Moissanite vs Lab Diamonds

[Made in London]

Hi,this is my first post on the lovely PriceScope forum.It is more of a question really. I know that Lab diamonds are real,they are made of carbon the same as earth diamonds except they are made in a lab.Why is Moissanite refered to as synthetic when it was originally found in a meteor crater in Arizona by Henry Moisson over a hundred years ago.This naturally occuring stone was discovered to be made of silicon carbide.It has since been made in labs (just like lab diamonds are) & of the exact same silicon carbide because the naturally occuring rock is very rare. So my question is, why is Moissanite refered to as a "fake" stone & yet lab diamonds are real?

 

[seaurchin]

I feel like this is really about semantics. For one thing, people misname things all the time and a lot of those names stubbornly stick around. I'm sure we can all think of examples of it.

And then there's context. In this case, the focus is usually on if it is or is not a diamond, since diamonds are typically far more expensive than their substitutes, not on exactly which diamond substitute it is. For ex. when people talk about lab created moissanite being "fake," I don't think they mean that in comparison to naturally occuring moissanite, they mean it in comparison to diamonds.

So even if it was naturally occuring moissanite, when being used as a diamond substitute, many people would still call it a "fake diamond."

Same as how CZ and other clear stones that are used as diamond substitutes are commonly called "fake diamonds," regardless of what they actually are of if they are earth-mined or lab produced diamond substitutes.

 

[Tartansparkles]

This is something that bothers me with many Etsy sellers. They refer to 'synthetic' or 'man made' diamonds. Since lab diamonds are diamonds and their price point is still quite high I'm confident that low cost rings don't contain man made (i.e lab diamonds.) But regardless of what the white material actually is, I like to know what I'm buying. I also tend to lose confidence in the seller if for whatever reason they cannot accurately describe what they're selling.

 

[1ofakind]

Many people here have/wear both moissy and diamonds and lab diamonds. Personally I do not consider moissanite to be a fake diamond. It is moissanite....different and distinct although diamond like and some do wear it with the intention to pass it off as a diamond. I think that is why some call it a fake diamond.
Some people consider lab diamonds 'not real' or inferior to mined diamonds although they are th e same in every way but time. I do not see the difference.
A cookie from the store is not a fake cookie because it was baked in a big factory instead of baked at home! (although chips-ahoy are nasty little things....they are still cookies, lol).

 

[mommylawyer]

Because of a Federal Trade Commission ruling the makers of lab diamonds no longer need to utilize the term, "synthetic", to describe their diamonds. The FTC ruled as follows: “The Commission no longer defines a ‘diamond’ by using the term ‘natural’ because it is no longer accurate to define diamonds as ‘natural’ when it is now possible to create products that have essentially the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as mined diamonds.” For more information, see https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdan...consumers-and-diamond-marketers/#7d02077b20fa.

My guess is that the makers of Moissanite have not lobbied the FTC because there is currently no competition from earth-mined equivalent material.

 

[Made in London]

I consider Moissanite to be a stone in it's own right. I do own diamonds & wear them alongside my moissy on a daily basis. Moissanite has a history like no other stone & I just wish that people would educate themselves rather than refer to it as a fake diamond

 

[Made in London]

This is something that bothers me with many Etsy sellers. They refer to 'synthetic' or 'man made' diamonds. Since lab diamonds are diamonds and their price point is still quite high I'm confident that low cost rings don't contain man made (i.e lab diamonds.) But regardless of what the white material actually is, I like to know what I'm buying. I also tend to lose confidence in the seller if for whatever reason they cannot accurately describe what they're selling.

I agree with this post

 

[MeowMeow]

I consider Moissanite to be a stone in it's own right. I do own diamonds & wear them alongside my moissy on a daily basis. Moissanite has a history like no other stone & I just wish that people would educate themselves rather than refer to it as a fake diamond

I agree with you. But sadly tons of people DO educate themselves and still call moissanite a fake diamond. And all the people who post asking how they can make their moissanite look believable as a real diamond and pass it off don't help the others change their minds about thinking that lab created items are fakes. Until we have a lot more people proudly telling others that their item is a moissanite or lab created gemstone x it will stay that way. I don't ever walk into rooms and scream that my rings are lab created spinels or put it inappropriately into conversations but if someone asks what it is I am happy to share. And to be honest I only started feeling that lab created could be "real" maybe 4 years back.

I remember a decade ago snobbishly thinking the jewellery sales person was crazy trying to convince me a lab created sapphire at the jewellery store was a substitute for the blue sapphire i wanted couldn't get. They told me it IS a real sapphire. Same composition as mined and everything but I couldn't help it. My mind was screaming YEAH FAKE!!! Never fake. So I got an aquamarine instead.

And then I came back here after a long long break and noticed we had all these forums I never realised we did before. And in one of the other forums I frequent with a jewellery board they were talking about something called moissanite. THEN i realised cutters were precision cutting synthetic material and between all of that started to think maybe lab created didn't necessarily mean fake trash. But all that took a long time. And it took reading a lot more women saying they were proud of their jewellery to change my mind.

 

[Made in London]

Maybe it is because they are now creating diamond cuts on moissy instead of the cut designed purely for moissy to bring out the full beauty of the stone.Diamond cuts reduce the fire & disco ball effect of the stone making it look more like diamond.That way it becomes easier to "pass" the stone off as diamond?

 

[emeraldhummingbird]

I agree with you. But sadly tons of people DO educate themselves and still call moissanite a fake diamond. And all the people who post asking how they can make their moissanite look believable as a real diamond and pass it off don't help the others change their minds about thinking that lab created items are fakes. Until we have a lot more people proudly telling others that their item is a moissanite or lab created gemstone x it will stay that way. I don't ever walk into rooms and scream that my rings are lab created spinels or put it inappropriately into conversations but if someone asks what it is I am happy to share. And to be honest I only started feeling that lab created could be "real" maybe 4 years back.

I remember a decade ago snobbishly thinking the jewellery sales person was crazy trying to convince me a lab created sapphire at the jewellery store was a substitute for the blue sapphire i wanted couldn't get. They told me it IS a real sapphire. Same composition as mined and everything but I couldn't help it. My mind was screaming YEAH FAKE!!! Never fake. So I got an aquamarine instead.

And then I came back here after a long long break and noticed we had all these forums I never realised we did before. And in one of the other forums I frequent with a jewellery board they were talking about something called moissanite. THEN i realised cutters were precision cutting synthetic material and between all of that started to think maybe lab created didn't necessarily mean fake trash. But all that took a long time. And it took reading a lot more women saying they were proud of their jewellery to change my mind.

Glad you started to come around @MeowMeow! I like to see that the tide is turning a little bit when it comes to lab stuff. I would be that person that volunteers that it is lab material without being asked, because I feel proud of the fact I have a "perfect" stone that wasn't dug out of the earth, and is affordable.

Now that I know about lab stones, I actually find it hard to justify buying the natural stones. I mean I still *like* them, but the cost differential is sooooo much, and aesthetically I do prefer the cleaner look without inclusions.

 

[mommylawyer]

I agree. For example, @Niffler75's lab ruby ring is stunning!

Bespoke Lab Ruby Ring

I love it! Beautiful color and fantastic bold setting! You go girl great design!

www.pricescope.com

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

My set is made with oec moissanites for the side stones and band. I paired with a really nice natural red spinel and I gleefully tell everyone about it. I had some in my life who really questioned the decision. They thought it would devalue the spinel. I disagree.
I view it as a gem in it's own right; I don't personally understand the stigma associated with it. I have removed it for myself and try to for the people who happen to ask. There are many cultural, psychological and conditioning factors in play when it comes to perceived value. All are valid.
I used to see them as faux by default and had to get out of my own way initially about moissanite. Then I became enamored of it unique properties.
I let this spinel sit for years because I didn't have the energy or the funds to source perfectly matched/colored mined antique stones. I wasted a ton of time not enjoying my spinel as I envisioned it because of it. It was foolish. To have the set made wasn't cheap, but it was extremely economical in comparison. The results are fantastic.
I have some mined diamonds that I absolutely love...but I will certainly be procuring myself some mined, some lab diamonds and more moissanite in the future. It's all sparkly to me.

 

[rockhoundofficiando]

Moissanite is not its "own gem" any moreso than CZ is. Silicon carbide exists only as a tiny green mineral. Moissanite does NOT exist in nature in the large sparkly clear form that's in your jewelry! Thus it requires significant alteration, additional ingredients, and processing in an attempt to make it resemble a diamond. Both it and cz were specifically developed and are chemically engineered, and manufactured to be economical diamond simulants. Yes silicon carbide is a mineral but then again, so is salt....
Synthethic gemstones on the other hand,including synthetic diamonds, are created to be exact replicas of their naturally occuring brethren. They have the exact composition of the naturally occurring stone.