The Help Tabloid

Natural mined diamonds have been coming under a lot of heat recently. Award-winning journalist Cecil Adams sums it up the best in a recent article: “diamonds are a scam, pure and simple.” Most people in the new millennium understand that between the DeBeers diamond cartel, the issue of child labor in Third World diamond processing operations, and “blood diamonds” used to finance oppression and genocide in Third World African countries, not to mention your snooty and pretentious local jeweler, diamonds are just not worth the hassle, guilt, and let’s not forget thousands and thousands of questionably spent dollars.

Lately, new synthetic diamonds have come on the market that have all of the look, appeal, and glittering beauty of natural diamonds, but without the baggage, and at a fraction of the cost.

Since moissanite burst upon the scene in the late 90s, it has created quite a stir. Moissanite is gem-quality silicon carbide. The production of moissanite is a proprietary process and it is available only from C3 Inc, a division of Cree Research.

When moissanite was first introduced to the market it created a great deal of publicity. This was due to the fact that moissanite would often fool a jeweler into thinking it was a natural diamond. Both the Nova and 20/20 TV news shows did segments featuring hidden cameras showing jewelers fooled and embarrassed by moissanite. What was actually happening though was not quite so simple.

Jewelers generally rely on something called a “thermal-probe” to detect a fake diamond. Thermal probes work well with cubic zirconia, for instance. Moissanite, however, has a thermal conductivity that is very close to diamond. They were able to fool the older thermal probes. The fact of the matter is though; moissanite really just does not look that much like diamond. The two substances have radically different optical properties. These differences are clearly visible to the naked eye. It was obvious in both the Nova and 20/20 segments that the jewelers were clearly confused. They kept looking at the stone and then testing at and saying things like, “Well, I guess it must be real.” What they were really saying is “Well, I guess it must be real, but it sure is a weird looking diamond!”

Problems with Moissanite as a Diamond Stimulant

Anisotropy
Unlike natural diamonds, or some of the better quality synthetic diamonds like those available from Diamond Nexus Labs, (http://www.diamondnexuslabs.com) moissanite stones have an optical quality known as “hexagonal polytypic.” What this means is that moissanite is doubly-refractive. And because of this they create a strong visual effect known as “birefringence.” This is visually seen as a doubling of the stone’s back facets that creates a marked “drunk-vision” effect.

Dispersion
Moissanite has a dispersive power nearly 2.5 times greater than that of diamond. This creates what’s known as the “disco-ball” effect. Some think that this excess fire is beautiful; others think it cheap and fake looking.

Color
It is impossible to produce a pure white moissanite. The stones have a quality known as “fluorescence” that causes them to appear slightly green or gray. This effect is much greater under natural light. In the jewelry store a moissanite dealer will always show the stones under a pink tinged light, as this tends to cancel out the fluorescence. Many people say they loved their moissanite ring until they got it into the sunlight.

Cost
Due to its relatively extensive manufacturing process and the fact that it is only available from one source, moissanite tends to be quite expensive (though still cheap when compared to diamonds) good quality moissanite stones run around $520 per caret.

Better Synthetic Diamond Alternatives
In the last two years there have been almost miraculous breakthroughs in the science of synthetic diamond creation. There are several new processes that create gemstones that are virtually indistinguishable from natural diamonds. One of the best I have found are the gemstones available from www.DiamondNexusLabs.com. I recently did independent research for several synthetic diamond companies and found their products to be among the best.

Diamond Nexus gemstones cut glass, they have brilliance, dispersion and radiance factors that are very close to mined diamond, and best of all, as they are new in the US market, they are priced at an incredible $79 per caret. This is a bargain that probably will not last.

Conclusion
Moissanite stones are beautiful in their own right. They offer great sparkle and flash. However, if you truly are trying to purchase a gemstone that comes as close as possible to the properties of a natural diamond moissanite is not the best choice.

Gary LaCourt is an expert in refractive dynamics and a technical consultant who has recently done independent research for a consortium of synthetic and a natural gemstone producers including http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com

What was one time, in the earliest years of take-away watches, seen to be unsuitable for men and only for women, has got now into a fashion utensil that everyone wants. In the meantime, the watch is more than a instrument to tell the time.

The turn of the 20th century on the wrist

With the turn of the 20th century, another level of technical advancement was reached, which made it possible to house the mechanisms in an even smaller space. It was now possible to condense the clockworks in such a way that one could fasten them to a wristband without a problem. The practical application of this new breakthrough let the pocket watch to be quickly substituted by the wristwatch. It quickly became the fashion to wear a wrist watch. It appeared like the models sprouted from the ground and the variety produced with immense speed. In the early years, however, wrist watches were worn only by women. Men did not wear timepieces on their wrists.It just didn’t seem right. The war brought a change of mind concerning this. The soldiers quickly recognized the advantage of a watch on the wrist, which didn’t have to be pulled out of the pocket first. And in this way, the wrist watch prevailed with the male sex.

Away from the mechanical - on to electronics

While the first wristwatches were still being wound, several inventions developed in relation to the mechanics. The automatic wristwatch emerged, which no longer had to be wound manually, but was wound automatically through the movement of the watch. Afterwards, at the end of the 20’s, the quartz watch was invented. Time was indicated here by the so-called electronic oscillating circuit. women wrist watches

From pocket watch to a fashion accessory. What was once, in the earliest years of portable watches, considered to be unsuitable for gentlemen and only for women, has grown today into a fashion utensil that everyone has. Meanwhile, the wristwatch is no longer just a instrument to tell the time. It is a designer piece and can indicate much more than the time.

A great deal of mechanics in a small housing

The first confirmable portable timepiece was built in 1500. This was not a wristwatch, but more of a pocket watch. Through technical progress, which made it possible for people to house mechanics in an progressively smaller space, the required pieces of the clockworks were able to be brought into a manageable form. In this way, the first pocket watch was born, which at the time was still the size of an egg.

The computerized wristwatch from Japan

A totally new wrist watch came onto the market in the 1970’s from Japan, which had built its own watch industry. The new watch from Japan was no longer set on a mechanical basis, but on a computerized control. This wristwatch expanded its range of capacity rapidly. The watch no more just showed the time. The small timepiece on the wrist now also knew the date, the day of the week and even knew whether a leap year was involved.

The wristwatch as jewelry

Nowadays, the wrist watch is no longer just a watch. The wristwatch has become a fashion accessory. Wristwatches come in all colours and forms cogitable. One can also purchase harmonious watches from all fashion collection. The current watches are dominated by the correct fashion trends. Despite these various trends, there is something for every taste. The tiny watches, which need eyeglasses to tell the time, and the extraordinary big watches, which make it difficult to walk upright. By all means, one thing is clear: science is still likely to make so much advance - that the wrist watch will be found on the wrists of people for a long time, to respond to the question as to what time it is.