You’re at the right place if you’re looking for an in-depth comparison between morganite and moissanite stones. Read on!
In this guide, we’ll be exploring everything you need to know about morganite and moissanite stones. We’ll also be answering some of the most frequently asked questions about these two gemstones including:
- Are natural morganite stones readily available?
- Which one between morganite and moissanite is more expensive?
- Are morganite stones best suited for engagement rings?
Morganite Vs Moissanite
Key Differences between Morganite and Moissanite Stones
Here are some of the main differences between morganite and moissanite stones:
- Morganite stones are more susceptible to damage while moissanite is ideal for every day wear.
- Morganite stone colors can be untreated while moissanite stones in fancy colors are always treated.
- Morganites are natural gemstones while moissanite stones are manmade.
- Traditionally, morganite is lavender or peachy pink while moissanite comes in different pink hues and can also be colorless.
Origin – Morganite Vs Moissanite
Morganite
Morganite is a natural gemstone in a peachy pink color that was discovered in Madagascar in 1960. It’s a mineral species known as beryl. You’ve probably heard about other beryl varieties like aquamarine and emerald.
Tiffany & Co. is one of the most popular fine jewelry brands that introduced this peachy pink gemstone into the market. Fine colored gemstones come from specific areas but the most beautiful ones are available in different locations.
Morganite stones are not quite common. They’re mainly found in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, United States, Namibia, Mozambique, China and Russia among others. Peachy pink morganite varieties usually grow in larger crystals like its counterparts. Surprisingly, morganite in larger carat sizes are relatively cheap as compared to small morganite gemstones. The value decreases at around 20 carats.
Generally, Brazil produces some of the best quality gemstones. They are usually one of the strongest pinks to salmon hued morganites. Natural morganites, on the other hand, are common although there are also heat treated morganite, simulated morganite and lab created morganite.
Moissanite
Moissanite gemstones are known as diamond simulants. For the most part, moissanite engagement rings are usually colorless. Fortunately, colorless moissanite gemstones can be treated to a different color.
Natural moissanites are quite rare. Assume that all moissanite rings available on the market are lab created. Henri Moissan, a French scientist, discovered the stone in a crater in 1893. These stones are also known as Space Diamond or Stardust because it was thought to be diamond.
Natural moissanites are as a result of a single meteorite collision on earth. In 1995, the jewelry industry discovered the use of large moissanite crystals for fine jewelry. At that time, Chee was a renowned company that developed moissanite crystals.
The Chee company along with Charles & Colvard, a jewelry retailer, combined efforts to produce a manufacture moissanite stone which was the first of its kind.
Currently, moissanite engagement rings are produced all over the world although they were first made in the United States of America.
Appearance – Morganite Vs Moissanite
Morganite
Morganite is available in different shades of pink ranging from peach to lighter pink hues. It’s usually described as salmon-orange pink hue most of the times. Pinkish purple hues of morganite are popular and can also occur but are hard to find.
Dark colored stones are not morganites but pink beryl. But still, most people out there are looking for dark colored morganites. Morganite has the highest color tone rating at 3. Don’t go for pale morganite since they’re probably fake.
Fake morganites are usually known as goshenite, the relatively cheap colorless beryl gemstone. However, the most preferred stones are pink morganites but some people usually go for peach color.
High quality morganites should always have flawless clarity just like aquamarine. Flawless morganite stones should be fairly priced. Diamonds have more sparkle and brilliance as compared to morganite engagement rings. However, this only happens for colorless diamonds and not colored stones.
Steer clear of diamonds rings with brilliant shapes. They usually reflect a lot of light which is ideal for white diamonds. However, it’s not best suited for showcasing morganite stone’s color. In this case, the best options are emerald cuts, cushion cuts and oval cuts.
Optical Treatments
If you’re looking for natural morganites available on the market, it would be best to ask about morganite stones treatment. By now, you already know that morganites can be either natural or treated. Untreated and natural morganites have inclusions which means they don’t need to be subjected to clarity treatment.
Heat treatments usually turn peach morganites to pink morganites. The color treatments are not reversible although you can alter them at extremely high temperatures. The heat helps remove yellow color from colored peach stones effectively while leaving behind pink hues.
Some color treatments give the gemstone in question a pink-orange shade. Besides, you can choose to irradiate morganite stones to enhance their color. However, you can never be too careful with irradiated gemstones as they tend to fade in some lighting.
Most buyers cannot tell the difference between natural morganite stones and the untreated ones.
Imitations and Synthetics
Lab created morganite stones exist and are quite affordable. However, most morganites in fine jewelry stores like Zales and Kay are natural. Some of the places with lab created morganite stones include eBay, Etsy and Amazon.
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Remember, both lab grown and synthetic morganite stones are authentic. Synthetic colored gemstones are as real as lab grown diamonds. Their optical, physical and chemical properties are similar to those of natural gemstone species.
There are a number of gemstones that can pass off as morganite stones. Cubic zirconia are relatively affordable manmade gemstones available in a range of colors. A light pink to peach cubic zirconia stone can also be an imitation of morganite.
Always buy your gemstones from a reputable retailer with a gem certificate to avoid buying fakes. Go through the descriptions thoroughly when buying online. For instance, words like created and synthetic means that the stone is lab grown. Words like simulant, imitation and morganite alternative, on the other hand, mean that the gemstone is question isn’t a morganite.
A gem certificate from a reputable gemological lab discloses any kind of treatment that the stone has been subjected to along with its genuinity.
Moissanite
As earlier mentioned, moissanite stones are the most popular diamond alternatives on the market. You can get hold of moissanite engagement rings anywhere in the world even though it’s a manmade gemstone. Most people love the brilliance and spark that come with moissanite stones.
The refractive index of a moissanite is higher than that of an actual diamond. The light performance of colorless moissanite engagement ring or anything close to colorless is usually compared to a typical disco ball. Moissanites reflect more white light than its counterparts with a brilliance that matches that of diamonds.
Colored moissanite stones are less popular especially as centre stones. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t exist. Scientists can make moissanite stones in different colors including a range of pink shades. Most pink moissanites are usually vivid pink in color unlike natural moissanite stones. However, you can still find light pink and peach moissanites.
Optical Treatments
You have to treat a moissanite stone for it to be a fancy-colored gemstone. You can achieve this by using the chemical vapor deposition method. It’s one of the methods used to produce lab created diamonds. This is usually done to yellow moissanites or tinted moissanites so that they can be marketed as fancy-colored gemstones.
The base of the gemstone features a bonding agent coating with a peach or pink coloring layer. When carefully examined, you’ll notice that the peachy-pink moissanite ring colored bottom appears all over the stone. However, it’s only at the bottom in real sense.
Imitations
Moissanite stones are usually referred to as diamond alternative or diamond imitation. This stone can also be imitated by other different semi-precious gemstones. There are a few popular moissanite stone imitations including white sapphire, white topaz, white zircon and cubic zirconia.
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Pink moissanite stones imitations can be pink cubic zirconia, rose quartz and pink sapphire among others. However, don’t think too much about landing on fake moissanite stones since colored moissanites per carat are relatively cheap. Check out the picture below of a pink cubic zirconia engagement ring that looks like morganite or pink moissanite.
Price – Morganite Vs Moissanite
Moissanite and morganite stones have different prices. However, they’re relatively cheap as compared to natural diamonds. For the most part, gemstones tend to follow a specific idea when it comes to quality. But that is not the case with moissanite stones.
The quality of moissanite stones is categorized into three – standard, premium and super premium moissanite. In this case, the super premium moissanite is not only the most colorless but also the best cut quality. However, colorless stones can appear tinted in lighting which is quite common with moissanite gems regardless of the quality.
A carat of untreated natural morganite stone costs hundreds of dollars. The price of morganite stones range from $100 to $200 per carat. Synthetic morganite stones, on the other hand, goes for less than $100 per carat.
A carat of colorless moissanite stone is more expensive than a morganite stone in the same size. The value of a moissanite stone depends on how close it resembles an authentic diamond. Super premium moissanite stones costs between $500 to $600 per carat.
You can get pink moissanite rings for less than $100 per carat. However, the price tends to increase in carat weights above 3 carats.
Value – Morganite Vs Moissanite
Moissanite rings and morganite engagement rings are both relatively cheap. However, the main question is how the two gemstones compare over time. The upfront cost might be cheaper but that doesn’t necessarily mean it outlasts more expensive ones.
Mohs hardness scale helps analyze the wearability of a gemstone, rating from 0 to 10 with the latter being the hardest stone. Natural diamonds and their lab created counterparts have a rating of 10 on Mohs scale.
One of the hardest minerals in the world is diamond. Moissanite rates at 9.5 on Mohs hardness scale which makes it the second hardest gem. Morganite stones are rated below diamonds and moissanites rating between 7.5 to 8.
Currently, most gemstone buyers understand the importance of a mineral’s hardness level. However, save for the hardness level, there are other different factors that affect the durability of a stone in the long run. Scratchability better describes the hardness level of a stone.
Hardness level of a mineral is typically how scratch resistant it is. Besides, dirt and dust in the air can also damage a gemstone. The dirt will not only scratch the stone but also alter its appearance, making it look a bit cloudy.
There are other different factors including fracture and gemstone cleavage. Most faceted stones usually have cleavage. The cleavage plane is an area within the crystal that splits when struck. Fracture also describes how a mineral tends to break on the cleavage plane exterior.
There are terms and levels for both cleavage and fracture. Moissanite comes highly recommended as the most viable domain alternative since they lack cleavage planes. Lab created and natural diamonds have cleavage planes.
Morganites have very distinct cleavage planes meaning they’re less likely to split but will instead fracture. Generally, both moissanite and morganite stones make excellent engagement rings. Morganites need extra care to keep them in their best shape. You might want to clean your morganite ring daily especially if you plan on wearing it every day.
Go for a protective setting like flush or bezel setting if you prefer a morganite engagement ring but have an active lifestyle. Moissanite stones whether colorless or pink require less maintenance as compared to morganite gemstones. They’re great in different settings.
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Our Pick – Morganite Vs Moissanite
A perfect engagement ring should be a reflection of you as a person or represent the love you and your partner share. Always go for a center stone that matches your budget without compromising on your taste.
With that said, moissanite engagement rings are better than morganite rings. Here’s why:
- Moissanites are hard gems like actual diamonds owing to their hardness and lack of cleavage. It holds up better in the long run.
- All moissanite stones are lab created. Plus, they aren’t treated save for giving it color.
- If you prefer pink or peach colored morganites and moissanites in colorless form, you can also obtain these colors in different moissanite stones at a cheaper price.
Moissanite and morganite loose stones from Brilliant Earth come highly recommended.