How to Gain More Sparkle for Less?

Human eye are always being caught by something either attractive or 'distractive'. 'Bling Bling' is really an debated issue between this two. Looking at the options available for the most bling bling sought after, it always point us to diamond. Are there any other way to have the same bling bling effect without causing us too much bleed in our pocket? 

Read on this article if you want to know if it is possible.

"DIAMONDS may be a girl’s best friend but moissanites are definitely a guy’s best buddy – they can pass off as those pricey sparklers yet cost a fraction of their price.

“Moissanite may look like diamond but is an entirely unique jewel with different physical, optical and chemical properties. This gemstone stands on its own as it has superb fire and brilliance,” says Jenet Yong, sales supervisor of C’est si Bon jewellery store in Kuala Lumpur. 

Moissanite (pronouced moy-san-nite) appears to be a perfect gemstone. Its fire or dispersion of light, is said to be twice that of diamond’s and its brilliance or reflection of light also outshines diamond.

But its most endearing quality has to be its price – one-tenth of diamond’s. The seductive combination of beauty and price is making moissanite irresistible to women.

Event manager Adeline Song has been impressing friends with a two-carat moissanite ring. “I bought it because the shine and sparkle are better than diamond’s. If you buy a top-grade diamond, it will probably cost you a condo. But with moissanite, you’re getting something that a diamond gives you but at a cheaper price. And you don’t feel so bad if you lose it.”

The stone is drawing looks in Europe and the United States, where it has garnered a following among celebrities such as Brooke Shields, Minnie Driver, Marc Anthony (it seems he loves his moissanite cufflinks), Ming-Na and Niki Taylor.

“The Australians also like moissanites particularly because they are not conflict diamonds. It is only in Malaysia that moissanites are not so well-known,” says Yong.

Moissanite is actually silicon carbide, and was discovered in 1893 by French Nobel Prize winner Dr Henri Moissan when he was studying meteorite fragments at the Canyon Diablo meteor crater in Arizona. Naturally occurring moissanite crystals are tiny and rare, thus prohibiting their use in jewellery.

US-based Charles & Colvard developed a way to create the synthetic white gem by combining the natural minerals of silicon and carbon in the laboratory. It put the stone on the market in 1998. The patented thermal growth process is intense and expensive, thus preventing mass production of the stone. It takes over six months to grow a seed into a gem-quality crystal. The company is the sole source of moissanites.

With a hardness of 9.24 compared with diamond’s 10 on the Mohs relative hardness scale, moissanite is the second hardest jewel known to man. This toughness makes it resistant to abrasions. Its refractive index (the optical property affecting the sparkle of gemstones) exceeds that of diamond’s, which is why Charles & Colvard says the stone outshines diamonds.

Moissanites are mostly near-colourless or a grade G in the colour grading for diamonds, though some have a greenish tinge. The stones are hand-cut to the “Ideal Cut”. Yong says moissanites do have needle-like inclusions inherent to the crystal growth process but these are visible only through magnification.

At C’est si Bon, the authorised local retailer of moissanites, the stones are mounted in 18k gold and white gold. The range includes rings, ear-rings, pendants and loose stones

Purchases come with a warranty that the brilliance and lustre of the stone will not fade. It might be a good idea to purchase moissanite jewellery now for prices have more than doubled in the past three years.

Though it matches most of the qualities of diamonds, moissanite still takes a back seat simply because of the emotional attachment people have for diamonds. But with the cost of most things rising, Yong believes moissanites are worth considering even for the all-important engagement or wedding rings.

“After all, it is also a gemstone, a nice, brilliant one,” she quips."

(Words and pictures credited to the Star Online)

Looks like Moissanite is really another option for occasions that requires bling bling add on for girls. An uniquely created gemstone. After all, we just have to make up our mind of what we like to have.

~Maggie~

How to tell Real Stones from Fake Stones?

When it comes to describing real stones and fake stones, so many different terms are used and they are so confusing. The common terms are natural, synthetic, lab-grown, simulated, Cubic Zirconia (CZ), rhine stones. So what is what? What are their similarities and differences? Have you ever experience that the shop promoter of an expansive jewelry shop telling your the stones that being engrave in the jewelry is a Cubic Zirconia. It does makes it sounds really sophisticated, read on and find out more what it actually is.

Instead of going deep and lengthy with all kind of special terms, we will cut the long story pretty pretty short.

Synthetic: A man-made stone created in the lab with exactly the same chemical, optical, physical properties that you can find in natural stones. Eg, a synthetic diamond that consist of carbon will be the same as natural diamond, just that the formal is created in the lab.

Simulated: A man-made stone created in the lab that resembles the material but does not necessarily contains the same  chemical, optical, physical properties as the natural stones. Eg. CZ diamond resembles the real diamond but does not have the same properties as diamonds.

Cubic Zirconia (CZ): A man made stones created in the lab that made with Zirconium oxide, a colorless stones that may be made in any other color. Often being promoted in the market under certain brands.

Rhine Stones: A man made stones created in the lab made with glass, paste or crystal quartz. Those made with crystal quartz are of higher quality in this range and often have a fused metallic backing that reflects the light and gives the stones a brilliant fire-like appearance.

Natural: This is simple, all stones that formed by our mother earth with her own chemical reactions are natural.

Instead of thinking of knowing real from fake stone, knowing what we actually buying are more important. Most of the retailers are honors about what they are selling but it relies on us to find out more on what we are buying. Let us shop smart~~

~Maggie~