Can a Jeweller Tell if Moissanite is Real?
We have all heard the saying “Diamonds are girlfriends’ best friends” right? Well, what if there is a “new” kid on the block that looks just like a diamond but it isn’t?!
If you are looking for some type of jewellery, an engagement ring or any other piece for yourself or someone else should you be cheap and get something that looks nice but is cheap?! Should you do this in a hope that no one will see through it and that no one will notice it is fake? Well, let’s say no!
When it comes to diamonds there are plenty of substitutes that are similar to them in looks but none of them has the value of a real diamond. Some look almost identical while there are those you can spot a mile away. Today we are discussing a gemstone that is similar to a diamond in many ways and we will answer the question if the true jeweller can tell what is moissanite and if it is real or not?!
If you like this gemstone and if you want unique pieces made out of moissanite then you need to check out moissaniteco and see what they got in store. FYI – everything they have is real moissanite and there is nothing fake about them.
Now, when we are on the topic of this gemstone, let’s talk about it a bit. Moissanite is a completely different type of gemstone compared to the diamond and it is made out of silicon carbide while diamonds, as all of you know, are made out of pure carbon.
If you take a stone of moissanite and a diamond side by side and compare them you will see some differences like a brighter shine with strong rainbow flashes from moissanite. This is because it reflects more light than a diamond and this is something that makes it look a bit unnatural. Another thing that is clear to the trained eye is the fact that it has a yellowish, greenish or greyish hue to it and it is another thing that can give it away when comparing these side by side.
Now some things need a bit sharper eye and a jeweller would easily see this if comparing the two, and that is that moissanites have blurry facet lines than diamonds. Diamond is somewhat sharp and straight while a moissanite stone looks dull and that is because it is doubly refractive the diamond is singly refractive.
There are also quality gradations and a very high-quality 1-carat moissanite retails for around $800, depending on the market and place of course, while a 1-carat natural diamond retails for around $8,000 which is a significant difference.
Now that we have made those explanations it is time to answer if the jeweller can tell a fake from real moissanite?! The answer is YES, but they have been fooled more times than they would like to admit.
Just like in the world of diamonds, the next best thing – moissanite, is copied and made to fool your eye and your testers. The jewellers with more experience know what they are looking for in these and they do not need a tester, those with a little less experience need both. Moissanite is a lab-made gemstone and it is almost perfect any way you look at it this is the thing that is making jewellers’ life tougher. Since most of these are lab-made what is stopping guys that sell these to make copies of them with less valuable gemstones and sell them at a premium price? Besides money issues, some jewellers are places that are making these solely to get jewellers out of business and take over their market. As we managed to find out you can get moissanite jewellery from Alibaba or similar sites, shipped from China or other countries and they cost two to three times less than you would buy them at your local jeweller.
If you are wondering how these guys know which one is fake moissanite and which isn’t then most of that is experience and a lot of different gemstones going through their hands and the other part is that tester. When it comes to testers you need to know that like anything other, there are good and bad testers. Those cheap ones you get just to have some fun will most likely fail to pick up fake moissanite. There are such good copies using glass that these cheap testers can’t differentiate. They will give you a false positive or even show it as real moissanite.
When it comes to experience you need to know that good jewellers have gone through millions of stones and they can tell each one of them apart. The most used stone out there as a moissanite replacement is zirconium and if you are not trained to see it, you will be in a world of debt.
What we can advise all of you that are shopping for some jewellery is to be careful and use stores and shops you trust. Another important thing is that, like in diamonds, moissanite has its documentation. This gemstone can also be appraised and authenticated and those that sell you should provide that documentation to prove that the moissanite is legitimate. The price will be a bit steeper for this but having this authentication is something that will give you a piece of mind and help you know which of the sellers is legitimate and which is not. It is also worth pointing out that jewellers who buy these gemstones also look for these authentications to make sure they are not selling fake gems to their customers unless that is their goal.
So, any gemstone can be distinguished fake from real and every good and experienced jeweller can make that distinguishment instantly or if you give them some time. There are some things they focus on more than others and those things are what eventually tell them if that stone is worth anything or not.