Replica Diamonds

[Martyd3]

Thanks.

Marty

[spider87]

This has got me thinking, where can we get cheap diamond lookalikes? Like cz? The ones in like WalMart jewelry that full people... It would be fun lol

[pinnicca]

They are not worth the money. Unless you can get a hold of them at wholesale they are extremely overpriced. Now if you do have the lucky chance to get them at cost then they are a great stone. They have about 50% more sparkle then a diamond and is only a few point lower on the mohs hardness scale, with non of the internal flaws. Most people's mistake is to get too big of one and put it in a cheap looking mounting. Anything over 1ct will look fake. I'm a certified diamontologist so I had to go through all the training to spot fakes and what to look for. But, if you are looking for a good diamond "replica" then this is the best stone. One other thing to look out for is a lot of jewelers won't even work them. So hopefully you can do the work yourself, or can find a shop that will. if you have any detailed questions please feel free to ask:)

[Samurai]

Check out betterhandiamond.com. Also have a look @ a thread dedicated to this stuff over @ RG (under Posh's section).

[Noel Fleischer]

some of the 'scam sites' like BestSwiss and Ideal claim to use them, but who knows.

they're probably just CZ or crystals.

[wheaton26]

name that movie ...

Sol: No, it's a moissanite.

Bad Boy Lincoln: A what-a-nite?

Sol: A moissanite is an artificial diamond, Lincoln. It's Mickey Mouse, mate. Spurious. Not genuine. And it's worth ... [censored]-all.

[Utheman]

name that movie ...

Sol: No, it's a moissanite.

Bad Boy Lincoln: A what-a-nite?

Sol: A moissanite is an artificial diamond, Lincoln. It's Mickey Mouse, mate. Spurious. Not genuine. And it's worth ... [censored]-all.

Snatch

[egindele]

Snatch

A about a year ago, I spent several months researching diamonds, sapphires, and other gems. This was prompted by my daughter

[Martyd3]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

Marty

[jfreeman420]

I had an 8mm 2ct equivalent moissanite in a really nice, heavy 14k setting. I got more compliments on that ring than any other I have. I spent ust under $1k for the ring and it looked just like a $15,000 ring. If you can find a good deal on ebay moissanite is well worth it. I have had certified gemoligists look at it and test it and they could't tell the difference. I even had it in the pawn shop as a real diamond and when I got it sized they assumed it was genuine.

They are not worth the money. Unless you can get a hold of them at wholesale they are extremely overpriced. Now if you do have the lucky chance to get them at cost then they are a great stone. They have about 50% more sparkle then a diamond and is only a few point lower on the mohs hardness scale, with non of the internal flaws. Most people's mistake is to get too big of one and put it in a cheap looking mounting. Anything over 1ct will look fake. I'm a certified diamontologist so I had to go through all the training to spot fakes and what to look for. But, if you are looking for a good diamond "replica" then this is the best stone. One other thing to look out for is a lot of jewelers won't even work them. So hopefully you can do the work yourself, or can find a shop that will. if you have any detailed questions please feel free to ask:)

It is hard to believe you are a certified diamondologist because it sounds like you have no idea what you are talking about. Moissanites are made from carbon, the same as diamonds. They have the same chemical composition as diamonds. They have about the same hardness on the mohs scale. A few points lower would be talc. Moissanites are not perfect. The average clarity is g/h color and SI clarity.

The website betterthanadiamond.com is just overpriced cubic zirconias.

[spider87]

Where can I get cz for 0.50 for a 1 ct stone

[HauteHippie]

@egindele - nice informative second post!

PS... What exactly is going on in your avatar?

[egindele]

Where can I get cz for 0.50 for a 1 ct stone

I purchased 100 1ct CZ stones from Thailand. Here is the link: http://www.syntheticgems.org/

[egindele]

I had an 8mm 2ct equivalent moissanite in a really nice, heavy 14k setting. I got more compliments on that ring than any other I have. I spent ust under $1k for the ring and it looked just like a $15,000 ring.

I agree. The Moissanite rings look fantastic. To my eye, the CZ and the Moissanite materials are excellent. However, since Moissanite currently sells for 100's of time what CZ sells for, they are typically in expensive settings. CZ on the other hand is so inexpensive that they are typically mounted in very cheap settings.

I have had certified gemoligists look at it and test it and they could't tell the difference.

The early tests, and the least expensive in terms of test equipment, is using electrical conductivity. Moissanite is most likely an insulator like diamond. The more sophisticated tests use ultra violet light. It is even more difficult to test for a synthetic diamond. As such, the synthetic diamond manufactures have agreed to etch their name in the stone.

[egindele]

nice informative second post! PS... What exactly is going on in your avatar?

Thanks. The avatar I found by googling for "modern dance".

[HauteHippie]

I purchased 100 1ct CZ stones from Thailand. Here is the link: http://www.syntheticgems.org/

Wow, heart and arrow CZs!! I had no idea these existed, but I guess it makes sense.

[sammalone]

A ton of info and prices on pricescope.com ....be sure to use

http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

I'm also researching for the future Mrs. ....didn't realize how pricey this is gonna be

Good Luck!

[jfreeman420]

The early tests, and the least expensive in terms of test equipment, is using electrical conductivity. Moissanite is most likely an insulator like diamond. The more sophisticated tests use ultra violet light. It is even more difficult to test for a synthetic diamond. As such, the synthetic diamond manufactures have agreed to etch their name in the stone.

This is all true and they do now have equipment to test for synthetic stones, although due to the expense, not every jeweler has this equipment.

I do also want to stress the difference between moissanite and CZ. A moissanite will have imperfections just like a diamond. A CZ wll be perfect. The moissanite reflects light more like a diamond and a cz more like a prism. It is quite easy to tell a cz from a diamond with the naked trained eye at a distance even, while mossanite is much closer to the real thing. IMO, moissanite is well worth the money as long as you don't pay retail. The difference is like buying a $50 canal street rep or a 1:1 replica.

Keep in mind you can also find very god deals on diamonds if you know where to look. You average quality 1ct stone that retails for $6,000 can be purcased for around $1,200 to $1,500 wholesale. If you know how to buy you can always get the real deal.

[The Mentalist]

It is hard to believe you are a certified diamondologist because it sounds like you have no idea what you are talking about. Moissanites are made from carbon, the same as diamonds. They have the same chemical composition as diamonds. They have about the same hardness on the mohs scale. A few points lower would be talc. Moissanites are not perfect. The average clarity is g/h color and SI clarity.

That's not strictly true. Moissanites are crystalline silicon carbide, not pure carbon. And they are slightly less hard at about 9.25 on the Mohs scale. The name 'moissanite' is named after the chap who discovered their existence in nature not the guy who makes them. Moissanites are made by several companies worldwide. I'm not trying to be pedantic but it seems like you are calling out a guy on his knowledge and seem less informed than he is.