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Moissanite |
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Asha� vs Moissanite |
That GIA diamond color issue:
Moissanite will commonly grade as J, K, L
color
diamond on the GIA scale. By comparison,
Asha� grades E on average
(the consensus of five
gemologists). So, if you prefer the look of a low-grade
diamond, you
may want to consider moissanite. But, since most people
strive
to buy the D,E,F range (colorless) diamonds, you will
be
disappointed if you
envision moissanite having the color of
the most desired diamonds. It is
important to note that the
color
grades are better in the small, round
moissanite thus, for
smaller rounds (.10 - .50ct), we feel Moissanite can be
an
option
for you to consider. The round cut, being one designed to
sparkle,
helps hide the color problem However, even in
rounds,
the larger you go, the
worse it gets as far as how it rates
on the color scale. Fancy shapes are poor
in color grade
regardless
of size.
It is helpful
to remember that Moissanite, in its natural state, is a
green
stone! The
synthetic moissanite manufacturers try
to remove the green in
order to get it to appear more
diamond-like in color, but they still have a
ways to go!
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Photo shot in outdoor,
natural daylight.
It is also important to note, that in daylight, moissanite tends
to
'fluoresce' green. It
looks whiter than it
appears in this photo
under
artificial lighting,
but customers have told
us they used to hide
their rings whenever they
were outside to avoid this
problem. |
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That fuzzy look: A gem quality diamond
will exhibit a crisp, clear look to it.
This is because its
internal crystal structure is
face-centered-cubic. By
comparison, Moissanite is
hexagonal...which means that it will not handle light
the
way a diamond
does, and creates what is termed "bi-refringance".
Basically,
light waves are split inside the crystal and their velocity
becomes
unequal...thus things appear doubled in appearance. The end
result is that
Moissanite does not look like a diamond when
examined closely. Instead, it
will appear fuzzy or blurry to
the eye.
By comparison,
Asha� perfectly mimics the diamonds crystal structure
(face-centered-cubic) resulting in a virtually identical
look as fine diamond.
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Moissanite is not cut like a diamond
is: Because Moissanite has a different
crystal structure,
it is cut to a different style than diamond to try and optimize
its particular strengths.
However,
the different cut is also a key to the
knowledgeable observer that it is not a diamond.
By comparison,
Asha� is hand-cut to the highest diamond specifications
possible (Hearts and Arrows),
something which very few diamonds in fact will
achieve (but they all strive
for).
Compare the
cuts under the
H&A proportion scope
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Moissanite |
Asha� |
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