Moissanite has become an increasingly popular option among couples who want to purchase an engagement ring or another piece of jewelry without breaking the bank. But what are the differences between Moissanite and diamond? And does Moissanite qualify as a diamond alternative? Here’s what you need to know about Moissanite and its relationship to diamonds so that you can decide if it’s right for you.
Hardness
The hardness of a diamond is 10 on the Mohs scale, which is an international standard for measuring relative hardness.The difference in these two numbers may seem insignificant, but it does make a slight difference when you’re wearing your diamond jewellery. Diamonds can be scratched by harder materials such as corundum (a type of mineral). Moissanites are more likely to scratch softer materials such as tungsten carbide or coated silver jewellery items. This means that if you purchase a moissanite engagement ring, it will still look beautiful after years of wear, while your diamond might show signs of wear.
Refractive Index
The refractive index, or RI, is a measure of how much a material refracts light. It is calculated as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light through the material. The higher this number, the more it will refract light. An RI of 1.00 is considered perfect for gemstones, although many are found with an RI greater than 1.40 because gems tend to have flaws that cause them to reflect less light than they should loose moissanite diamonds. In general, all other factors being equal, stones with a higher RI will appear whiter (more brilliant) than those with lower risk. However, the true colour of a diamond depends on its impurities; yellow diamonds are typically high-quality diamonds that happen to be dirty or cloudy. Likewise, blue sapphires don’t exist; these stones come from different deposits and have a natural colour which ranges from purple-blue to violet depending on the mineral content.
Dispersion
Moissanites have a lower dispersion than diamonds. Dispersion is a term used to describe how much light is dispersed into the different colours of the rainbow. The higher the dispersion, the more rainbows will be seen when light reflects off of a diamond or moissanite. Dispersion levels for diamonds range from .154 to .220 while moissanites range from 0.125 to 0.155. Moissanites also refract the light at more angles and disperse it in many directions rather than reflecting all of it out at one angle. As a result, they display an extra-bright sparkle as they catch the eye’s attention from various angles.
Moissanite’s durability: Moissanites are second only to diamonds in hardness with Mohs scale ratings between 9 and 10. Diamonds rank 10 on this scale which makes them much less likely to scratch under normal wear conditions.
Durability
Moissanites have a hardness of 9.25 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which is about as hard as a fingernail. Diamonds, on the other hand, have a hardness of 10.0 on the Mohs scale, which is even harder than a knife blade! It is also worth noting that Moissanites will not show wear as quickly as diamonds do over time.
This gives moissanites an edge in durability for jewelry pieces that get regular wear and tear from everyday use. Moissanite bracelet also score higher than diamonds when it comes to light return. As most people know, some degree of light refraction occurs with any gemstone. The greater the degree of light refraction (or shine), the higher its brilliance grade. Moissanites rank 7-8 on this scale while diamonds typically rank 3-5.
This means that while moissanites can’t beat diamonds’ lustre and colour grading, they excel in durability and are considered a more durable alternative to diamonds if you’re looking for something less fragile to hold up against daily abuse.
Cost
Moissanite is a beautiful gemstone that has a lot of similarities with diamonds. The main difference is in their cost, with moissanites typically being much more affordable moissanite bridal set. As such, they make for a great alternative if you can’t afford to buy diamond jewellery.
Moissanites were first discovered in 1893 by French chemist Dr Henri Moissan while he was analyzing rock samples from a meteor crater near Diablo Canyon, Arizona.
