News

How to Clean Moissanite and Stop Sterling Silver Tarnishing
Two questions we get constantly: why has my moissanite gone dull, and why has my silver gone dark? Both have simple answers, and neither means the piece is faulty.Why moissanite looks dull (it usually is not)Moissanite does not cloud and it does not lose its fire. If a stone has gone flat, what has almost always happened is a film of skin oil, soap and hand cream has built up on the back of the stone.Light enters a faceted stone through the top and bounces off the rear facets to... Read more...
UK Ring Size Guide: How to Measure at Home in 2 Minutes
Buying a ring for someone else, or for yourself online, and not sure of the size? Here is the method that works with a strip of paper and a ruler — plus the trick that gets you the size of someone else's finger without asking.First: do you even need a size?Most of our rings are open and adjustable, fitting roughly UK K to T. If the product page says Adjustable, there is nothing to measure. Skip to the bottom.A smaller number of designs are made in fixed sizes. Those are... Read more...
Moissanite vs Cubic Zirconia: Why We Don't Sell CZ
Most silver jewellery in the under-£100 bracket is set with cubic zirconia. Ours is not. Here is the honest reasoning, including where CZ is actually the sensible choice.They are not the same stoneCubic zirconia is zirconium dioxide. Moissanite is silicon carbide. They look similar in a photograph and behave very differently on a hand over two years. Property Moissanite Cubic Zirconia Hardness (Mohs) 9.25 8.0–8.5 Dispersion (fire) 0.104 0.060 Refractive index 2.65 2.15–2.18 Clouds with wear No Commonly, within 1–2 years The clouding problemThis is the one that matters. Cubic... Read more...
Does Moissanite Pass a Diamond Tester? The Honest Answer
This is the question we get asked most on our live shows, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.The short answerOn a cheap thermal diamond tester — the pen-shaped kind you see on market stalls and in most eBay listings — yes, moissanite will usually read as diamond. On a modern dual tester that also measures electrical conductivity, no. It reads as moissanite immediately.Why the cheap testers get it wrongBasic diamond testers do one thing: they measure how fast heat moves through a stone. Diamond conducts... Read more...
Moissanite vs Diamond: An Honest Comparison (UK Buyer's Guide)
If you are weighing up moissanite against a diamond, you are probably asking one blunt question: is it worth it, or is it just a cheap fake? Here is the honest answer from a jeweller who sells moissanite and does not sell diamonds.The short versionMoissanite is not a diamond and we never call it one. It is a different gemstone — silicon carbide rather than carbon — with its own optical character. It is almost as hard, throws considerably more colour, and costs a fraction of the price. Whether that... Read more...