Identifying a Moissanite From Diamond in a Few Easy Steps
Charles & Colvard moissanite with an authenticity card and “lifetime” warranty.
Back in the late 90’s, synthetic moissanite was introduced into the jewelry market as a cheaper alternative for diamond. But what really is moissanite and how did it came about?
In its natural form, moissanite is scientifically known as silicon carbide (SiC) and is very rare in quantity.
Currently, Charles & Colvard is the largest supplier of synthetic moissanite in the world. Besides holding exclusive patents to creating them in the laboratory, Charles & Colvard also operates specialized labs where they cut and polish the rough stones. The polished moissanite stones are then distributed via jewelry stores and retailers on the Internet.
As an avid gemstone collector, I purchased a 0.50 carat moissanite for my personal studies and this has allowed me to capture some interesting photographs to share with readers.
In this write up, I’m also going to show you how to identify a moissanite gemstone easily with a 10X loupe.
Why Did So Many People Get Fooled?
Moissanite vs diamond side by side comparison.
Moissanite has been marketed as a low-cost option for a diamond engagement ring due to its appearance and diamond-like properties in clarity & hardness. Because of the massive differences in value, unethical people can take advantage of moissanite by misrepresenting them as real diamonds.
When moissanite first hit the market, there were numerous stories of consumers and jewelers (yes, even the professionals!) who got caught in a web of deception and scams. You see, unlike other diamond stimulants, most of the tests conducted with basic gemological equipment cannot detect differences between a moissanite and a diamond.
As a consumer, how are you going to protect yourself when you are buying a diamond ring? And if you are shopping for a moissanite engagement ring, how do you know that you received a real moissanite instead of a CZ stone?
I am going to share with you an easy method of telling moissanites apart from real diamonds. It doesn’t require any state of the art equipment or expensive tools. All you need is a 10X loupe and a keen eye for details.
Does a Diamond Tester Work?
Diamond testers offer a quick and easy way for laypeople to test their diamond jewelry for authenticity. However, most diamond testers in the market utilize a heat probe to identify a diamond based on its heat conductivity.
While such diamond testing equipment will work for most types of diamond simulants, they cannot differentiate moissanite from a diamond because both of these gemstones have similar thermal properties. As a result, the diamond will return a false positive result and you can see this in the video below.
Doubling View of Moissanite Caused by Refraction of Light
Unlike many other types of diamond simulant, moissanite displays an optical effect called double refraction. This means that when a light ray enters the gemstone, it is slowed down, bent and split into two light rays.
The best way to observe this effect is to view the gemstone at an angle from the crown (bezel) facet. By bringing a 10X loupe and focusing on the culet through the bezel facet, you can check the gemstone for a “doubling facets” effect.
Inspecting a Moissanite For Its Distinctive Features
From the photograph above, you can see that there is a “secondary blurred image” caused by the double refraction property of moissanite. This is indicated by the red arrows and is a tell tale sign the gemstone is definitely NOT a diamond.
Doubling is a sure way to distinguish Moissanite from diamond.
The test should be repeated again by varying the angle of tilt and observation of the culet through the crown facets. If the doubling effect shows up again, this should confirm your suspicion that the gemstone is NOT a diamond.
Inspecting a Diamond’s Facet Junction Upclose
When viewed through the bezel facet, the reflections of the pavilion facets of the diamond should be crisp and sharp. Notice how there is only a single reflection as opposed to a blurry look seen in moissanite?
To confirm the test, you should tilt the diamond and try to inspect the stone from another angle. If the experiment gives you similar results, then it should be pretty safe to conclude that the stone you are currently viewing has a single refraction property.
Note that this test is only applicable for differentiating diamonds from moissanite or gemstones with doubling properties. In order to differentiate diamond from other simulants such as cubic zirconium with high accuracy, all you need is a simple diamond testing tool (~$15).
With all that said, here’s the most important tip for you to take back. When you are shopping for diamond jewelry, make sure you only buy diamonds that are been graded by GIA or AGS. This is the best method to protect yourself in an expensive transaction as fraud could sometimes be deliberate or accidental.
For further peace of mind, you might want to consider an inspection by a 3rd party appraiser regardless of all the “certifications” or documents that already come with the purchase.
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18 Comments
There are anomalous instances of double refraction in diamonds, so to use as a positive test for not being a diamond is untrue.
Nope. Unless science has been changed or you invented a new “diamond” material, diamond ONLY displays a single refraction.
Hi Paul,
You have made every interesting post about moissanite and diamonds. Thanks for this write-up. :)
Without using a moissanite diamond tester or a loupe, can you tell the difference between moissanite and diamond?
It is possible if you have sufficient experience. The fire exhibited by moissanite can sometimes look “oily” and over exaggerated. Think of it like looking at a thin layer of oil on a water surface where you see rainbow colors reflecting off the surface. This is due to the double refractive index of moissanite.
But to be safe and accurate, all you need to do is to pick up a loupe and look at the gemstone’s facet for signs of double refraction. I’ve actually written an indepth guide of a comparison between moissanite vs diamond that you may want to check out.
Great article! I facet stones as a side business and wanted to obtain some quality rough. Aside from the optical properties, may one use a diamond multi tester to determine if someone is trying to pass a moissanite off as a diamond? Thanks…
Are there any other substitute of diamonds except CZ or Moissanite?
If this is true…what are CVD diamonds. are these same as moissanite?
There are plenty of diamond simulants in the market. CZ just happen to be the cheapest alternative among them. Moissanite is harder but it is about 10-20 times more expensive than CZ. As for CVD diamonds, they are REAL diamonds and made in the lab via chemical vapor deposition. CVD diamonds are definitely NOT moissanite.
Can’t i recognize a moissanite from the girdle? What about moissanite fluorescence? Do they look the same under black light like a diamond?
Looking at the girdle really doesn’t help from an analysis point of view. If you are referring to inscriptions, anyone can perform laser inscriptions to fool consumers if they wanted to. However, the material differences cannot be changed and the double refraction property is a signature of moissanite. That is the most reliable way to identify it with certainty.
Moissanite does not have fluorescence and is usually inert when it is placed under a UV light. In very rare cases, moissanite can display orange fluorescence. On the other hand, diamonds can fluoresce in almost any color. Blue is the most common fluorescence color for a diamond because of their nitrogen centers which are abundant in nature.
Does this work for rough diamonds (that have a ‘window’ on the side)? If not, how can you know a rough stone testing as a diamond is actually one?
The double refraction test doesn’t work for rough diamonds and will only be seen in faceted gemstones. For rough stones, there are alot of other tests that can be used reliably like inclusion identification, spectroscopy in addition to the simple heat probe test.
This demonstration is 100% baloney, as evidenced by the fact that ALL of the reflections in the photos that are meant to depict man-made stones have been blurred!!!!! The photos that are supposed to show the genuine diamond are dark and sharp, while the ones supposedly showing non-diamonds are very brightly lit and blurred…TRUE comparisons have value ONLY if the lighting conditions and clarity are IDENTICAL for the items being compared.
These images were taken under the same lighting conditions. That’s how a moissanite looks like in a correctly focused photograph. The image isn’t blurred, it’s caused by light refraction and how the light behaves when they interact with diamond/moisannite. I noticed that you used a Dr salutation and this topic is just basic physics and science. It’s not something that’s hard to verify with a simple scientific observation. Go take a loupe and examine a moissanite for yourself.
Thanks for the info. Interesting, but I was looking for a different type of information when I searched. Do you happen to know whether one can distinguish between a CZ and a moissanite with a loupe?
You can look at the surface or edges of the CZ for abrasion. CZ is relatively soft and can get damaged easily compared to diamonds. And Most CZ stones are cut with garbage cut quality where there is bad symmetry in the facets. The easier way is to buy a diamond probe tester which utilizes the principle of heat transfer to test for CZ stones. You can get them on Amazon or eBay for around $20-$100.
I’ve been told that if a diamond is cut with a high Crown or with thick griddle it could have little double refraction. Are modern Diamonds cut different from diamonds cut 1970-80s ? Are they cut today to eliminate any double refraction ?
Nope. That isn’t true. Diamond is a singly refractive material and will not show double refraction (even if they are cut with high crowns).
Paul’s comments are spot on. As far as focus on some of the photos; the areas are magnified digitally, and that can lead to apparent blurring of the area in question. With some manipulation you can definitely see sharper edges of the double refraction. If you don’t know how to view them and what you are looking for, you could easily miss the double refraction. One thing you will notice is that moissanite tend to be less included than typical natural diamonds.
Having them in water with bright light will show the “oily” spectrum separation and much wider length of refraction.