly impossibly rare in the diamond world at an affordable price. If you were to compare moissanite to a same sized and colored diamond, the cost of the diamond would be four to six times or greater on average. Meaning moissanite is far more affordable, and you can purchase a much larger stone for a lot less money
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•  What about sparkle or brilliance? Diamonds and moissanite are both great at reflecting and refracting white light, meaning they are very shiny and sparkly but moissanite beats diamonds in this category. There is a measurement for this, it’s called the “refraction index”. On the Refraction Index (RI), moissanite scores a 2.65-2.69, whereas diamonds score a 2.42. This is the why if you ask someone to guess which is a moissanite and which a diamond, the vast majority will think the moissanite is the diamond because they incorrectly assume the sparkliest ring is a diamond ring!

•   So, to sum it up, Moissanite is nearly as hard as a diamond so they last forever, just like a diamond. They have the same color and clarity but unlike a diamond can be made colorless. They’re 100% conflict free with no impact to the environment. They are more sparkly than diamonds and to top it off they cost a fraction of what a diamond cost.