Head to head: Moissanite versus Diamond!
Moissanite or Diamond? Which is better for fine jewellery? Which holds the title of most beautiful jewel in the world? These are the questions that people usually ask us. In fact, you might be also reading this because you are doing your research on which is better and you want answers! So here is the deal, I will only declare geological facts and we will do the scoring objectively.
For starters, what makes a jewel beautiful and last forever? The beauty of a jewel is determined by its brilliance, fire and lustre. While it’s longevity is determined by it’s durability and hardness. These two over-arching characteristics of beauty and longevity actually determines the ranking of a gemstone for the sought-after title of best jewel in the world!
They look alike because they both have carbon in their chemical composition. Diamond is pure carbon while Moissanite is from a rare mineral known as Silicon Carbide. They are similar looking but are scientifically and chemically different from each other.
But why are we comparing Moissanite and Diamond? Because they somehow look alike! They look alike because they both have carbon in their chemical composition. Diamond is pure carbon while Moissanite is from a rare mineral known as Silicon Carbide. They are similar looking but are scientifically and chemically different from each other. So let us start with our head to head battle:
1. BRILLIANCE REFRACTIVE INDEX is the jewel's ability to capture and reflect light. The higher the refractive index, the higher the brilliance of the jewel. Moissanite has a refractive index of 2.65, outperforming all other jewels. Diamond only has a refractive index of 2.42.
2. FIRE is the dispersion or spectral separation of white light into rainbow flashes. The more dispersion a jewel has, the more delightful color effects it will display. Moissanite has 2.5 times the fire of a Diamond.
3. LUSTRE or scintillation is the flashes of light or shine you see when a jewel moves in the light. Moissanite's lustre rating of 20.4% is greater than a diamond's rating of 17.2%.
4. DURABILITY The durability of a jewel is determined by its ability to withstand temperature and chemical exposure. Actually, Moissanite and Diamond are the only gemstones that can pass the thermal test. However, Moissanite has higher heat tolerance than diamonds making damage from heat during jewelry manufacturing and repair very unlikely.
5. HARDNESS. Moissanite's hardness is 9 ¼ on the Mohs scale. This rating of hardness makes scratching and abrasions very rare, even after many years of daily wear. Diamonds have higher hardness than Moissanite with a value of 10 on the Mohs scale.
Based on the 5 categories, Moissanite hands down wins as the better jewel compared to Diamond. But wait, we have a bonus round!
6. ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS. Compared to mining diamonds, the Moissanite growing process has very little impact on the environment. As such it is eco-friendly, conflict free and guranteed to be ethically-sourced.
So there you have it! The clear winner of this head-to-head battle is Moissanite. I am certainly convinced that Moissanite is the better jewel. Not only it is absolutely beautiful, it is also eco-friendly! I don’t see any other jewel that can rival with it. :)
