Moissanite Frequently Asked Questions
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“Do larger Moissanite gemstones look “fake”?
No, larger carat weight Moissanites look every bit as diamond like as the smaller Moissanite gemstones. The reason other diamond alternatives such as CZ appear glassy in the larger carat weights is due to “windowing” or light leakage because of the inferior optical properties. Click here to learn more about windowing, CZ and how it compares to Moissanite.
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“Does Moissanite have too much fire and brilliance?”
Because of Moissanites superior and extraordinary fire and brilliance, from time to time customers will ask, “Is it too much?”
The beauty of highly refractive gemstones such as Moissanite and diamond is found in their characteristic “sparkle” (fire, brilliance and luster). Remove the sparkle from a diamond, and what is left is essentially a lifeless piece of glass. In our experience and the experience of our customers, when casual observers take notice of their Moissanite gemstones, they gasp and exclaim, “Wow, that is an amazing diamond!” but never: “It is beautiful but has too much sparkle. I would prefer the gemstone to appear more lifeless!”
Unfortunately there are purveyors of CZ jewelry such as Diamond Nexus who try to put a negative spin on the optical properties of Moissanite, saying it exhibits a “disco ball effect.” It is simply an attempt to spin as negative the extraordinary optical properties of Moissanite, which compared to their ordinary CZ gems, is optically superior in every way. In the end, the average person is not a walking refractometer that can measure and quantify the fire and brilliance of a gemstone with their naked eye to determine the “correct” amount. However they will notice when a gemstone appears brilliant and fiery such as a Moissanite, or when a gem appears dull and lifeless as in the case of a cloudy cubic zirconia or a poorly cut / included diamond.
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“Which cut is the most brilliant or whitest?”
The round brilliant hearts and arrows cut is the ideal cut for maximizing the fire and brilliance of the gemstone. Other cuts, often referred to as “fancy cuts”, are cut to maximize the fire and brilliance as much as possible, but it is less than the round brilliant cut.
Below is a list of the Moissanite shapes, organized according to their brilliance:
- Round Brilliant H&A
- Standard Round Brilliant
- Cushion & Oval
- Square, Radiant, Heart
- OEC
- Marquise
- Pear
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“Will Moissainte become dull and fade with time?”
Moissanite is one of the hardest, toughest and more durable substances on earth. It is as atomically stable as a diamond, and in some ways even moreso (i.e. it can withstand greater heat than diamond). Therefore its impossible for it cloud, dull or fade with time. It is the type of heirloom gemstone that can be passed down from generation to generation and look just as brilliant as the day it was first purchased.
Charles & Colvard provides a warranty on the optical properties of Moissanite gemstones. Since the properties of moissanite are inert, and can never change, the warranty is offered as confirmation that moissanite will retain its properties forever. In over a decade of selling C&C Moissanite, we have never experienced a single incident of Moissanite fading, going dull, etc. except through getting dirty or damaged. It is expected that there will never be an instance where a warranty claim would be necessary.
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“Will Moissanite test positive as a diamond?”
Moissanite will test positive using a traditional thermal diamond tester (as found in most jewelry stores). The reason is due to the very similar heat signature of Moissanite and diamond stones.
Due to differences in the crystal between the newest Moissanite and older Moissanite, newer Moissanites will often test positive as diamond using older Moissanite testers.
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Moissanite Cleaning
Moissanites do need care to keep them at their brilliant best. A clean Moissanite will reflect light better and allow its fire and brilliance to show. That added brilliancy makes the Moissanite look larger than one that has been “dulled” by oil from the skin, soaps, cosmetics and everyday activites.
One of the advantages of Moissanite over diamonds or any diamond alternative available is that it does not have the same affinity towards grease and oil. That being said it is still a good idea to clean your jewelry about once a month to keep them sparkling as brilliantly as possible.
Here are four simple ways to keep your Moissanite gemstones looking their best:
The Detergent Bath
Prepare a small bowl of warm soapy water. Use any mild liquid detergent that does not contain “soap” for it creates another type of “film” on the surface of the Moissanite. We do not recommend the use of any abraisive cleaners for any type of jewelry. Brush pieces gently with a tooth brush and rinse well. A hair dryer may be used to finish drying the jewelry.The Cold Water
Another home cleaning process you can do is to make a cup of a solution containing water and household ammonia or similar product like Mr. Clean. We recommend about 3/4 parts of water and 1/4 part of the cleaning chemical. Let the Moissanite jewelry soak for about 10 minutes and with a tooth brush gently tap around the back and front of the mounting and if you can, try to reach behind the mounting where dirt would have accumulated. Rinse it well with warm to hot water and dry it with the help of your blow dryer. (We don’t recommend the use of towels for drying your jewelry).
Commercial Home Jewelry Cleaners
You can purchase one of many formulated, non-toxic liquid jewelry cleaners such as GemCare. These cleaners are ideal for effectively removing the “film” that can accumulate on a gemstone surface.
Ultrasonic Cleaner
This is the most effective option for maintaining the brilliance of your Moissanites. It is the method our jewelers use prior to shipping customers’ orders. It creates a high-frequency turbulence which can clean most of your jewelry.
Additional Recommendations
You may try to avoid using your fine jewelry while playing sports (working out in a gym is included here) or when you do any kind of rough work. Even though a Moissanite is the most durable natural crystal structure known to man, it can be chipped by a hard blow along its grain.
When you are not wearing your Moissanite jewelry, try to separate them individually. Moissanite pieces in a drawer or left in contact with other jewelry in a jewelry case can scratch each other and also can scratch other jewelry.
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“Will heat damage Moissanite?”
Moissanite gemstones are extraordinarly heat resistant, even moreso than a diamond. Therefore common jewelry repairs such as ring sizing, soldering and retipping prongs can be done without damaging the Moissanite gemstones. Moissanite has a higher vaporization temperature than diamond and can withstand temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Commonly Marketed Diamond Alternatives
If you are in the market looking for a diamond alternative, you will find that there are dozens of gemstones marketed under a myriad of creative names. We know this can be very confusing, especially if you are just learning about diamonds and gemstones. We provide the following list of the more commonly marketed gemstones to assist you in your seach.
You will quickly notice that all of the gemstones can be grouped into 3 categories: 1) Diamond, 2) Moissanite and 3) Cubic Zirconia or CZ. Unfortunately many of the sellers of these CZ jewels are less than honest when it comes to their “scientific claims” and some will blatantly deny that it is a CZ at all. Why would they be embarrased to tell the truth about their gemstone? Please refer to the ‘Moissanite vs CZ’ section above to learn how the properties of CZ don’t begin to measure up to Moissanite.
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“What is Moissanite Double Refraction?”
Moissanite has a property known as double refraction. When a ray of light passes through the gemstone it is slowed, bent and split in two. Sapphire is a doubly refractive material as well, as are peridot, tourmaline and zircon. To some degree it is this property that gives Moissanite its amazing fire. However it is often cited by critics of Moissanite, typically by companies who sell CZ, as a disadvantage, claiming that the double refraction will make the stone appear blurry. What they don’t say is that every double refractive gem has at least one direction in which the material behaves like a singly refractive gem. This is referred to as the optic axis, and does not break light into two rays.
Moissanite is cut so that this direction of single refraction is though the table. This means that the doubling is not apparent when the stone is viewed though the table (top of the stone). Moissanite must be viewed at 10x magnification (jewelers loupe) through any other crown facet (e.g. star, or bezel) to see the doubling. Most of our customers do not know or realize that Moissanite is double refractive, and we provide this explanation and images to explain that, although it is a unique property of Moissanite, it does not negatively effect its beauty.
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“Will Moissanite change color with time?”
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“Are Moissanite gems cut exactly like their diamond counterparts?”
Unlike diamonds which are most cut to maximize carat weight, Moissanite gemstones are faceted to maximize the superior fire and brilliance of the gemstone. The Moissanite ideal cut patterns were established after years of studying the angles of light refraction through Moissanite. Although the Moissanite cut patterns are similar enough to the popular cuts found in diamonds that most people assume they are the same, there are slight differences as the cuts have been optimized for the Moissanite crystal.
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“Is Moissanite the same size as a Diamond?”
“All Moissanite stones are listed with their actual size in mm and the diamond equivalent in carats. Therefore a 1ct round Moissanite sold on MirrorKingdom.com is approximately the same size as a 1ct diamond.”
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“Will chlorine or bleach damage Moissanite?”
“Chlorine, bleach and other household chemicals will not damage Moissanite gemstones. However prolonged exposure can damage precious metals alloys, and therefore should be avoided.”
