Natural mined diamonds have been coming under a lot of heat recently. Award-winning journalist Cecil Adams sums it up the best in a recent article: “diamonds are a scam, pure and simple.” Most people in the new millennium understand that between the DeBeers diamond cartel, the issue of child labor in Third World diamond processing operations, and “blood diamonds” used to finance oppression and genocide in Third World African countries, not to mention your snooty and pretentious local jeweler, diamonds are just not worth the hassle, guilt, and let’s not forget thousands and thousands of questionably spent dollars.

Lately, new synthetic diamonds have come on the market that have all of the look, appeal, and glittering beauty of natural diamonds, but without the baggage, and at a fraction of the cost.

Since moissanite burst upon the scene in the late 90s, it has created quite a stir. Moissanite is gem-quality silicon carbide. The production of moissanite is a proprietary process and it is available only from C3 Inc, a division of Cree Research.

When moissanite was first introduced to the market it created a great deal of publicity. This was due to the fact that moissanite would often fool a jeweler into thinking it was a natural diamond. Both the Nova and 20/20 TV news shows did segments featuring hidden cameras showing jewelers fooled and embarrassed by moissanite. What was actually happening though was not quite so simple.

Jewelers generally rely on something called a “thermal-probe” to detect a fake diamond. Thermal probes work well with cubic zirconia, for instance. Moissanite, however, has a thermal conductivity that is very close to diamond. They were able to fool the older thermal probes. The fact of the matter is though; moissanite really just does not look that much like diamond. The two substances have radically different optical properties. These differences are clearly visible to the naked eye. It was obvious in both the Nova and 20/20 segments that the jewelers were clearly confused. They kept looking at the stone and then testing at and saying things like, “Well, I guess it must be real.” What they were really saying is “Well, I guess it must be real, but it sure is a weird looking diamond!”

Problems with Moissanite as a Diamond Stimulant

Anisotropy
Unlike natural diamonds, or some of the better quality synthetic diamonds like those available from Diamond Nexus Labs, (http://www.diamondnexuslabs.com) moissanite stones have an optical quality known as “hexagonal polytypic.” What this means is that moissanite is doubly-refractive. And because of this they create a strong visual effect known as “birefringence.” This is visually seen as a doubling of the stone’s back facets that creates a marked “drunk-vision” effect.

Dispersion
Moissanite has a dispersive power nearly 2.5 times greater than that of diamond. This creates what’s known as the “disco-ball” effect. Some think that this excess fire is beautiful; others think it cheap and fake looking.

Color
It is impossible to produce a pure white moissanite. The stones have a quality known as “fluorescence” that causes them to appear slightly green or gray. This effect is much greater under natural light. In the jewelry store a moissanite dealer will always show the stones under a pink tinged light, as this tends to cancel out the fluorescence. Many people say they loved their moissanite ring until they got it into the sunlight.

Cost
Due to its relatively extensive manufacturing process and the fact that it is only available from one source, moissanite tends to be quite expensive (though still cheap when compared to diamonds) good quality moissanite stones run around $520 per caret.

Better Synthetic Diamond Alternatives
In the last two years there have been almost miraculous breakthroughs in the science of synthetic diamond creation. There are several new processes that create gemstones that are virtually indistinguishable from natural diamonds. One of the best I have found are the gemstones available from www.DiamondNexusLabs.com. I recently did independent research for several synthetic diamond companies and found their products to be among the best.

Diamond Nexus gemstones cut glass, they have brilliance, dispersion and radiance factors that are very close to mined diamond, and best of all, as they are new in the US market, they are priced at an incredible $79 per caret. This is a bargain that probably will not last.

Conclusion
Moissanite stones are beautiful in their own right. They offer great sparkle and flash. However, if you truly are trying to purchase a gemstone that comes as close as possible to the properties of a natural diamond moissanite is not the best choice.

About the author:
Gary LaCourt is an expert in refractive dynamics and a technical consultant who has recently done independent research for a consortium of synthetic and a natural gemstone producers including http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com

New synthetic diamonds are so closely resemble mined diamonds that the naked eye cannot tell the difference, often saving consumers enough money to make a down-payment on a new home or buy a car. Unfounded diamond jeweler arrogance, pretentiousness, and snootiness has gone too far!

My girlfriend has been parading around town with a magnificent 4-carat Round Brilliant cut synthetic diamond set in a stunning 14K solid gold filigree solitaire ring setting for a year now. She has been to restaurants, work, shopping, night clubs, museums, and parties. Family and friends have scrutinized her ring. She has been stopped repeatedly by others who were dumbfounded by her ring. Hundreds of people have seen her ring, astonished by its majesty, gushing about it. And despite its ostentatious size, no one has asked if it is a fake diamond!

How could this be? The latest breakthrough science in lab-created diamonds has brought them in line with mined diamonds. Long gone is the aurora borealis or “disco ball” effect that was seen in synthetic diamonds of the past decades. New millennium synthetic diamonds—with similar hardness, clarity, fire, and brilliance—are indistinguishable with the naked eye and simply don’t look fake. High quality synthetic diamonds even have the coveted hearts-and-arrows effect.

This begs the question: If one were to saunter into a jewelry store with a synthetic diamond, can a jeweler tell the difference? Since all mined diamonds have color disparities (flaws), birthmarks (flaws), and inclusions (flaws), and lab-created diamonds have none of the above, a trained eye can tell the difference. A sneering glance under a loupe or even under discriminating examination with a magnifying glass, a jeweler will often proudly declare a synthetic diamond as a fake. Modern synthetic diamonds are too perfect in the world of jeweler snobbery when pushing over-priced high profit diamonds is the agenda at hand.

With the use of scientific testing equipment, mined diamonds will conduct electricity and synthetic diamonds will not. That is because mined diamonds are a carbon gem material and synthetic diamonds are polycrystalline. A thermal probe will produce different readings, differentiating the two. But does this really matter to a jewelry lover who is interested in aesthetic beauty and saving thousands of dollars? In the year my girlfriend has been showcasing her synthetic diamond on her finger; no one has walked up to her with scientific equipment asking to test her gemstone.

Why do virtually all brick-and-mortar jewelers carry only mined diamonds? Why do jewelers scoff at synthetic diamonds? You need to look no further than your wallet. A 1-carat high quality mined diamond is about $3000, a 2-carat about $18,000, a 3-carat about $40,000, and a 4-carat goes for about $90,000. Respectively, synthetic diamonds run about $79, $158, $237, and $326. It’s about the money. Don’t kid yourself.

It’s also about indoctrination. For over a century, the diamond cartel has spent billions of dollars convincing the public that jewel quality mined diamonds have intrinsic value like gold. Not true. Why? During this time DeBeers has limited production, bought up supplies from others, stockpiled inventory, and imposed its monopoly position on jewelry manufacturers in the successful effort to keep prices inflated. And to make matters worse, the diamond industry as a whole has a checkered past with conflict stones, debt-slave child labor in India used in cutting operations, and shady techniques used to enhance perceived quality to further squeeze out ridiculous prices from beleaguered jewelry lovers.

Smart jewelry shoppers today are considering synthetic diamonds as an alternative to mined diamonds for some very savvy reasons: (1) They can acquire fine jewelry pieces set in solid 14K gold. (2) They will save literally thousands of dollars. (3) There is no need to buy insurance. (4) When wearing there synthetic diamond jewelry nobody will know that they are not mined diamonds unless they tell them!

About the author:

Robert Joseph is an expert jeweler and founding partner of http://www.diamondnexuslabs.coma renowned online jewelry store that specializes in pristine affordable diamond simulants set in Solid 14K Gold.

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