"Relieve the November Doldrums" Ring Photo

[AdaBeta27]

So bored that I just had to post something for us to look at. Thought there may be others here in need of saving from the dismal, depressing throes of Fall. These are some of my moissanite collection.

Top row: My usual shabby nails, and a 7.5mm RB in 14k Stuller Solstice from the old Bella moissanite company, who hand-picked only the least tinted and best cut C&C stones for their rings. Tinted, I'd call it J color. Bella had some nice rings, including the lovely "Bella Halo," but went bankrupt after New Year's one year after a bunch of dishonest rent-a-ring buyers returned huge quantities of used rings that they'd only "borrowed" for the holiday season.

Middle row: New Starsgem 10k rose gold ring w/ 8.5mm OEC (transitional-ish) I/J but it always looks a very pale gray to me. I'll be replacing this stone with a better precision cut moissanite sometime in the future. It was a group buy ring on Reddit, the "Starsgem Tulip Solitaire" of September 2023. Several buyers had problems with their rings on that group buy. I think it cost me $258ish, and the setting is worth that to me so I have no real complaints. Ok for the price.
My wonky Gigajewe 8mm OEC from last summer in 14k Stuller Solstice.
My Moissanite Co. 6.5mm colorless OEC from last summer in Stuller illusion setting ring that I had made back in 2005.

Bottom row: Vintage 14k WG cocktail setting I bought a decade ago, with a $24 8mm Kalala (AliExpress store) I/J H&A RB sitting in it. This stone has since been mounted in a vintage YG low profile fishtail setting, which I don't have photos of but is gorgeous. And diamond-like. I have a 2ct J mined European Cut diamond or yet another 8mm old C&C RB moissanite (not shown) that I could put in the cocktail ring. Or maybe a colored gem. Kind of leaning toward the diamond, though.
8mm C&C ring that I overpaid paid $1800 + tax full retail for back in 2006 or so, because I just *had* to have it. Now. LOL. Tinted stone, definitely a J or K but no green. It's a 14K YG heavy mounting with a Euroshank bottom, and the stone is RB cut but has different faceting in the table and somehow throws some chunky fire and brilliance instead of the typical "splintery." That's why I had to have it, back in that day of far fewer choices in moissanite.

 

[AdaBeta27]

Moissanite Co's version of the "Bella Halo" https://www.moissaniteco.com/moissanite/eng670a/round-antique-bella-halo-moissanite-engagement-ring

 

[AdaBeta27]

Top:
7.5mm C&C 2005 rb in Shenoa 18k wg mounting purchased 2004
8.5mm C&C rb in wg solitaire, in a vintage 14k ring guard estate piece bought 2006

Bottom:
M VVS2 1.12ct nicely cut pawn shop diamond in 14k diamond mounting purchased at local jeweler, Stuller Octet head. (I later had that diamond recut into a H&A by Brian Gavin. It's a little over 1ct now and still in the same ring, though.)

H I1 nicely cut rb pawn shop diamond in F VVS rb and baguette diamond 14k wg setting I had custom made by an ebay vender, in a vintage 14k wg diamond ring guard purchased at a pawn store in 2004. Side stones on the center ring made the whole thing look more like a cocktail or fashion ring than wedding set. Fits middle and index fingers.

Moissanite wg fashion ring I purchased new in 2006 from same local jeweler I bought my other C&C stones from. These older C&C rbs do look more diamond-like than most of today's Chinese H&A and OECs, which mostly have a hazy look to me, and/or dark areas and weird pastel fire and a "bluish" cast. These old stones throw primary colors and are completely clear, transparent as water.

 

[AdaBeta27]

The 8mm chunky-flash $1800 C&C ring shown at top of thread. See the tint. lol
The same 8mm yg ring and that 8.5mm wg ring shown in the curvy ring guard earlier
The Bella 7.5mm Stuller Solstice shown earlier
6.5 mm tinted C&C rb from 2005 in a blue sapphire Oxford Diamond 14k mounting, and same 6.5mm stone was in the yg channel set diamond yg mounting earlier.

Last two pics, the collage and the fishtail with rubies, are Wink czs, maybe Interlap, set in Stuller, Oxford Diamond, and and estate piece 14k mountings. 7.5mm O/P yellow OEC in the Oxford Diamond 14k with the blue sapphs. 7mm canary yellow H&A rb in the swirly wg Stuller ring. "RG White" 7mm rb in the 14k wg fishtail w/ rubies. Those czs are 17 years old and can still beat 75% of today's Chinese moissanites for beauty and performance.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

AdaBeta27, what a fabulous collection! So many beautiful rings I can barely take them all in. November is my least favorite month, thank you for this.

So who makes the nicest moissanites these days, your opinion, please.

 

[junebug17]

Such a gorgeous collection @AdaBeta27! So fun to see these beauties and read their descriptions. Thanks for the eye candy and the day brightener.

 

[AdaBeta27]

AdaBeta27, what a fabulous collection! So many beautiful rings I can barely take them all in. November is my least favorite month, thank you for this.

So who makes the nicest moissanites these days, your opinion, please.

Thanks!
Who makes the best: Good question. I may not be the best person to ask. Then again, maybe I am, because I may see things that other people don't, lol. I had cataract surgery and my lens implants seem to interact with moisanite material in ways that just don't happen to other people. I don't know whether it's a polarization of light phenomenon or what. But most of the new Chinese stones I bought, loose or mounted, look like they have a scattered uniform slight haze throughout. (They also thow pastel fire, which I hate.) All of my original early to mid 2000s C&C stones appear to be almost a weird fluorescent light olive color out in sunlight, like green moissanite, and can look as yellow as O/P diamond in some indoor lights. Other people don't see any green, or yellow, at all. And I see no green and only an I or high J tint in the photos of them, so I know the green isn't really there. At least those old stones throw primary color fire, though.

The moissanites that are precision cut and cost more, for the most part. Distinctive Gem. Joseph Schubach but they won't sell loose stones. The moissanites that DeBebian's carries should be pretty good, but I haven't seen any of those irl. (I think their Kori is getting discontinued and is discounted.) Charles and Colvard. The two cutters that are in the Reddit groups, ShinyPreciousGems and u/genmsify (Vibratii on Instagram) can orient the rough and correctly cut and polish to make some beautiful stones. They've discussed it and displayed their stones in videos. I plan to try a Vibratii stone next, because they are $250ish for 8mm round and look like they perform as well as Distinctive Gems. (I will NOT pay lab diamond prices for any moissanite now that lab diamond prices are well cut and affordable.) The Chinese vendors in the Reddit moissanite list can all turn out either great stones or junk, but of the more mass produced stones, Tianyu and Mona seem to be the defacto leaders on Reddit. Next, Provence. Then Starsgem. Not surpirsingly, the prices go from higher at Tianyu and Mona to lower at Starsgem.

For rock bottom price but better than average appearance and light reflection, I don't think can H&A RBs from Kalala on AliExpress can be beat. I still have to get photos of my Kalala rings & stones, but the only new Chinese moissanites I am 100% happy with are my Kalala 8mm I/J H&A, the two 6.5mm G/H H&A sterling silver Kalala rings, and the 5 stone eternity band from AEAW on AliExpress. I have a Kuolit 8.5mm RB in rose gold plated halo ring, and I love it. 10k gold version of the same is pretty affordable. Those are all cheap to low prices but nice stones. The Kalala G/H color is fine for 1 ct stones. I bought Kalala colorless D and also G/H in 7.5mm and that size starts to look a little hazy and bland and less believable. I love the I/J that I put in the yellow gold ring. I knew that vintage mounting and that stone were made for each other the moment I put them together.

I was disappointed with that 6.5mm OEC from Moissanite Company that I bought last summer. It nice but certainly no superstar, and it just lacks something. It has the same problem I am having with most of these Chinese stones: They don't look 100% transparent like water to me. They seem to have a fine haze uniformly throughout. I don't like their appearance in strong lighting, but they look great in incandescent light and dimmer lights and make great rings for evening wear. But my old C&C stones from early 2000s look better and more diamondlike. My collection of Wink czs, almost any of those look more beautiful than today's moissanites, to me. The main reason I have for choosing moissanite is it's performance when dirty. But many of these new moissanites can't make the grade. They seem to be like CZs in that the show is over the moment they get a bit dirty. I was told with diamonds of lower clarity, to keep them *clean.* That MoCo moissanite is like that. I keep it scrubbed off or it starts to look bland and hazy. But, again, this could be related to my lens implants, too. There are a lot of Reddit people who are all more than thrilled with their Chinese stones. But I've seen a lot of stones that I would not settle for. As I said earlier, the 8.5mm Starsgem stone is going to get replaced with something better eventually.

I'm definitely unimpressed with that Starsgem tulip ring OEC. It was supposed to be a warm I/J stone, but it's not yellow, it looks grayish or slighly bluish.

11-6-2023 (I hate not seeing dates on posts!)

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

AdaBeta27, this is fabulous information, thank you so much!!. I'm going to reread it many times.
I've gotten two nice moissys from Indian/Etsy sellers, and some clunkers. Figured I'd better cast a wider net.
Again, thank you!

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

@AdaBeta27 That was a great post.

@Ibrakeforpossums I got lucky once on Etsy with a beautiful teal moissy but everything I tried since does seem hazy. I actually love that teal moissy in its own right even if I could get a lab diamond just as cheaply these days. The double refraction is so cool.

Here is my probably last attempt at high end moissanite. . From shinypreciousgems. Lovely cut but a bit steep on the price.




In the interest of cheering up November, here is an amethyst eternity band set in silver. It brings out the purple in my dark violet grey diamond. I have another ring coming that has purple stones and I hope the amethysts go well with that one, too.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

@AdaBeta27 That was a great post.

@Ibrakeforpossums I got lucky once on Etsy with a beautiful teal moissy but everything I tried since does seem hazy. I actually love that teal moissy in its own right even if I could get a lab diamond just as cheaply these days. The double refraction is so cool.

Here is my probably last attempt at high end moissanite. . From shinypreciousgems. Lovely cut but a bit steep on the price.




In the interest of cheering up November, here is an amethyst eternity band set in silver. It brings out the purple in my dark violet grey diamond. I have another ring coming that has purple stones and I hope the amethysts go well with that one, too.

We'll need to see all those.
Who made your teal moissy?

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

Teal moissy in silver. Pardon the crooked prongs. Etsy.

Moissy oec. I had high hopes.

Moissy mrb Etsy. I got it to test size back when I was thinking of upgrading my AVR LGD. Ended up skipping the upgrade - don’t laugh but I found this size too big.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Love the teal! Ankit did a nice OEC for me years ago, .50 ct. You and I think alike with size. Balance is important.
The MRB is very pretty, if too large. Who did it, if I may ask?

 

[AdaBeta27]

AdaBeta27, this is fabulous information, thank you so much!!. I'm going to reread it many times.
I've gotten two nice moissys from Indian/Etsy sellers, and some clunkers. Figured I'd better cast a wider net.
Again, thank you!

Scott Bonomo on Etsy is another that Redditers have bought from and been happy. I think it's Scott Bonomo Diamonds regardless of which web source. I think people have also done things like get a stone from Mona and have it sent to Provence or Tianyu for the ring, because they liked Mona's stones the best.

The only "clunker" I've gotten is the 6.5mm OEC from Gigagewe on ebay. I posted that one here last summer. The first 8mm OEC I bought is absolutely gorgeous, so I placed an order for a 6.5mm OEC and another 8mm OEC. The 8mm is wonky but I like it in the ring it's in now, but it wasn't worthy of the mounting I'd originally intended for it. The 6.5mm is all but junk but I might find some use for it eventually. It's far too risky to try to return these rings or stones to the country they shipped from. What Reddit advises is just resell what you don't like.

Nov. 07, 2023

 

[AdaBeta27]

Moissy oec. I had high hopes.

Maybe it's the picture, but that looks worse than my 6.5mm Gigajewe that I didn't like.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

@AdaBeta27 That was a great post.

@Ibrakeforpossums I got lucky once on Etsy with a beautiful teal moissy but everything I tried since does seem hazy. I actually love that teal moissy in its own right even if I could get a lab diamond just as cheaply these days. The double refraction is so cool.

Here is my probably last attempt at high end moissanite. . From shinypreciousgems. Lovely cut but a bit steep on the price.




In the interest of cheering up November, here is an amethyst eternity band set in silver. It brings out the purple in my dark violet grey diamond. I have another ring coming that has purple stones and I hope the amethysts go well with that one, too.

"High end moissanite" steep? As in a lot for China or India, or as in August Vintage? I think that's a beautiful stone, really exceptional in this photo.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

Love the teal! Ankit did a nice OEC for me years ago, .50 ct. You and I think alike with size. Balance is important.
The MRB is very pretty, if too large. Who did it, if I may ask?

WhiteBird on Etsy IIRC

Maybe it's the picture, but that looks worse than my 6.5mm Gigajewe that I didn't like.

Yeah it is pretty bad.

"High end moissanite" steep? As in a lot for China or India, or as in August Vintage? I think that's a beautiful stone, really exceptional in this photo.

Price was in the middle. I don’t want to negative review them, because the communication, service, and delivery were great and the product was as advertised. This might be another form of the varying opinions on what is and is not worth extra money. Like ACAs.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

That's well put. I can ask them about what I want.
I do think you got a lovely moissy. India prices are a lottery, who knows what you'll get. You'd have to publish a way more unflattering photo of yours to change my mind.

 

[AdaBeta27]

DeBebian's has 35% off all the Kori moissanite. They are closing it out due to no longer can compete with lower prices of lab diamonds.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

AdaBeta27, have you ordered from Vibrattii? I asked him for a small Asscher moissy on Nov. 20, all paid for. He said it would be about 2 weeks, then on Dec. 7 he said done after the weekend. I don't want to hound him, IG says he's seen my "Thanks, no rush" messages. Any advice? So delicate dealing with someone the first time.

 

[AdaBeta27]

AdaBeta27, have you ordered from Vibrattii? I asked him for a small Asscher moissy on Nov. 20, all paid for. He said it would be about 2 weeks, then on Dec. 7 he said done after the weekend. I don't want to hound him, IG says he's seen my "Thanks, no rush" messages. Any advice? So delicate dealing with someone the first time.

No, I haven't ordered anything from him yet. I stay away from ordering jewelry near the major gifting holidays and wedding/anniversary seasons. I tend to get around to buying in August through October when not much is going on.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

That's wise. I ordered Nov. 20 hoping to miss the rush. In any case, I heard from him today, it's done and there's a video, maybe another tomorrow. He was actually quite lovely to deal with.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

My Asscher came last week, in very creative packaging. It's lovely, clear with a slight tint and an antique vibe. He was great to work with.