Diamond stones in the Philippines will set an emblematic progress in the jewellery industry. Aside from the fact that diamonds are rare here, more people are now looking for environmental friendly diamonds, too. The demands keep rising. And we look for alternatives which can also be budget friendly. So, what are the best options we can consider? We are comparing two popular gemstones today: moissanites and lab grown diamonds.
Substantially, diamonds form hundreds of miles below the earth’s surface. It’s an incredibly long process which makes diamonds so precious and expensive. It’s important to know that these diamonds are mined—mining exhausts manpower which means the humanitarian prospects are at stake. A mined gemstone has a huge environmental impact which can be destructive to us humans too. So if you are in the look for environmental friendly choices, these are some of the considerations you may want to check.
Let’s begin with their origins. Lab grown diamonds are made through replication of the natural process—extremely high temperature and intense pressure. This makes lab grown diamonds identical to the carbon composition of a natural diamond. While moissanites are also made in a laboratory, they are compositionally different. Moissanites are made from silicon carbide. Similarly, lab grown diamonds and moissanites are both environmental friendly.
Looking at a lab grown diamond and a moissanite, you’ll definitely be able to identify which is which. When it comes to brilliance, lab grown diamonds are singly refractive. Moissanites have higher refraction index than that of lab grown diamonds. This means that moissanites are more sparkly when the light refracts through and makes it looks doubled—doubly refractive.
If we are to check the hardness of these two gemstones, a lab grown diamond (and natural diamonds, too!) measures to 10 Mohs scale. Moissanites can measure up to 9.25-9.5 Mohs scale making it the second hardest gemstone next to diamonds.
Last point excites many buyers—color! This is one of the precious factors people consider in purchasing fine jewellery. Lab grown diamonds can be found or made in different colors such as yellow, brown, pink, blue, green, black, orange, and red (from least rare to most rare). You may want to check the IGI (International Gemological Institute) certificate for every lab-grown diamond purchase. Note as well that lab grown diamonds can have flaws (just like naturally mined diamonds). Moissanites, on the other hand, can be found on shades of yellow-green, colourless and nearly colourless. These stones are recently made with no color for them to look brighter. Color changes occur in moissanites when exposed to very high temperatures. These may not be permanent but note that some color changes last.
These are the quick checklist you should consider in deciding between a lab grown diamond and a moissanite. Remember that these two are two different gemstones—a lab grown diamond is a diamond and a moissanite is not a diamond. The upside these two share? Both gemstones are environmental friendly.
