Let's Talk Diamonds, White Sapphires And Moissanites

Well Happy Birthday to me!💟🎉

I love gemstones, I think for the right reason. Not for their monetary value but for their connection to mother nature wherein they are created over billions of years ... combined with the modern artistry of wo/man whose skillful hands find, cut, and polish them to best show off their exquisite beauty.

For my birthday I got a set of the huge white gemstones I covet, namely a 4-carat brilliant-cut diamond eternity ring and matching 4-carat diamond stud earrings🤥 ... well to be truthful, not exactly diamond gemstones, but white sapphires. Remember my motto? First a dreamer, then a realistic!

Diamonds would cost a fortune, about $110,000+ for the diamond ring and around $33,000 for the stud earrings. Frankly, it's a foolish sum of money for a regular person to spend.

Although there are distinct differences in shine between diamonds and other white gemstones (a/k/a diamond alternatives) such as white sapphire and moissanite, the latter two are gorgeous substitutes for the wildly more expensive diamonds, so a gal won't have to hock her home nor do without her sparkle!

Photo: Italo Jewelry

White sapphire (corundum, a 9) and moissanite (silicon carbide, a 9.25) are right behind diamonds (carbon, a 10) on Moh's Scale of Mineral Hardness and therefore durable to set in rings. What follows are reasons you might consider white sapphire or moissanite over a diamond when buying a bigger stone ... and I'll briefly contrast their appearances.

The only reason to not buy a diamond is its greater expense IMHO. The big stones over 2 carats put too many zeros on a credit card which would send many of us into debt! In comparison to diamonds, white sapphire and moissanite gemstones are cheap, especially for a big size. All 3 white gemstones (diamonds, white sapphires, and moissanites) have a lovely sparkle, yet they sparkle differently.

In terms of brilliance (white sparkle) and fire (color sparkle), a diamond outshines white sapphires and has warmer flashes of light (a/k/a glitter; shine) than both white sapphires and moissanite which both have a cooler tone. Brilliant-cut diamonds have a rainbow of shine. White sapphires have a grey or silvery sparkle. Compared to diamonds, moissanite, too, has a cool, bluish brilliance and compared to white sapphires, more fire.

Don't buy a ring gemstone below an 8 in hardness if on a budget as you might have to replace it.

Moissanite's high refractive index (how light bends and passes through a stone) will make it sparkle across a room like no other gemstone, so if you're looking for a huge wow factor (like flashing people across a room😄), you can't go wrong with moissanite. 

Like diamonds, diamond alternatives can be either natural (white sapphire) or lab-grown (white sapphire and moissanite). There are enough white sapphires in nature to mine whereas moissanite is so rare that all moissanite in jewelry is lab-grown. Since white sapphires can be either natural or lab-grown, the seller is required to state which one you're buying. My birthday ring and stud earrings are lab-grown white sapphires, which doesn't bother me as I know what I'm getting for less money. Lab-grown gemstones are chemically and physically identical to the gemstones created in nature. They are less costly due to lower demand and production costs.

Each of the 3 gemstones has its own unique beauty. With a good stone cut and jewelry design, you'll enjoy wearing the less in-demand stones without going broke, and only a jeweler will detect which of the 3 is on your finger, neck, or ears. I'm getting loads of compliments and having fun with my great big blingy stones that don't cost a fortune!

Critics (usually people who sell diamonds) will tell you that white sapphires and moissanites don't hold their value like diamonds, but if you haven't paid an arm and a leg for them what do you care? What's more, jewelry isn't an investment as you'll rarely make but often lose money when reselling pieces. Luxuries, including jewelry, are things of beauty, never investments!

Another negative you'll hear is diamond alternatives look fake. But they don't if you expand your idea of beauty. Remember: I love all gemstones! White sapphire and moissanite only look fake if buyers try to pass them off as diamonds. They don't look fake as white sapphires and moissanites!! Girrrlll, can't we love all 3 stones!?🙂

Here's where I got my white sapphires. What's your favorite diamond alternative and why?

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