Monthly Archives: May 2015

  1. Wedding Bloggers Visit Charles & Colvard

    Some of the biggest moissanite fans out there are brides-to-be. That’s not terribly surprising; moissanite is more affordable than other gemstones (so brides can spend more money on that fabulous dress!), it’s sustainable and conflict-free, AND it has more brilliance than any other gem, including diamond.

    To get the word out about moissanite to even more brides, we invited four wedding bloggers to visit us here at Charles & Colvard®. We’re glad to say they all had a fantastic time. The bloggers got an inside look into how moissanite is made, and even got the chance to select some sparkly souvenirs from the jewelry vault, including one-of-a-kind rings!

    We loved hearing each blogger’s thoughts on moissanite, and were struck by what attracted them most to the gem. For example, blogger Megan Acosta of Glamour & Grace focuses on vintage-inspired weddings. She loved the fact that mo

    Read more »
  2. Why Moissanite? Three Brides-to-Be Explain Their Choice

    Moissanite is growing in popularity as an engagement ring stone. Some brides-to-be choose moissanite because it is nearly indistinguishable from diamond at just one-tenth the cost. Others select it because it’s conflict-free and eco-friendly. Still others just love the way it looks!

    Jewelry industry publication JCKonline recently spoke to a few newly engaged moissanite fans about why they selected the gemstone for their engagement rings. Flight attendant Carrie Adams was all about the sparkle. She first saw the stone 15 years ago and couldn’t get over how brilliant it was.  She now owns two moissanite rings, one featuring a whopping 10 ct. radiant-cut stone! “It makes your knees turn to jelly,” she says.

    Blogger and Youtube personality Tori Okoye was also attracted to moissanite’s unrivaled sparkle. “It’s gorgeous,” she says of her 1.25 ct heart-cut For

    Read more »
  3. Celebrating Friendship & Survival

    When one thinks of celebration jewelry, we usually think of weddings, birthdays and anniversaries.  When you think of jewelry tied to a cause like breast cancer, pink ribbons pinned to a lapel for solidarity and awareness come to mind.  But for Sue Paist, the experience she shared when her friend Pam Donelly was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2013 presented an opportunity for a piece of jewelry that was not available – something that celebrated cancer survivors, and to be worn by cancer survivors.

    To commemorate that bond these friends shared through Donelly’s illness, as well as further solidify their friendship of nearly 20 years, Paist, a Wheaton resident, decided to design a jewelry collection in honor of her friend and survivor.

    “Pam wanted a special piece of jewelry that would celebrate her survival,” says Paist. “It was this emotional and iconic ring that inspired the collection we have today.”

    Read more »
  4. Bride-to-Be Tori Okoye on her Moissanite Ring

    Youtube personality, pharmacy student, and newly engaged all-around awesome person Tori Okoye always knew she wanted a heart-shaped engagement ring. She also knew she wanted her and her fiance Nate to start share the responsibility of saving for the ring, as many modern couples do. They planned to save for a diamond, but after reading about moissanite on wedding blogs, Tori began seriously considering it as her engagement ring gemstone. Since the cost was so much less than that of a diamond, they wouldn’t have to wait to get engaged.

    Tori told her fiance about going with moissanite instead of diamond, and although he was a bit reluctant at first (more on this here), Tori eventually won him over to the idea. Both Tori and Nate loved the fact that moissanite is eco-friendly and conflict-free. A

    Read more »
  5. What is Moissanite, Anyway?

    Moissanite has a fascinating backstory that involves chemistry, geology, astrophysics, mineralogy, gemology, the physical sciences and hand-crafted art.

    Naturally-occurring silicon carbide is extremely rare – on Earth, that is. But out in deep space, it’s quite common, and small quantities were shipped to Earth via meteor. So it came to be that a French researcher found traces of silicon carbide in the crater where a huge meteorite struck the Earth in what is now Arizona 50,000 years ago, give or take a few decades.

    Moissanite is a created jewel that was born from a rare geological find made more than 110 years ago. Discovered in 1893 by French scientist, Dr. Henri Moissan (who later became a Nobel Prize winner), moissanite can trace its origins to particles found in a meteor crater located in Arizona. These natural moissanite crystals were too scarce and tiny to set into jewelry.

    Read more »
Posts loader