Diamonds, CZ, & Moissanite... What's the Difference Anyway?
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Diamonds and Simulants
Most diamonds used as gemstones are basically transparent with little tint, or white diamonds. Diamonds can occur in nearly any color, though yellow and brown are by far the most common. "Black" diamonds are not truly black, but rather contain numerous dark inclusions that give the gems their dark appearance. When the color is saturated enough in yellow or brown diamonds, a stone may be referred to as a fancy colored diamond by the gem trade, otherwise they are graded for color in the normal color range of white diamonds.
The most familiar diamond simulant to most consumers is cubic zirconia(commonly abbreviated as CZ); recently moissanite has also gained cachet but has often been mischaracterized as a diamond simulant. Both CZ and moissanite are synthetically produced. However CZ is a diamond simulant. Moissanite has different characteristics that make it not a diamond simulant. Diamond enhancements are specific treatments, performed on natural diamonds (usually those already cut and polished into a gem), which are designed to better the gemological characteristics of the stone in one or more ways. These include laser drilling to remove inclusions, application of sealants to fill cracks, treatments to improve a white diamond's color grade, and treatments to give fancy color to a white diamond
For More Information...
Wikipedia has some very helpful articles.
- Diamonds
- The diamond industry can be broadly separated into two basically distinct categories: one dealing with gem-grade diamonds and another for industrial-grade diamonds. While a large trade in both types of diamonds exists, the two markets act in dramatically different ways.
- Cubic Zirconia
- Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important diamond simulant since 1976. Its main competition as a synthetic gemstone is the more recently cultivated material synthetic moissanite.
- Moissanite
- In 1998, Charles and Colvard introduced jewelry-quality synthetic silicon carbide onto the market under the name "moissanite", marketing it as a lower-cost alternative to diamond. For example, a 1 carat (200 mg) moissanite gem sells for about $600 (2007 USD), while a diamond of similar size and color typically sells for $4500 or more.
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