We actually receive many questions pertaining to the differences between the various colorless gemstones, specifically, how they compare to diamonds. Here we will attempt to explain the sometimes subtle differences between diamonds and other colorless gems, both natural and man made.

When it comes to colorless gemstones, the beauty is determined by several key factors: The clarity of the gem; the color of the gem (is it really colorless or is it lightly tinted) ; the faceting of the stone; and the mineral's ability to reflect and refract light.

The finest diamond started life as a rough pebble that appeared translucent until someone cut away the frosted exterior to reveal the beauty captured within. In colorless or near colorless stones, we are looking for a crystal clear quality, without fogging or spots. There will always be microscopic particles, invisible to the unaided eye, what we are concerned about is the stone being clean to the naked eye.

When light encounters any object, part of the light is reflected (sent back away from the surface), part is refracted (enters into the object), and part is absorbed. Depending on the object, one or more of these traits will be more visible. For instance, when light hits a "shiny" metal, part of the light is absorbed, none is refracted but much is reflected, making it appear shiny.

With a diamond that is well faceted, a lot of light is reflected off of the top facets and returns to our eyes as "shine" while a lot of light is refracted (enters into the diamond) and is then bounced back out of the diamond by the bottom and side facets creating the "fire" or scintillation. A diamond is both highly reflective and refractive.

Sapphires

White or clear sapphires can occur naturally in colorless or near colorless form (white sapphires have often been heated to enhance clarity and color which is perfectly acceptable in the gemstone industry as long as it is not falsely labeled as "untreated"). Although the refractive index of a sapphire is less than that of diamonds, when properly faceted and polished sapphires provide significant amounts of both reflected and refracted light. However, the refracted light lacks the prism effect we see in the refracted light of diamonds so the shimmer is more of a white and silver sparkle rather than the prismatic fire of a fine quality diamond. While diamonds are harder than sapphires when it comes to their cutting ability, sapphires are actually more durable in that they are less brittle when subjected to physical impact. The added bonus being that sapphires are precious gemstones in their own right and, while they can be costly, they are significantly more affordable than diamonds.

Zircon

Natural clear zircon is truly spectacular in terms of both reflected and refracted light. They have a higher level of refraction than sapphires and display more "fire". The downside being that they are extremely brittle and are not suitable for day-to-day wear, being more sutable for "light" wear. They are very pretty when properly faceted and much more cost effective than both diamonds and sapphires.

Topaz

White topaz can be truly clean and clear. In fact, most semi-precious topaz on the gem market began life in this crystal clear form and man put his hand into the equation to add dramatic color by heating or by applying radiation or special coatings. A naturally mined topaz of color is quite unique and quite pricey. The typical sky, swiss and london blues that we see are all enhanced by man. There are some pretty colorful, coated specimens out there but their beauty is truly only skin deep. As for the natural, clear variety, they are less refractive than all of the above mentioned gems and really need to be kept clean to look their finest. The upside being that they are really quite affordable and, when well faceted, have a beauty of their own. While they are an 8 on the hardness scale, they tend toward being a bit brittle so don't wear your topaz when gardening or doing heavy work where physical impact is likely.

Colorless Quartz, aka Rock Crystal

The quartz family of gemstones offer affordability, durability, and much diversity! We are most familiar with the amethyst (purple) and citrine (yellow/orange) varieties of quartz but there are many other great quartz gems on the market: chalcedony, tiger's eye, smoky quartz, praisiolite, and aventurine to name a few. Many of us remember grandma's crystal beads, usually clear quartz gemstones. Actually, the older ornamental stone, the greater value it often carries!

Since quartz minerals are extremely widespread and occur in rather large deposits, it is relatively easy to find and produce very clean rough which translates to crystal clear gems. Most colorless varieties appear truly colorless. They have a lower refractive index than the above mentioned gems but they do have a durability that both zircon and topaz lack and we are finally seeing some very clean, clear quartz gems of very nice faceting entering the jewelry supply industry. They are not good at imitating diamonds but they do offer truly clean and clear gems with great wearability at really great price points.



THE IMPOSTERS.....

Cubic Zirconium, Cubic Zirconia, CZs

These should be crystal clear and low priced as they are readily available in larger quantities. The key to their popularity is the fact that they are highly refractive although they usually display more color play than a diamond would. Unfortunately, CZs are not usually faceted as well as they could be and far too many are terribly overpriced. They also tend to become cloudy over time as they are porous.

Moissanite

Much more refractive than diamonds, never colorless and very costly. They do sparkle nicely and I have to admit that my 1ctw stud earrings really catch the light! And, they are durable, I guess I'd rather smash my hand against a hard surface with the moissanite than with a diamond. My main contentions are that they are very, very costly for an imitation gemstone and any of the larger (1ct or higher) stones have a distinct yellow and/or green cast.

Cavalier Diamond Simulants

Ideally faceted cubic zirconia with a diamond-like coating makes these the most diamond-like simulants we've come across and we've purchased very, very many simulants over the years. We were actually customers of our supplier long before we were setting our own gems. This is the stone that I choose to wear everyday (okay, I have one in every shape so I swap them out) and they hold up well to my torching and tumbling and filing and hammering, you get the picture! My contact at the parent company is always accommodating and informative. We've been working with our supplier for nearly a decade and their products only get better. After pricing other hybrid type simulants, we knew we wanted to continue with this product, especially since they launched their version of the diamond-like coating. We've actually purchased plain CZs in the past for more than this superior diamond sim. Of course, I'd rather have the real deal but that just isn't an option. I wear a 2ct ideal round almost every day and have recently added a 2ct Asscher. Then there is the older version in a 5ct radiant emerald and a 1ct marquise, oh...and the 3-stone band - there's just no way I could do all of that in diamonds!!! Our feedback on these beauties is awesome and, can you tell, I just LOVE THEM!!!


In the end, it boils down to buying what you are most comfortable with. For many of us, the down payment on a house is more important than a large diamond. There are many choices out there, don't limit yourself to a colorless gemstone if you'd rather have color! Lady Di had a sapphire and her sister-in-law a ruby! I lost my engagement diamond a long time ago and was heartbroken at both the sentimental as well as the monetary loss. My point being...don't cave into to the pressure of the mainstream media. Wear what you like, what you can afford.