There are antique cushion cut options available right now with no waiting! Well maybe a week or two for them to get cut. JYB Jewels and Schubachs are offering them and you can choose your stone size exactly and your culet size too. Dare I say they are even cheaper then Diamonna and the quality is just as good! Oh yes and I believe JuliaB is cutting them too. So lots of options!!
Diamonna?
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I am getting so confused....looks like they are just calling them Moissanite (at least that is all I see on Schubachs). I was getting the impression that the Diamonna is more like the Amora Gem in it's makeup. I know deep down they are all Moissanite but I was thinking there was a difference in the carbon between Moissy and what is now called Amora. I have a Moissy FB and am not in love with it. I was sooooo looking forward to the Amora. My FB, while it fools my friends, just looks yellow and wrong to me. I want to replace my E-ring diamond with something larger but it has to be totally believable. Sigh....
No worries @Sparkle!mom It is kinda confusing especially with everyone trying to make their gemstones seem "special". There are two polytypes of moissanite (also called SiC in the industry), 6H and 4H, that are being cut and polished into gemstones out of over 200+ different polytypes. C&C's Forever Classic and Forever Brilliant are made from the 6H polytype and these stone will never be truly colorless they lack the correct bandgap. However stones made from the 4H polytype can actually be colorless and internally flawless. Amora Gem, C&C Forever One, Diamonna, Neo, Harro, Schubach's Radience, JYB's ENV, Supernova, JHollywood's custom, JuliaB's custom, and I am sure the list will continue on, are all made from 4H polytype moissanite. Amora Gem really had the jump on things starting way early in the R&D and really made it seem like Amora Gems were something different, but once C&C's patent ran out and the market was opened up to anyone being able to sell moissanite, well the curtain was really pulled back and it revealed that all these "new" stones are really the same thing, 4H polytype moissanite. Now, just like there is quality in diamonds, there is quality in moissanite and you want to make sure that you are dealing with a company that buys the highest quality 4H polytype moissanite rough for their stones. If you don't feel confident in evaluating a stone on your own for color and clarity then buying from a company that has their stones graded by a reputable gem lab is your best option for getting the stone that you want. You will pay a premium for the grading report but you will have piece of mind. I hope this helps clear things up for you. It really is an exciting time to be in the market for moissanite!!
WOW Brit-That really helps. I was on JYB's website and couldn't believe how white their stones look! I am also so excited that I now can feel confident buying something other than Amora. I really was giving up! For me, it is all about the color. I just can't get past the yellow tinge of the old Moissanite (even the Forever Brilliant). I love the August Vintage but I my eye really can't tell the difference between a good Antique Cushion and an August Vintage. I just like the chunky facets, that's as far as I know. Does MoissaniteCO have any 4H Moissy's? I have two rings from them and I would love to swap out the stones.
@Sparkle!mom I would say take your time and start really looking at the ACC, they can be very different in cut. But then again I am an old cut NUT! I was looking at two of JYB's two of cuts for ACC and they were so different and I was going to pop her an email about it. She is super sweet and will give you her all.
And YES I totally forgot MoCo! They do have 4H polytype in their own brand and in Forever One but they are not offering old cuts or custom cuts yet. And @kashmira10 I believe that they are grading their own brand, but its not like they publish their reports on them so you can choose, you get what they send you and then you have the option of saying yes or no, I believe. Get yourself a really familiar with an Imagem Moissanite Grading Certificate, so far to me it is the best report you can get on a moissanite gemstone. See if you can request a stone that is as high as you can get in "excellent" range all they way around, this will give you some iece of mind that you are getting a good performer as well as the color and clarity range you are targeting. Fire and Brilliance is the only one offering the imagem reports with the stones online so you can choose the one you want, but I believe it is only for Forever One stones as of now, well that and Amora Gems with their reports, not Imagems though because they do not want to give away their cut angles, but I think that is becoming a non issue really quick. I don't think Diamonna does. I went and rechecked their website but did not see anything about it. Maybe a Diamonna owner will chime in if they do.
Oh and @Sparkle!mom if you would like some help seeing the differences in ACC/AVC cuts, I more than happy to help, I LOVE talking cuts!!!! SQEEE!!!!
And YES I totally forgot MoCo! They do have 4H polytype in their own brand and in Forever One but they are not offering old cuts or custom cuts yet. And @kashmira10 I believe that they are grading their own brand, but its not like they publish their reports on them so you can choose, you get what they send you and then you have the option of saying yes or no, I believe. Get yourself a really familiar with an Imagem Moissanite Grading Certificate, so far to me it is the best report you can get on a moissanite gemstone. See if you can request a stone that is as high as you can get in "excellent" range all they way around, this will give you some iece of mind that you are getting a good performer as well as the color and clarity range you are targeting. Fire and Brilliance is the only one offering the imagem reports with the stones online so you can choose the one you want, but I believe it is only for Forever One stones as of now, well that and Amora Gems with their reports, not Imagems though because they do not want to give away their cut angles, but I think that is becoming a non issue really quick. I don't think Diamonna does. I went and rechecked their website but did not see anything about it. Maybe a Diamonna owner will chime in if they do.
Oh and @Sparkle!mom if you would like some help seeing the differences in ACC/AVC cuts, I more than happy to help, I LOVE talking cuts!!!! SQEEE!!!!
Yes, I would love to get your opinion on the different antique cuts and who's you like best! As far as ACC go, I think the only thing I don't like are those with larger culets. I liked the look of the AVC because the facets looked chunkier than most and the culet didn't look huge. But like you said, the cut thing is going to become a non issue soon since there are so many companies now offering Amora alternatives.
I think I am going to contact MoCo. I have the bella ring with a non enhanced moissy from years ago. It is a simple round so perhaps they will swap the stone and it will be a good way for me to compare. Also an affordable option for now. I also have a nice 3 stone from them in rounds but I would want to replace them with an antique round cut so I guess i have to either wait or shop somewhere else for that.
I think I am going to contact MoCo. I have the bella ring with a non enhanced moissy from years ago. It is a simple round so perhaps they will swap the stone and it will be a good way for me to compare. Also an affordable option for now. I also have a nice 3 stone from them in rounds but I would want to replace them with an antique round cut so I guess i have to either wait or shop somewhere else for that.
@Sparkle!mom Just want to let you know I was not ignoring you, it has been a super crazy week and I haven't had much forum time.
After doing a lot of research, I found out the girdle for the diamonna or diamelia is thicker and polished. The Amora gem is faceted just like a diamond and I believe the AG is the only gem with specs close to a diamond. Does anyone know if this is visible to the naked eye? Do you have pictures of the diamelia's girdle?
Hanna, my Diamelia is in storage until September, but if you don't get any other photos before then I would be happy to take some for you.
I knew that the Diamelia girdle was smooth not faceted before I purchased mine. It was explained that although moissanites are very hard and strong, they do occasionally chip. And when they chip, they often chip at the girdle because of the faceting. Thus, Gold and Gems chose a smooth-girdle design that makes the stone less likely to chip.
I have never looked at my Diamelia and thought, "Well it's very lovely except for that massively prominent smooth girdle." It is not noticeable to me in the least. If someone were just casually looking at your ring with the naked eye, I would be astonished if they zeroed in on the girdle as a telltale identifier of a non-diamond.
And that might be the underlying issue of your post, whether the Diamelia can "pass" as a diamond. Diamelia and Amora are not diamond simulants, they are diamond alternatives. And in my opinion, whether you end up choosing the smooth-girdled or the faceted-girdled brand, they are both superior alternatives to diamond in every way that matters to me: brilliance, fire, carat weight equivalence for the price, and socio-political responsibility. I am proud to explain to anyone who notices my ring that Diamelia is its own gem, not a fake I'm trying to pass off as a diamond.
I knew that the Diamelia girdle was smooth not faceted before I purchased mine. It was explained that although moissanites are very hard and strong, they do occasionally chip. And when they chip, they often chip at the girdle because of the faceting. Thus, Gold and Gems chose a smooth-girdle design that makes the stone less likely to chip.
I have never looked at my Diamelia and thought, "Well it's very lovely except for that massively prominent smooth girdle." It is not noticeable to me in the least. If someone were just casually looking at your ring with the naked eye, I would be astonished if they zeroed in on the girdle as a telltale identifier of a non-diamond.
And that might be the underlying issue of your post, whether the Diamelia can "pass" as a diamond. Diamelia and Amora are not diamond simulants, they are diamond alternatives. And in my opinion, whether you end up choosing the smooth-girdled or the faceted-girdled brand, they are both superior alternatives to diamond in every way that matters to me: brilliance, fire, carat weight equivalence for the price, and socio-political responsibility. I am proud to explain to anyone who notices my ring that Diamelia is its own gem, not a fake I'm trying to pass off as a diamond.
Hi Ada,
Moissanite from Charles and Colvard definitely is prone to chipping at the girdle but not at all for the reasons Gold and Gems is saying. Moissanite was and is cut with very thin girdles (thinner girdles = less rough used = cheaper to make) and thin girdles are inherently chip prone. Moissanite never has a faceted girdle, so faceting has nothing to do with "making it more prone to chip", otherwise Moissanite would not have had so many chipping problems.
Any very thin girdle is prone to chipping - moissanite, diamond, etc. You have a very thin area with a lot pressure potentially hitting it from the prongs or during wear. It should be no surprise that a thin fine line (very thin girdle) is less tough than a thicker one (thin-medium girdle).
To claim that polished is more chip resistant than faceting is just sly marketing to explain why their cutters don't do the more time consuming step of faceting the girdle.
If faceting increased chip risk I assure you the most valuable diamonds such as H&A round diamonds, would not all come with faceted girdles.
But all H&A diamonds do have faceted girdles and no issues with chip risk.
Customers can decide if they want their diamond alternative to be the same as H&A diamonds (fully faceted, Amora) or the same as CZ (polished, Moissanite, etc.) but to try and claim they are not faceting to make it more chip resistant is pure spin on producing a stone more cheaply. Contact any H&A diamond vendor and ask if they think polishing their girdles would be an improvement over faceting
Hope that helps,
Less
Moissanite from Charles and Colvard definitely is prone to chipping at the girdle but not at all for the reasons Gold and Gems is saying. Moissanite was and is cut with very thin girdles (thinner girdles = less rough used = cheaper to make) and thin girdles are inherently chip prone. Moissanite never has a faceted girdle, so faceting has nothing to do with "making it more prone to chip", otherwise Moissanite would not have had so many chipping problems.
Any very thin girdle is prone to chipping - moissanite, diamond, etc. You have a very thin area with a lot pressure potentially hitting it from the prongs or during wear. It should be no surprise that a thin fine line (very thin girdle) is less tough than a thicker one (thin-medium girdle).
To claim that polished is more chip resistant than faceting is just sly marketing to explain why their cutters don't do the more time consuming step of faceting the girdle.
If faceting increased chip risk I assure you the most valuable diamonds such as H&A round diamonds, would not all come with faceted girdles.
But all H&A diamonds do have faceted girdles and no issues with chip risk.
Customers can decide if they want their diamond alternative to be the same as H&A diamonds (fully faceted, Amora) or the same as CZ (polished, Moissanite, etc.) but to try and claim they are not faceting to make it more chip resistant is pure spin on producing a stone more cheaply. Contact any H&A diamond vendor and ask if they think polishing their girdles would be an improvement over faceting
Hope that helps,
Less
Hi Ada,
Moissanite from Charles and Colvard definitely is prone to chipping at the girdle but not at all for the reasons Gold and Gems is saying. Moissanite was and is cut with very thin girdles (thinner girdles = less rough used = cheaper to make) and thin girdles are inherently chip prone. Moissanite never has a faceted girdle, so faceting has nothing to do with "making it more prone to chip", otherwise Moissanite would not have had so many chipping problems.
Any very thin girdle is prone to chipping - moissanite, diamond, etc. You have a very thin area with a lot pressure potentially hitting it from the prongs or during wear. It should be no surprise that a thin fine line (very thin girdle) is less tough than a thicker one (thin-medium girdle).
To claim that polished is more chip resistant than faceting is just sly marketing to explain why their cutters don't do the more time consuming step of faceting the girdle.
If faceting increased chip risk I assure you the most valuable diamonds such as H&A round diamonds, would not all come with faceted girdles.
But all H&A diamonds do have faceted girdles and no issues with chip risk.
Customers can decide if they want their diamond alternative to be the same as H&A diamonds (fully faceted, Amora) or the same as CZ (polished, Moissanite, etc.) but to try and claim they are not faceting to make it more chip resistant is pure spin on producing a stone more cheaply. Contact any H&A diamond vendor and ask if they think polishing their girdles would be an improvement over faceting
Hope that helps,
Less
Moissanite from Charles and Colvard definitely is prone to chipping at the girdle but not at all for the reasons Gold and Gems is saying. Moissanite was and is cut with very thin girdles (thinner girdles = less rough used = cheaper to make) and thin girdles are inherently chip prone. Moissanite never has a faceted girdle, so faceting has nothing to do with "making it more prone to chip", otherwise Moissanite would not have had so many chipping problems.
Any very thin girdle is prone to chipping - moissanite, diamond, etc. You have a very thin area with a lot pressure potentially hitting it from the prongs or during wear. It should be no surprise that a thin fine line (very thin girdle) is less tough than a thicker one (thin-medium girdle).
To claim that polished is more chip resistant than faceting is just sly marketing to explain why their cutters don't do the more time consuming step of faceting the girdle.
If faceting increased chip risk I assure you the most valuable diamonds such as H&A round diamonds, would not all come with faceted girdles.
But all H&A diamonds do have faceted girdles and no issues with chip risk.
Customers can decide if they want their diamond alternative to be the same as H&A diamonds (fully faceted, Amora) or the same as CZ (polished, Moissanite, etc.) but to try and claim they are not faceting to make it more chip resistant is pure spin on producing a stone more cheaply. Contact any H&A diamond vendor and ask if they think polishing their girdles would be an improvement over faceting
Hope that helps,
Less
Hanna, with embarrassment I retract the beginning section of my post about the smooth girdle, but stand by the end part about feeling proud to wear a diamond alternative.
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