Over the past decade, there has been a noticeable surge in the popularity of moissanite in jewelry.
The hunt for the perfect moissanite, however, might not prove to be a piece of cake. This is mainly because of the fact that moissanite is a relatively new addition to the jewelry world, and only a few brands offer these. This greatly limits the buyer’s options.
Moreover, most of the brands are new to the production of moissanite and do not have a satisfactory amount of experience to back them.
To simplify this situation for you, here is a thorough comparison of two popular moissanite brands; Brilliant Earth and MoissaniteCo.
Introduction to the Brand
Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth is a popular name in the contemporary jewelry world, and is ranked among the top tier brands that offer moissanite.
Introduced in 2005, the brand is particularly known for the modern and innovative touch that it gives to its jewelry. Brilliant Earth offers both loose moissanite as well as moissanite jewelry, and is one of the very few brands to do so.
MoissaniteCo.
MoissaniteCo. also entered the market in 2005, and since then it has been a go-to for many of its dedicated customers when it comes to moissanite shopping.
MoissaniteCo. is particularly popular for its huge inventory of various types of moissanite that fall in various price ranges. It also offers Forever One moissanite that is known to be the ‘gold standard’ moissanite, which adds to the brand’s appeal.
Appearance and Quality
Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth offers a wide range of various types of moissanite to its customers. These stones are created in Brilliant Earth’s labs under strict ethical guidelines and eco-friendly policies.
Brilliant Earth’s moissanite comes in various shapes, including round, oval, emerald, pear and cushion to name a few. Moreover, you can also get these in unique colors such as green, yellow and black.
Brilliant Earth also offers a huge variety of moissanite jewelry to its customers, including rings and necklaces. These are available in superior quality metals such as platinum and 18K gold, with stunning and unique settings.
It is important to add, however, that over the recent years there have been some complaints regarding the craftsmanship of Brilliant Earth. Customers have protested about weak and fragile prongs, loose stones and thin shanks. This is an area of serious concern for the brand.
MoissaniteCo.
MoissaniteCo. is known to offer superior quality stones that last a lifetime. These include the premium Forever One moissanite that is regarded as the best in the industry.
MoissaniteCo. uses modern and innovative techniques in the creation of its stones. These include the cutting of these with the help of computers and lasers instead of hands.
This results in an unmatched precision and symmetry, which greatly elevates the fire and brilliance of the moissanite. The brand also offers moissanite in hearts and arrows cut, which is known to be the most romantic and lustrous cut for a gemstone.
In addition to it, moissanite of various other exquisite shapes are also available.
At MoissaniteCo., you can get pre-formed jewelry made of platinum, 14K and 18K gold, which is highly praised for its stunning designs and excellent craftsmanship. Alternatively, you can get customized jewelry made according to your liking.
Online Shopping Experience
Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth has an updated and easy to navigate website. It lists all the different categories of diamonds, moissanite and jewelry on the main page, which makes the search uncomplicated and less time consuming.
Furthermore, there are multiple filters that can help you in narrowing down your search. In case of any query, the website allows you to reach out and speak to a representative over live chat.
While the buying experience is pleasant for most customers, there have been numerous reports of delays in delivery of products by the brand, which can be cumbersome.
MoissaniteCo.
MoissaniteCo. has a minimalist and elegant website that is designed to be incredibly resourceful for the buyer. Each product listed is accompanied by multiple pictures and videos from different angles.
Like most other online retailers, it also has a number of filters to make life easy for the customer.
MoissaniteCo. website is unique in featuring educational blogs and articles for the help and guidance of its buyers, which is a great initiative.
Warranty and After Sale Services
Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth offers a generous lifetime warranty with its jewelry against manufacturing defects. Moreover, the repaired items are sent back by the brand without any extra shipping charges.
In case you are not satisfied with the purchase, Brilliant Earth allows you to return or exchange the product within 30 days of buying it.
Despite the generous policies and hefty claims, many customers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the customer service of Brilliant Earth. The brand’s inability to follow their own return and exchange policies has particularly been criticized.
This and other complaints are listed in my critical review of the brand titled “Brilliant Earth Complaints”.
MoissaniteCo.
MoissaniteCo. products come with a 12 months warranty, and 30 days return policy. However, in order to return your item, it is mandatory to make sure that the security tag on the product is intact.
The brand also offers a number of aftersale services for its products, such as polishing, repairs and resizing.
For queries and advice, MoissaniteCo. allows you to contact a representative via live chat, call and email.
Grading and Certification
Brilliant Earth
All of their stones are tested and certified by GIA, which speaks of their quality and reliability. Brilliant Earth categorizes the moissanite as premium and super premium, based on their color grade.
MoissaniteCo.
All MoissaniteCo. stones come with a certificate of authenticity, which also shows a warranty ID on it for future claims. Additionally, a lifetime warranty is provided for the shine of the stone.
If a stone loses its optical properties, MoissaniteCo. will replace it with a stone of equivalent value.
Price and Value for Money
Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth ranks among the high end brands and therefore, have higher costs than most other brands including MoissaniteCo. You can find moissanite retailing for up to a whopping $5000 at Brilliant Earth.
To put this into perspective for you, a 6.5 mm round moissanite with a color grade between D-F, and a clarity of VVS is priced at $550.
It is entirely possible for you to find a similar moissanite at other less expensive brands or local vendors for as much as half this cost. This, along with the inconsistencies in the grading of Brilliant Earth moissanite puts a question mark on the value offered for the money.
MoissaniteCo.
MoissaniteCo. is a relatively affordable brand and offers moissanite in various price ranges for the convenience of the buyer. Most of the moissanite in the brand’s inventory retail for $140 to $300.
This round moissanite with similar specifications as the Brilliant Earth moissanite mentioned above i.e, 6.5 mm and a color grade between D and E, retails for $325. This is significantly less than the Brilliant Earth moissanite.
Together with the exceptional quality, the budget-friendliness of the MoissaniteCo. stones means that you get a better value for your money.
Conclusion
After a thorough analysis of the information provided above, it is fairly easy to conclude that MoissaniteCo is your best bet when it comes to buying superior quality moissanite.
The brand is not only reliable and trustworthy, but also provides you with an overall pleasant shopping experience. This, coupled with the affordability of the moissanite means that you get a great value for the money spent.
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