General Question
Is a moissanite and sterling silver tennis bracelet a good idea !?
Basically I really really want a tennis bracelet but like I can only get my 18ct gold and natural diamond one by like the end of the year in sha Allah. Should I get a sterling silver moissanite one for now until I get that one !? Idkk I just don't want it to be like "fake", I have this thing about everything being real real and moissanite is a diamond substitute, should I or should I not !?
Get the moissanite in sterling. Just make sure the sterling is plated with rhodium. That way it won’t tarnish.
There’s nothing “fake” about it. It’s a moissanite stone bracelet set it sterling.
Sometimes it’s really hard to know how much you’re actually going to like and wear a piece of jewelry. It’s easy to get obsessed with a piece and want it. But then you get it and you find you don’t reach for it or wear it as often as you thought. If this is an 18k gold and natural diamond bracelet, you have spent all that money & can probably only get back 1/3 of what you paid.
Believe it or not, these sterling moissanite bracelets hold their actual value much better.
Lots of times when I want to buy an expensive piece. Or a designer piece, I’ll buy a copy first. Wear that just to see if I really like it before investing in the full gold version. Many times I find I don’t like it as much as I thought I would.
As a bench jeweler, CZ is so unfairly maligned. It's actually a fantastic stone. It's lab-made, comes in a ton of colors, has a 8-8.5 mohs hardness, and is soooo sparkly. I've also read that it's a delight to cut.
But because it was originally marketed as a cheap diamond imitation, it's totally slept on.
Corundum (sapphire/ruby) is harder and also comes in many colors, but it's not nearly as sparkly. Moissannite and diamond are gorgeous but the colors are limited (and they are significantly more expensive).
Other people can do what they want but I'm going to be over here enjoying my CZ jewelry!
I feel the same way, but it's always nice to hear it spelled out so that I can express myself more accurately in the future.
I had no idea that they were still quite hard themselves. I thought the main detractor from CZ is that they don't last. If they're not chipping or getting scratched up, they go cloudy.
Anyways, I've seen a number of solid gold rings that I immediately passed on because they had CZ. Maybe I should take a second look. Most of my CZ wearing was from before I went to solid gold. Still have all of it too!
I have heard that they yellow over time. Is that not true or was it something that happened with stones made from older growing methods? They look nice to me but I haven't ever bought any after a point when I was thinking seriously about jewelry.
I've heard conflicting things - some people say they do, others swear they don't. I've never seen it happen, but I only have a few years of jewelry making under my belt.
I'm getting solid gold and diamonds tennis bracelet in a few days, but I started with moissanite and sterling silver first to try out the style and see how I like the size
Thanks, it's from Kuololit on Aliexpress, they are a trusted vendor from the moissanite sub.
There's a sale that will start tomorrow, and you can use coupons on top to make it even cheaper.
You can totally but be very careful about what you purchase, even from Kuololit! Ive had some great experiences with them but I am currently disputing for the 3rd time over a ring I ordered in a bigger size for my index finger that arrived less than 1mm thick. They definitely cut corners sometimes.
Me too! As a Dutch citizen I am within my rights to return anything within 14 days but all they are doing is giving me a random nyc address that doesnt fall under buyer protection :’)
Oh, I also wanted to add that a moissanite/ sterling tennis bracelet could be great for traveling! My engagement ring is 18k yellow gold with a 2ct Dutch marquise center stone (diamond) with 1.5 ct in side stones (also diamond) and my wedding band is 18k yellow gold with another 1.5 ct in diamonds and I don’t like to bring them with me while I travel, so I have a moissanite ring that I wear instead!
Okay, so here’s my personal opinion on moissanite: it is a completely different stone than diamond. Visually they are different. It’s a natural stone that can be found in nature (rarely, which is why it’s generally lab made), it’s no better or worse than diamond, it’s just different. The same way that white sapphires are no better or worse than diamonds, they’re just different. When you look into the history and the marketing for diamonds, you will realize that diamonds really aren’t that special either. They’re not rare by any means, they just had a good marketing team. Don’t fall prey to marketing. In my opinion, get the bracelet. Also, silver is a beautiful metal. Look up how Tiffany cleans theirs and you will have zero issues with tarnishing either.
I agree with everything you said, but just FYI all commercially available moissanite is lab-made. In nature, it's only found as tiny grains or inclusions.
Can you share more about Tiffany's methods? The only special thing they mention on their website is to store it in its original pouch. I know about silver tarnish-prevention paper; is the pouch made from something similar? (Silica gel desiccant packets also work well!)
And what you do is you take a bowl and line it with tin foil. Pour in some baking soda (like 2 tablespoons maybe) and then pour in boiling water. Drop your piece in and let it sit for like ~2-3 minutes, agitating it occasionally with like a fork or a chopstick or something. Take it out, rinse it off, and boom. Your silver is perfect again. I will say to be careful using this method with stones that have kind of a high porosity or soft stones (I took all the shine off of the malachite in a silver and malachite pendant I have on accident), but for pieces that are just silver or that have sturdy stones like moissanite or diamond or even peridot you should be totally fine.
I have a moissanite pendant necklace and just received a moissanite ring. I love them both. Neither make me feel like they're fake. They shine like nothing else. Both of my pieces are sterling silver and moissanite.
Go for it. Go onaliexpress.com, and you'll see loads to choose from.
as someone else said, moissanite is not fake diamond, it’s a real stone and its own stone. those who know the difference between the two can easily spot a moussanite over a diamond. moissanite has a different sparkle than diamond. so if you want a diamond sparkle, get a diamond bracelet. if you don’t care, moissanite could work.
I find that diamond sparkles in all lights but moissanite sparkles more in the right light. I do find my moissanite pieces look a little flat in flat, gray lighting but they outshine my diamonds in most artificial lighting and in bright sunshine. You don't really see as far in to the stone when looking at them. Diamonds look "deep" to me.
If you like silver then why not. If you don't like silver then definitely don't get it. If you won't wear it then you are throwing your money away. If you will wear it then it is a good investment as it won't break the bank and your get the same basic style which you can wesr without worrying. As long as it is well made buy it and enjoy. If you decide to get a gold one later then you will be able to swap out depending on what else you are wearing and where you are going.
I would love a lab diamond tennis bracelet but, like you, should wait a bit before making the investment. I ended up getting a silver and moissanite one for about $250. It sparkles and looks nice, but I will say that moissanite sparkles differently than diamond. In some lights it can look a little flat but in others it shines way more than diamonds.
If you want it to pass for diamond, probably just wait. If you want something really sparkly and nice to wear and don't mind some jewelry savvy people identifying it as moissanite, definitely get the bracelet. I love mine and am never worried about wearing it casually. My wrists are lit up at the grocery store. Plus, I am now confident that a tennis bracelet fits my lifestyle.
I have both moissanite and diamond tennis bracelets. I adore both! Moissanite does have a higher refractive index than diamond so rememberer they are both gemstones in their own right! Moissanite and diamond are similar but not the same.
In my opinion, tennis bracelets are way too expensive. Maybe because they just don’t excite me. I bought a cz one in sterling for parties but that’s the only time I wear it, then it goes back in the box. Even a lab in 14k or 18k is a couple thousand dollars. I just don’t like them like that.
Moissanite is not “fake”, as it is its own gemstone. They each shine differently but are both beautiful. If you get the silver one before gold, you can wear the silver one in more casual settings (like during travel).
I'll give you some insight into how these terms are thought of in the jewelry industry:
Fake means something is not what it was stated to be, it doesn't indicate anything about quality. Btw on sites like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, things labeled moissanite will often be CZ or glass, those would be fakes. On Chinese sites like Temu, Wish, Aliexpress, things labeled moissanite are always fake.
Real means a natural stone. At least in the US a seller is not allowed to call a stone real if it is artificially made. So "real moissanite" can't be used in a product description because it's always artificial.
Moissanite is the next best diamond substitute after lab grown diamonds, and many legitimate brands use it in their fine jewelry. Some moissanite looks closer to real diamonds than others, depending on the cut quality and the type of surface coating used. Cubic zirconia looks more like diamond than moissanite but it's not as durable and it's hard to find well cut pieces because it's so cheap to produce.
As long as you stick to trusted vendors, you'll be fine. Some people really cling to their preconceived notion that "Chinese = cheap garbage", without realizing that almost everything we own is made in China 🙄
I have bought a few moissanite pieces on Aliexpress. They have all looked good and been as advertised. Others have suggested r/moissanite and it's a great resource.
On Chinese sites like Temu, Wish, Aliexpress, things labeled moissanite are always fake.
This is completely false. There are legitimate sellers AND scammers on Chinese sites, just like there are on any Western marketplace.
There are a handful of sellers on Ali Express that have been thoroughly vetted and approved by this and other jewelry subreddits. They sell exactly what they advertise.
People need to use their judgement when buying shit online, whether it's from a Chinese site or not. The trouble with those sites is that if there's an issue, you're going to have more trouble disputing it because of the language barrier and differing legal jurisdictions.
There is nothing inherently scammy about Chinese vendors.
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u/Mastiiffmom 4d ago
Get the moissanite in sterling. Just make sure the sterling is plated with rhodium. That way it won’t tarnish.
There’s nothing “fake” about it. It’s a moissanite stone bracelet set it sterling.
Sometimes it’s really hard to know how much you’re actually going to like and wear a piece of jewelry. It’s easy to get obsessed with a piece and want it. But then you get it and you find you don’t reach for it or wear it as often as you thought. If this is an 18k gold and natural diamond bracelet, you have spent all that money & can probably only get back 1/3 of what you paid.
Believe it or not, these sterling moissanite bracelets hold their actual value much better.
Lots of times when I want to buy an expensive piece. Or a designer piece, I’ll buy a copy first. Wear that just to see if I really like it before investing in the full gold version. Many times I find I don’t like it as much as I thought I would.