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CZ vs American Diamond vs Moissanite – Whats the difference?
Many people are confused by the terms American Diamond vs Moissanite vs CZ. In reality, American diamonds is a general name for man made synthetic gemstones which are similar in their hardness and sparkle / lustre / fire to natural diamonds. Cubic Zirconia (CZ) or Moissanite are both two different types of American Diamonds. Both are similar in sparkle and fire to natural diamonds (actually even a little better than natural diamonds) and almost as hard as diamonds, however as they are synthetically made, they are less rare and therefore less expensive as compared to natural diamonds. Cubic zirconia are also commonly referred to as Zircons.
Check out out video to compare American Diamond vs Moissanite vs CZ
American diamonds are also different from, and much much cheaper than Synthetic diamonds which are also available today. Synthetic diamonds are chemically identical to natural diamonds (Carbon based) but are made in laboratory conditions with very specialized equipment. American diamonds on the other hand are either zirconium di-oxide (CZ) or silicon carbide (Moissanite). Synthetic diamonds although much cheaper than Natural diamonds, are still much more expensive as compared to American diamonds.
Technical comparison of CZ vs Moissanite
Moissanite is 9.25 on the hardness scale commonly used by gemologists, which is almost similar to Diamonds which has a hardness between 9.5-10. CZ on the other had have a hardness of 8.5. Moisannite therefore are more durable, and less prone to breaking or chipping as compared to CZ. In terms of refraction index (RI), which determines the sparkle that a stone gives, Moissanite has an RI of 2.65 as compared to Diamond which has 2.42 and CZ which has 2.17. Therefore a moissanite can give an even greater sparkle than a Diamond.
The moissanite we use have a slight tint, whereas CZ are only available in pure white (D shade on the diamonds grading colour scale). Your choice depends on what kind of look you are going for. If you prefer a perfect white gemstone look, then CZ should be your choice. If you are looking for a slightly tinted colour which is closer in look to natural diamonds, then go for moissanite. Natural diamonds are also available in pure white colour (D, E, F shades) like CZ, but those diamonds are extremely highly priced, therefore the diamonds that the vast majority of people wear have a slight tint of colour (H, I, J shades) which makes the slightly tinted moissanite more realistic.
American diamonds are a great alternative to natural diamond jewellery at only a fraction of the price. Visually it is nearly impossible for a lay person to differentiate if a person is wearing a Natural diamond or an American diamond. While both Moissanite & CZ are significantly cheaper than Diamonds, Moissanites are generally more expensive than CZ. We have a good selection of regular wear silver jewellery set with american diamonds like rings, Classic Solitaire earrings and more. Click here to see our collection of American Diamond Jewellery
What is good quality gold plating?
Did you know that not all gold plating is the same?? Often a sales person tells you that “..this is Gold Plated jewellery”, and if you dont know the different types of gold plating, you might just end up buying an inferior quality item!
“Not all gold plating is created equal”
So first, lets understand what is gold plating?
Gold plating is a thin coating of real gold onto an item’s surface. In the case of jewellery, the item which is coated with gold is usually made of silver, referred to as gold plated silver jewellery, but it can also be made from other metals like brass, German silver etc.
What are the different types of gold plating?
Every gold plating has two parameters
- Thickness of coating, which is measured in micro-meter or microns.
- Purity of gold used for coating, measured in karat, from 12k to 24k, 24k being the purest.
We can create silver jewellery with gold plating of different purity, for example 14k – 22k, which creates different colours of the final platting as per designer’s choice. 22k gold (92.6% purity of gold) has a more deep yellow colour, as compared to 14k which will be more whitish / less yellow.
The thickness of the gold plating effects how long the gold plating lasts and keeps looking golden. This is the primary indicator of plating quality!
Correct names for different types of gold plating?
GOLD PLATED HEAVY GOLD PLATED / VERMEIL GOLD FLASHED / GOLD WASHED Thickness of gold layer (in microns) min. 0.5 microns 2.5 microns less than 0.5 microns Thinner coatings however (less than 0.5 microns) are also commonly misnamed as “gold plated” when actually they should be called “gold flashed” or “gold washed”. So beware of sales people who refer to gold flashed items as gold plated! And always ask to clarify the coating thickness before you buy gold plated silver jewellery, since now you know!
Gold plated silver jewellery can have further treatments (some safe, some unsafe) which can effect the longevity of the gold plating like nickel plating before gold plating or e-coating after gold plating. But those are subjects for another blog. Coming soon…
View this post on InstagramAll silver jewellery with gold plating sold on silvorna.com is min. 0.5micron gold plated and further treated with e-coating to enhance the longevity of the colour. Check out our collection of gold plated silver necklaces, gold plated silver earrings, gold plated silver rings & gold plated silver bracelets.
Wondering why you should choose to buy silver jewellery?
Silver jewellery is In!!
A plethora of movie stars like Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhat, Shraddha Kapoor, Malaika Arora and many others are turning to silver jewellery to accessorize in public appearances, which has popularized & glamorized jewellery in silver.
However, glamour aside, there are some great reasons that you should also be adding silver jewellery to your accessory collection.
Here are 6 reasons we feel silver jewellery trumps jewellery in any other metal!
High Quality Making
As silver is a soft precious metal like gold, it provides great ability to designers & manufacturers to design complex silver jewellery and execute those designs in high quality making & finish with greater detail.
Base metal jewellery does not offer the same quality of finish or making that Sterling silver jewellery does.
Large Variety in Designer silver jewellery
Good designers will always choose to work with silver over base metals as they can provide superior quality with 925 silver jewellery.
The softness of silver allows master craftsman to work silver by hand, which allows designers to experiment with large variety of limited quantity designs.
Therefore a large variety of latest designs, including limited edition silver jewellery, are always available in silver jewellery.
Affordability
Silver is a precious metal, like Gold. However unlike gold jewellery, you can buy silver jewellery more often and according to the latest trends & fashion or your current needs. You don’t need to think about it!
Health-wise Safe
Unlike base metal jewellery which uses metals like Zinc, Nickel, Brass etc. which can cause allergies, skin irritations or other health issues to the wearer, sterling silver jewellery is safe.
In fact, silver is now being used to make anti-microbial dressings for hospitals and in sports wear like socks!
NOTE: Always look for silver quality marking when you buy silver jewellery, or inquire about it if you are concerned.
Risk Free
We live in an un-safe world where chain snatching & thefts are not uncommon. Small jewellery can also get lost or left behind during vacations.
You will always feel risk free if you are wearing silver jewellery on your outings or carrying it when you are travelling.
Start a Collection Now!
Silver is a fairly inert metal and lasts a lifetime (several generations even).
Just like yesterday’s Vintage silver jewellery is no longer made today and has become rare & collectible, today’s latest silver jewellery designs will also not be available tomorrow.
So collect for its love & beauty today, and who knows it might become a valuable asset for you children & children’s children!
Check out our collection and buy silver jewellery online here.
