Another year and with it, another chipped "engagement" ring. ("Engagement" because we never really did the getting engaged thing. I just got myself something colorful and sparkly once we'd decided to start wedding planning.) Soon after ringing in 2021, I realized it was time for yet another ring upgrade. I was already on my third in as many years of married life - the first one having lost its center stone, and the next two having been an amazing cerulean topaz that I'd purchased for color without enough consideration of durability. It was time to start looking into tougher stones.
Enter moissanite, today's top-tier diamond substitute. At 9.25-9.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness (compared to diamond at 10, sapphire at 9, and topaz all the way down at 8 on this logarithmic scale), we're looking at a gemstone approximately half as tough as diamonds, but a good fifty times tougher than my former fav, topaz. Moissanite is the gem name for silicon carbide, a material whose name gets tossed around more than a little in my workplace, adding an extra nerdy Neuralink bonus to the stone. The gem name comes from the Nobel Prize winning scientist Henri Moissan, who first discovered silicon carbide while studying meteorites in Meteor Crater in northern Arizona. Predominantly (if not exclusively) found in meteors, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the moissanite on the market is pretty much always lab-grown. With no mining required, moissanite has some serious economical and ethical upsides compared to diamonds. Oh, and it's readily available in a full spectrum of colors which were all calling my name.
Having never gotten into the gem craze around the time I'd gotten engaged, this was my first deep foray into the world of gemstones. So many cuts, carats, colors, and settings to consider! How could I possibly settle on one?
I began my collection with a classic round brilliant-cut icy blue 1.3 carat moissanite set in 14k yellow gold. The setting is delicate with a bit of an organic touch in the curves and detailing.
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| Engagement ring #4 - an icy blue moissanite |
One of the most curious features was just how differently the colors shine until different lighting - check out the transformation in the video below from nearly clear to sky blue!
There was no stopping me now that I was aware of a durable stone available in nearly any color at such a low price point. (Think anywhere from about $50 to $450 for a 1 to 1.5 carat stone.) The next thing that sucked me in was the Portuguese cut - with about twice as many facets as the standard brilliant gem cut, the sparkle was just out of this world. Pair a deep dark stone with all the shards of the rainbow at the slightest twitch of the hand and, well, how could I resist? I will confess that this addition was the priciest bit of my growing collection, but can you blame me?
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| Love love love. Another 1.3 carat stone in 14k gold. This was my first foray into designing my own setting, so I may have gone a bit overboard on the side stones, but live and learn, right? That center stone - swoon. The stills just don't capture any of the ring's rainbow sparkle. Check out the video just below to see that Portuguese cut in action! |
By now I was on a tear, ready to build up my right-hand ring collection to cover any and all outfit pairings. After all, it was now 2021 and that Class of '09 Brass Rat was starting to feel just a little outdated. I couldn't help but fall for this dusty rose, goes-with-anything charmer, also coming in at 1.3 carats. It's just a brilliant cut, but the color pulled me in.
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| Brilliant cut chocolatey-pink dusty rose moissanite, 1.3 carat set in a 14k gold semi-mount lined with teensy-tiny diamonds. |
Finally, to round off the collection, I simply had to add an Asscher-cut stone to the mix. The Asscher cut stands out for its large step facets and cropped corners. It's a cut that was especially popular in the 1920's and has recently made a resurgence. I'm captivated by the big bold flashes of light from the long facets on the sides and the cross pattern from the cropped corners. Finding a stone in the same caramel shade as Senator Furnie Sanders's eyes just pushed it over the top.
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| An Asscher-cut 1 carat caramel moissanite (the color of Furnie's eyes!) custom-set in an assymmetric 14k gold ring that previously held the single white diamond floating on the side. I gave my jeweler a run for his money with this setting request. |
Check out that Asscher-style sparkle!
And now, having filled up all the ring slots in my jewelry holder, I think it's fair to call a wrap on my second major pandemic project - a bit pricier than table making, but with less risk of burning down the house.
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| Tada - the complete collection! |
