Diamonds, the traditional birthstone for April, have often been considered "a girl's best friend," but there are several excellent alternatives for Diamonds available to choose from that can be used as a substitute. When shopping for gemstones at a trade show, I tend to search for clear, colorless, alternative stones with excellent refractive properties that are also reasonably priced.
Historically, Diamonds have been mined from the earth. However, modern technology has allowed for the creation of Diamondsin a laboratory setting, resulting in a nearly flawless stone with fewer inclusions and a lower price point than mined Diamonds.
White Zircon, a natural mineral and not to be confused with Cubic Zirconia, which is a lab-generated stone, has a striking resemblance to Diamonds in terms of appearance, with a lustrous and sparkling quality. Zircon comes closer to resembling Diamonds than any other natural gem However, it is relatively fragile, scoring 6-7.5 on the hardness scale.
Below are comparisons of White Topaz and Moissanite and you can see how very similar they are to Diamonds in color and brilliance yet at a lower price point.
White Topaz is a natural gem with a hardness of 8 rather than the 10 of a Diamond. It’s a more affordable alternative to colorless Diamonds as it refracts light in a similar way but is a little less vibrant. However, White Topaz requires more upkeep and cleaning to keep it sparkly.
Moissanite is a naturally occurring silicon carbide and is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893. Today, because of its rarity, it is not mined but only lab created. Moissanite gained popularity as buyers appreciated its equivalent beauty, durability, and reasonable cost. Colored Moissanite is very popular and light icy blue is a very preferred color. Consumers and sometimes even jewelers have difficulty telling Moissanite apart from Diamonds.
Overall, clear stones can make a stunning addition to any piece of jewelry and offer a range of options for those who prefer a neutral or classic look.
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