Diamond, Moissanite or Phianite?

Nowadays at the jewelry market, you can hear such words as moissanite and pianist. You may also hear that these stones are like diamonds and nobody won’t know which gem you exactly wear in your ears. People buy jewelry with moissanites and phianites because they shine the same as diamonds, they are strong as diamonds and they are much cheaper than natural gems. But is it really true? Let us reveal some facts and try to persuade you that only diamonds are worth your investments.

Diamonds

Of all precious gems, diamond is the simplest in its composition, it consists of one element - carbon. In nature, diamonds that have good color grade and brilliance are rarely found. And the demand for these stones is very high on the market. Therefore, the price of such a luxurious thing will be higher than any other natural gemstone.

A diamond is a cut adamant, one of the forms of carbon, a hard and rare mineral, carried from the depths of the earth's crust by lava flows. Diamond is known for its hardness - it is hardness, not toughness: a diamond can only be scratched with a diamond. Besides, it is very hard to cut the stone and loose minimum of its weight and retain the highest clarity and color grade. The beauty and quality of a diamond is described in terms of four characteristics: color, clarity, cut and carat. All of them are regulated by certificates from different laboratories.

The easiest way to distinguish a diamond from any other stone is to run the crystal over the glass. A real hard diamond will leave a scratch, but most softer stones (except topaz) cannot boast of this.

Moissanites

Moissanites are a very rare mineral composed of silicon carbide - SiC. It is very hard to find in nature that is why people have learnt how to make them artificially. They have the brilliance like a diamond and it is hard to notice the difference with an naked eye. It brought another boom to the scene of the jewelry market. Today, this artificial stone is often used in jewelry and serves as a budget substitute for real diamonds.

It is very difficult to find jewelry with real natural moissanite. And passing off this mineral as a diamond is not particularly profitable. This is because the prices per carat of one and the other gem of natural origin are practically equal, since moissanites are very rare, and nuggets with a diameter of more than 2 mm have not yet been found.

There is a reliable and simple method to distinguish a diamond from a moissanite. You will need:

1. White sheet of paper;
2. Bright flashlight;
3. Water;
4. A plastic transparent lid or other small container, also transparent.

Place the paper on the table. Place the lid on the paper and add water to it. Dip stones into the water. Hold the flashlight on top so that the crystal reflections are clearly visible on the paper. The sparkles from the diamonds will remind you of the flame of a gas burner on a home stove. And moissanites will give long beams with a multi-colored overflow of the spectrum.

Phianites

Phianites or cubic zirconia is an artificial stone, zirconium dioxide ZrO2. According to their external data, phianites practically do not differ from diamonds. They have a wonderful white color, amazing brilliance, but they are much cheaper compared even to synthetic diamonds. It is said to be the perfect diamond imitation.

Phianites has two significant disadvantages:

1. Low hardness, due to which it loses its shine, scratches and chips.
2. The relatively low refractive index, that is why light can often be seen through the faceted stone. It gives the impression that you are holding a glass counterfeit in your hands. A well-cut diamond or moissanite does not allow light to pass through, allowing full internal light reflection.

Another remarkable feature of cubic zirconias is that you can visually read small letters through them. To do this, take the same magnifying glass and place a stone over the letters. Look through the magnification. If you see printed symbols, then you are the owner of cubic zirconia, and if not, you have a diamond.

We hope that the article has revealed to you the secret of how to distinguish a diamond from other stones and with this information you will be more confident when buying diamond jewelry. Wearing moissanite or phianite in everyday jewelry is a rather practical move. After all, losing an earring with these stones is not as sorry as losing an earring with a diamond. But is it really so worthy then as diamonds?