I love diamonds! What girl doesn’t! After learning about the different types of diamonds on the market, here is why I chose a moissanite and lab-grown diamond ring! 

By: Victoria Black – Founder of Modern Wedding

Posted: August 11, 2022

WHAT EXACTLY IS MOISSANITE? HOW DOES IT DIFFER TO A LAB-GROWN DIAMOND?…

As founder of Modern Wedding magazine, I have had the opportunity to work with many of Australia’s finest jewellers so when it came time for choosing a very special ring to celebrate my milestone birthday along with our 30th wedding anniversary I was overwhelmed by choices…

• Shall I get a natural diamond ring?
• What about lab-grown diamonds?
• Should I check out moissanite as I know it is a fabulous alternative?

And so I commenced my own research into the questions most brides are now asking…What exactly is moissanite? How does it differ to a lab grown diamond? And why would you consider them over a natural diamond?

LET’S GO RING SHOPPING…

I visited Australia’s pioneers in moissanite and lab grown diamonds, Moi Moi Fine Jewellery, completely incognito at first. I wanted to make the right decision for me so I didn’t let on who I was whilst shopping around. Their store in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney is spectacular and they have a vast array of beautiful designs from classical simplicity through to luxurious, dazzling large stones. Moi Moi only sells SUPERNOVA Moissanite, the very best quality moissanite you can get so I knew it was a great place to start my ring journey!

A “BOBBY DAZZLER” DIAMOND…

They won me over straight away with their lab-grown pink diamond collection – anyone who knows me knows I am a huge pink fan! Natural certified pink diamonds are the most expensive diamonds on the market ranging in price from $30,000 to $100,000 per carat, 20 times the price of a white diamond! A tad out of my budget, so lab-grown is an excellent alternative.

So my decision was made that my ring would contain some pink diamond accents. I also knew I wanted the centre stone to resemble a “bobby-dazzler” white diamond. But what do I choose? moissanite? lab-grown? It was time to get professional advice.

I met with the gorgeous Lauren Chang Sommer, who along with her sister Alana, started Moi Moi 18 years ago. Lauren was looking for earrings for her own wedding day and discovered there was no moissanite in Australia, so the sisters launched their new business calling it Moi Moi, which means little sister in Cantonese. They were the first to bring both moissanite and lab-grown diamonds to Australia. I asked Lauren to explain to me what exactly is moissanite and how does it differ to lab-grown?

QUICK SCIENCE LESSON…

Moissanite was discovered from particles derived from a meteorite that crashed into the Arizona desert fifty thousand years ago. The impact of the meteorite formed crystals from heat and pressure.

Fun fact: The mineral form of Silicon Carbide was named Moissanite in honour of Dr Moissan, a French chemist and Nobel prize-winner who discovered the particles in 1893.

Moissanite in its natural form is obviously too rare to be accessible for fine jewellery so now modern technology has enabled this to be recreated in a lab. The technology is getting more and more refined, so now SUPERNOVA Moissanite is the best and brightest. In fact, moissanite has even more lustre than a natural diamond.

A lab-grown diamond on the other hand is identical to a mined diamond in terms of chemical composition. A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond. It has the same crystal structure, composition, physical and optical characteristics of mined diamonds. Therefore, it displays the same fire, scintillation, and sparkle.

Another Fun Fact: The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the leading US consumer body, has ruled in 2018 that a diamond is a diamond no matter the origin.

They are graded the same as natural diamonds, they are also inscribed and come with certification. Even De Beers now sell lab-grown diamonds. It’s almost impossible to tell the difference.

HOW DO THE PRICES COMPARE?…

For a 2 carat stone:

• A 2 carat Round Brilliant, natural diamond is approximately $45,000+
• The equivalent lab-grown would be around $8,800 (75 – 80% less)
• A moissanite would be $1,250 (more than 90% less).

Hmmm…pretty convincing on the affordability scale! Plus the lab-grown alternative is conflict free and more environmentally friendly. They do not negatively impact the environment compared to mining a diamond!

SO WHAT DID I DECIDE ON FOR MY OWN RING?…

Well, the great thing is you can actually mix it up and I chose a combination of moissanite and lab-grown. Lauren helped me design this stunning 18K White Gold and 18K Rose Gold with a 3.11ct SUPERNOVA Moissanite Oval accented by Round Pink lab-grown diamonds. Total carat weight 3.90tcw.

By choosing moissanite as the centre stone we kept the price down and the impact factor to the max! Needless to say, I am over the moon with my new ring and get countless comments from admirers every day!

So what do you think, beautiful hey? I don’t see lab-grown as a compromise – I see it as a smart choice!

For more information on moissanite and lab-grown diamonds visit Moi Moi Fine Jewellery here!