Diamond Nexus vs Moissanite: The Differences Explained

Diamond Nexus vs Moissanite

When it comes to looking for diamond alternatives, you have a lot of options available. Today, there are many affordable options that you can settle for.

Today, there are many styles and technology available that can help you select any gem that is both more affordable and eco-friendly.

Since diamonds have become very expensive today, there is a wide range of alternatives that you can look into.

Two of the most popular alternatives include the Moissanite and the Diamond Nexus.

In this article, we will talk about everything that you need to know about the two stones and which the best option for you is.

What Is Moissanite?

Made up of silicon carbide, Moissanite is a diamond simulant that has a very similar appearance to a naturally-mined diamond.

However, they are not real diamonds.

In fact, it is not easy to tell the differences between a real diamond and a Moissanite.

Due to these reasons, the Moissanites are considered one of the most common alternatives to real diamonds.

In fact, the Moissanite is often used as a gemstone for wedding ceremonies and engagements, with many people opting to buy moissanite engagement rings to save money.

This gemstone was first discovered by Henri Moissan, a scientist, inside a meteor crater in 1893. Henri Moissan thought of these gemstones as real diamonds.

Moissanite is a very rare gem and can take up to roughly two months to be created in a lab.

Does Moissanite Lose Its Shine And Sparkle?

As mentioned before, Moissanite is quite a superior type of gem that will always stay shiny, beautiful, and bright.

While even diamonds may end up losing their shine, a Moissanite will never lose its brilliance or sparkle, thanks to its particularly amazing refractive index and hardness.

Due to the extremely hard surface, Moissanite does have great reflective properties; additionally, these gems can easily withstand daily wear and tear without losing their shine and luster.

This is the reason why Moissanite is more popular than other types of diamond simulants, like Cubic Zirconia, etc.

Characteristics Of Moissanite

If you did not know already, the 4Cs for grading diamonds include carat, clarity, color, and cut.

These grades will help you understand the full value of the gem you are buying. Moissanites are also graded within these 4Cs.

They include:

1. Colors

Color is the natural body color of the gem when there is no light reflecting on the surface.

The colorless the gem, the higher is its rarity. This means that the stone will also have a higher value.

Typically, the standard GIA color grading scale for a diamond was never designed to grade Moissanite.

This is because the Moissanites carry undertones ranging from gray and yellow to green, unlike the fancy yellow, brownish, or colorless nature of diamonds.

The Moissanite is a very dispersive, brilliant, and beautiful jewel that creates a unique category within itself.

When you take a look at the diamond markets, you will notice only colorless Moissanites between grades D and F.

However, you will also find Moissanites lower than grades G, H, and I.

2. Clarity

The clarity of a diamond can be defined as how clear or clean a particular gemstone is as compared to its natural microscopic characteristics that have been trapped on the surface of the stone since its formation.

These characteristics are called inclusion or flaws. When visible on the surface of the stone, they are known as blemishes.

Since Moissanites are mostly made in labs, the entire process of maximizing the clarity grade can be controlled.

This means that most Moissanites you get in the market will have the highest clarity.

3. Cut

The cut of a gemstone does not refer to the stone’s shape; in fact, it has more to do with the balance of polish, symmetry, and proportion.

The extent of how well the stone has been cut will increase the overall beauty of the stone.

When cut in the most efficient manner, the ability of the stone to reflect and refract light increases greatly.

In most cases, Moissanite stones are mostly crafted by expert technicians to create the best spark and brilliance.

In most cases, you will find that Moissanite stones have a standard round cut. However, it is not impossible to see these stones in various other popular cuts.

4. Carat

Carat is the most traditional measuring unit for a diamond – 1 Carat = 200 milligrams (mm).

A carat is divided into 100 ‘points’, which means that if a diamond has a carat weight of 150 points, it means that the diamond will have 1.50 carats.

Moissanite gems are roughly 15-18% lighter than diamonds. While a 1-carat diamond will weigh roughly around 6.5mm.

On the other hand, a Moissanite gem weighing 6.5mm will have a carat value of 0.85 carats.

But the overall diameter size of both the stones will remain the same – 6.5mm.

What Are Some Benefits Of Moissanite?

While Moissanites are not considered ‘real diamonds’, they do have certain benefits and advantages that make them perfect alternatives to mined diamonds.

For instance, these stones are great choices for couples who are cost-conscious. Moissanites can be used as forever rings or even engagement rings.

Generally, these stones are priced based on their sizes or if they are colorless or a bit yellow.

Additionally, Moissanite stones also rank very high on the Mohs Scale of Hardness.

If you did not know, the Moissanite has a Mohs reading of just 0.75 lower than a diamond.

From this, we can understand that the stone is extremely durable, which makes it perfect for a person who works a lot with his/her hands and does not have the time to keep removing the ring from their hands.

What Is A Nexus Diamond?

A Nexus Diamond is a patented simulated diamond that is made in a laboratory.

When you look at these diamonds, they will look the same as the mined ones. However, their chemical makeup is slightly different.

The Nexus Diamond is capable of cutting glass and other types of gems and jewelry.

This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to differentiate between these lab-grown diamonds and the mined ones.

Diamond Nexus – History

Diamond Nexus started as a division of the Milwaukee-based company, Lautrec Corporation in 2004.

This company was established with the focus of creating a type of gem that is pocket-friendly as well as eco-friendly.

Diamond Nexus Company falls under the banner of Forever Companies – a group of brands that specializes in lab-made gems and stones.

Some other companies under the Forever Companies banner include 12FIFTEEN Diamonds, Forever Artisans, etc.

Diamond Nexus is a type of diamond that is very unique – this is because they are made from diamond stimulants, which is very different from other types of synthetic or manmade diamonds.

Most synthetic diamonds only include the carbon element. However, Diamond Nexus utilizes a patented proprietary formula.

Can You Consider Nexus Diamonds As Real Diamonds?

No, Nexus Diamonds cannot be considered real diamonds. However, these diamond simulations are so perfect that it is quite difficult to tell them apart from the mined ones.

As we know, these diamonds are grown in a laboratory under ideal conditions and they fit all the grading criteria used for diamonds, like clarity, cut, color, etc.

They also feel the same as mined diamonds.

As mentioned before, these diamonds can easily cut glass. One of the best aspects of these diamonds is that they are more eco-friendly and ethically mined.

Additionally, they are also significantly less pricey than authentic diamonds.

However, the elemental and chemical composition of Nexus Diamonds is very different than that of real diamonds.

The Nexus Diamonds cannot be considered pure carbon diamonds as well, particularly because of the different chemical compositions.

Characteristics Of Nexus Diamond

Similar to other types of diamonds, the Nexus Diamond is also graded based on the carat, clarity, color, and cut.

Let us learn these characteristics in this section:

1. Cut

The feature that makes a diamond sparkling is the cut and is considered one of the most important features when looking for the best gem.

Even the rarest natural gem can look and feel dull if the cut is poor.

In the terms of cut, the Nexus Diamond is quite amazing. The cut is such that the diamond will maximize the reflected light.

2. Color

The color of a naturally-mined diamond can range from shades of yellow to pure white and crystal.

Based on the color of the diamond, the gem will be graded accordingly. The scale starts from D, which means the diamond is completely colorless.

On the other hand, the Z grade indicates the stone is a bit yellow.

Meanwhile, Nexus Diamonds are mostly graded D, which is nearly colorless. This is consistent among most types of diamond stimulants.

Due to its color, Nexus Diamonds can easily simulate naturally-mined diamonds.

3. Clarity

One of the factors that affect the natural beauty of any type of the gem is the imperfections present on the surface of the stone; these imperfections are greatly known to affect the beauty of the diamond.

Depending on the size and location of these imperfections (or flaws), the diamond will scale from Flawless, which means the flaws are difficult to detect even by gem experts, to Include, which means that the flaws can easily be identified and located.

Since these flaws are naturally found even in mined diamonds, these imperfections cannot be avoided easily, even in lab-made diamonds.

But, most of the latter are rated Flawless when it comes to clarity because they are made in a controlled environment.

This means that the inclusions are not visible even when examined under a 10x magnification; however, you will still notice slight defects on the surface of the gem.

4. Carat

All diamonds vary in size and weight, no matter the origin. It is rare to find large-sized diamonds during the diamond extraction process.

On the other hand, the size of the diamonds created in labs can be manipulated. Hence, the carat size of the diamond can be either big or small.

When you are looking into a Nexus Diamond, you will find the gem in a wide range of carat weights. 

What Are The Benefits of Nexus Diamonds?

It is always better to opt for a Nexus Diamond over a genuine or a synthetic diamond.

You will understand that the visual characteristics of the Nexus Diamond are just as desirable and amazing-looking as that of a naturally mined diamond. However, the price tags are quite lower.

In most cases, the prices of Nexus Diamonds are lower than naturally-mined diamonds – by at least 10%.

While it may not look much, this difference in price is quite substantial; this is the reason why Nexus Diamonds are gaining so much popularity among its customers.

Another great benefit of Nexus Diamonds is that the gems are free from conflicts.

This means that these gems have undergone ethical mining and processing. This means that you will be able to make use of these gems without having to worry about how the stones are mined.

Additionally, they are also carved by industry professionals in high-tech laboratories.

In most cases, Nexus Diamonds are available in white color – however, you can also opt for other colors like rose, emerald, or others.

Additionally, you also have the choice to pick the shape of the gem, like oval, pear, cushion, round, etc.

Diamond Nexus vs Moissanite: What Are The Differences Between Them?

Now that you have a basic idea about Diamond Nexus as well as Moissanite, let us now look into the differences between the two in this section.

These are some key differences that can help you understand how different these two precious stones are:

1. Chemistry

As said before, Moissanite and Diamond Nexus are two different gemstones that are made of separate minerals. While Diamond Nexus consists of carbon, Moissanite is made of silicon carbide.

From these elements themselves, you can figure that both stones have different properties that affect their durability, brilliance, color, etc.

2. Sparkle

The main difference between Moissanite and Diamond Nexus will probably be more noticeable in appearance, which means sparkle.

Unlike diamonds that have single-reflective surfaces, Moissanite gems have double-refractive surfaces.

For a layman, this means that the Moissanite stones will sparkle more than the Diamond Nexus. Additionally, it will also sparkle in a different manner.

While the light that is being reflected by a diamond will appear white, the light reflected by a Moissanite gem will look colorful.

The sparkle will be rainbow-like, brilliant, and fiery, which will make the stone appear fake.

However, if the size of the stone is small, the ‘fake’ effect will not be noticed much.

 3. Color

As mentioned previously, diamonds are nearly colorless; however, they also have some other colored variants like brown, blue, yellow, and pink.

On the other hand, Moissanites are only available in colorless or yellow-green colors.

If you are looking for a colorless gem, then the Moissanite can be considered the best choice. This is because colorless Moissanites are considered a better choice than diamonds because they are relatively less expensive.

4. Durability

One of the reasons why people opt for a diamond is because of its durability. These gems are so durable that they can easily last for a lifetime.

When it comes to durability, the Moissanite and the Diamond Nexus are nearly the same.

The durability of any gemstone is measured via the Mohs scale of hardness, which is a scale of 1 to 10.

The Moissanite measures roughly around 9.5 while the diamond scores a perfect 10. From this scale, we can understand that Moissanite and Diamond Nexus will last for a very long time.

5. Affordability

The cost is the only reason why one would opt for a Moissanite rather than a Diamond Nexus.

Even if the quality and the size of both stones are the same, the prices will vary significantly.

Overall, the cost of a Moissanite gem will be a tenth of that of a Diamond Nexus.

 The difference in the price of the Moissanite and Diamond Nexus is due to all the labor involved.

It takes a lot of patience and resources to mine diamonds than to create Moissanites in a lab.

Apart from being pocket-friendly, Moissanites are also good for the earth because they are more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Final Thoughts: Diamond Nexus vs Moissanite

Overall, the stone you choose when it comes to diamond nexus vs moissanite will really just depend on your preferences.

While Moissanites can be a bit more expensive than the Diamond Nexus, the latter is known to be harder and more durable than the former.

Our recommendation if you want to buy a Moissanite engagement ring is Forever Moissanite, as they have one of the biggest ranges when compared to other similar companies.

Of course, you do have many other options available as well. If you have any pending questions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.

FAQs

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