September 21, 2009
What is Moissanite?
Randy just heard about moissanite and asked to know more about it.
Moissanite is a lab created gemstone. It is made in the laboratory from carbon and silicon using heat and pressure.
It is commonly used as a diamond simulant, meaning that it is a diamond substitute but is not a diamond. It may be the simulant that looks the closest to a diamond.
It is carbon based like a diamond and its thermal conductivity is similar to a diamond. It will fool conventional thermal diamond testers and will register as a diamond. You would need a moissanite tester to confirm that it is not a diamond.
It has a refractive index is also similar to a diamonds and will appear as brilliant. Unlike a diamond it is double refractive whereas a diamond is single refractive. A moissanite has more “fire” (dispersion) than a diamond. It also appears a little darker in the J-L color range with a tinge of yellow to green.
It has a hardness of 9.5 on the Mohs scale so it it very durable. Diamonds are a 10 on the Mohs scale.
As a lab created gemstone it is not a diamond and is therefore not as valuable as a diamond. It is approximately one-twentieth the value of diamonds.
Moissanites because its properties are similar to a diamond it can be considered a “fabulous fake” and it may be just the right fit for some people.
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
April 23, 2009
A Fortunate Find
Recently, Cynthia, a past customer of ours excitedly walked into our store. She had found a pendant on the ground that looked like a diamond and wanted to know if it was really a diamond or a cubic zirconia.
With our knowledge and experience we can usually tell just by looking at the stone and it looked like it could be a real diamond. To confirm it positively we used a diamond tester and it indicated that it was a diamond. We also tested it with a moisannite tester to rule out that it was not a moisannite, because moisannites can fool diamond testers.
It was indeed a diamond that weighed ¾ carat which was worth about $4000. What a fortunate find! I guess some people are just born lucky!
Russell Oshita, the diamonddude
The Diamond Specialists, Inc.
Diamonds Hawaii
