Recently, I decided that it would be best to design and make every halo engagement ring. This decision was based on a need to control quality and offer customers a way to get what they want. I thought about doing this because I started to see several mass-produced halo rings (particularly the moissanite rings) with problems – the small halo stones would fall out of the rings easily after simple ultrasonic and steam cleaning. They were poorly made. In some way, it made sense to me because online manufacturers do what they can to lower the cost of their moissanite rings. “Price is King” in the online sales world. Sometimes people will leave a site to save $25 on a $1500 purchase. “Big Data” tracks this sort of thing online and tells the online dealers to lower their prices to retain customers on their websites. Online customers are obviously not as knowledgeable as jewellers are about setting gemstones so many manufacturers get cheaper stone setters to set their moissanites. Rings are made in overseas factories where working conditions are bad, labour is cheap and products are finished very quickly. The cheap labour gets reflected in the selling price.
For a few extra dollars, I made the ring featured above for a customer who asked me to use a high-quality Charles & Colvard Moissanite. It was surrounded by diamonds. She asked for a finer halo and a narrow polished band. The ring is 14K rose gold. The Moissanite gemstone was a bit under 1.00ct. There are no gaps between the Moissanite and the halo – a design feature I thought was essential to the ring’s beauty. My halo diamonds will not fall out. I built my client base over decades and one bad decision could kill my reputation quickly.
What Is Moissanite?
Moissanite was discovered by Nobel Prize-winning French chemist Dr Henri Moissan at a massive meteorite strike in Arizona. This intriguing new stone was named Moissanite in his honour, and Moissan spent the rest of his life attempting to re-create this rare mineral, which is among the hardest materials on Earth. It is a crystal silicon carbide.
Many years later, in a research laboratory in central North Carolina, scientists perfected and patented the innovative process that creates silicon carbide crystals, for Charles & Colvard®, with such purity that it rivals any earthly gemstone for fire and brilliance. This fire and brilliance will last forever in these gems, which are more durable than sapphire, ruby, or emerald.
All Charles & Colvard Moissanite stones are guaranteed for life. They are an alternative to diamonds at a fraction of the cost.
In nature, silicon carbide has been created over millennia by a combination of extreme heat and pressure. Researchers recreate those conditions in a controlled, profoundly accelerated process that produces durable, super-hard crystals with minimal ecological impact…and absolutely no mining.
We do not sell the Charles and Colvard moissanite jewellery products as seen on their site. Instead, we order their loose moissanite gems and make our own jewellery.