{"product_id":"a-phenomenal-2-4cttw-or-6cttw-double-certified-pair-of-octagonal-cut-star-faceted-royal-blue-moissanite-studs-in-935-argentium-silver","title":"A *PHENOMENAL* 2.4cttw or 6cttw DOUBLE certified pair of octagonal-cut, star-faceted, royal blue Moissanite studs in 935 Argentium silver!","description":"\u003cp\u003eUPDATE! I again had smaller and larger stones custom-cut to replenish stock, but by a different manufacturer because this color is harder and harder to find and only ONE manufacturer had it! The current batch of these Moissanites range from medium to deep blue, having been cut from raw material that developed natural color variations as the crystal grew. BOTH stones are certified! The smaller stones measure 7mm x 7mm, and unlike the first 2 batches that were 1.2ct each, their certificates say they’re 1.45ct each. These stones are *cut by hand* so could have been cut with deeper pavilions and that’s why they’re heavier, but I’m leaving their description as 1.2ct each just because that’s what they’ve weighed in the past. The 3ct stones measure 9mm x 9mm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI absolutely adore beautiful gemstones and gorgeous jewelry, but other than with Ethiopian opals I have rarely had a gemstone stop my heart in my chest in an *emotional* response to their beauty. But *this* Moissanite, when I saw it on the website of a Moissanite manufacturer I often use, *stopped my heart* because it’s so exquisite! I immediately sent a message and was messaged back that they were only available in a 1ct size. But I was already too far gone. I was in love! So I commissioned these stones to be custom-cut in this 3ct size, and had them sent to my jewelry manufacturer in Shenzhen, China to be set in my custom 4-claw settings! These studs, therefore, are EXCLUSIVE to my shop! The stones are entirely *cut by hand* rather than having been machine-cut, so I paid more for them per stone than I’ve ever paid for equivalent-sized loose Moissanites. But I hope you’ll be able to see with your own eyes why they are “worth it” to me!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBOTH of these royal blue\/sapphire-blue Moissanites are certified, so you’ll get *two* GRA-certificates and Moissanite Reports! And the color is *natural*, meaning the Moissanite crystal was grown this color (as opposed to being electroplated with color on their backsides)! Octagonal-shaped stones are nothing new, with perhaps the most recognizable being an Asscher-cut gemstone. It’s the masterful *faceting* of these stones that makes them truly special and unique! Each features a perfect 8-arm star, achieved with diamond-shaped facets, that appears to project outward from within the stones, and each side of the star’s arms and its facets catch the light! The underside of each stone (the pavilion) features dozens of triangular and trapezoidal facets which radiate not only from within the star’s arms but reflect through the stone’s octagonal table (the flat surface facet)! So these deliciously blue stones are super fiery and flashy - just as Moissanites should be!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mountings, including the posts, are crafted from genuine, germanium-container 935 silver with 18k Seiko-electroplated white rhodium. Argentium silver has the approximate strength and durability of 14k white gold (2-3 times stronger than sterling silver!) and looks and feels like 14k! It is very resistant to surface marring, is highly tarnish-resistant and is hypoallergenic! The backs are a purchased component so are sterling silver, and are oversized European “butterfly” backs with silver disks that snug right up against your earlobe, centering and stabilizing the earrings and thereby preventing earlobe sag! From A to Z, these studs are boutique-level earrings, and because I had the stones custom-cut and set in my 4-claw Argentium silver stud mountings, these earrings are exclusive to my shop!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth earrings are stamped with the Argentium Guild’s official winged unicorn and hallmarked AR935 to certify them as being made from germanium-containing 935 Argentium silver!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“If it’s not good enough for me, then it’s not good enough for my customers. If I wouldn’t wear it, it doesn’t belong in my shop.” - Heather Constable\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy Personal Guarantee:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hand-select every Moissanite and Ethiopian opal I offer in my shop to complement my hand-made jewelry items, and I pledge to offer you genuine Moissanite and opal jewelry at the lowest prices on Etsy. I test every Moissanite I buy - even from gemstone dealers I trust and EVEN when the Moissanites come with certificates of authenticity! - so you can be certain it will pass your own tester. I closely inspect every Ethiopian opal I have set to be certain of its grading and security in its setting. I pledge to never get lazy or sloppy with quality assurance because I understand that it’s your investment on the line. I know that you can spend your money elsewhere, so also at stake is my integrity as a shop owner to honor your trust in me for all your Moissanite, Ethiopian opal and genuine gemstone purchases! So please don’t be wary of my low prices - I negotiate good deals on loose gemstones and settings, and I double-check everything so that I can honor my pledge to bring you the best genuine gemstone jewelry at the lowest prices! And if you are ever unhappy with a purchase for any reason - or even if you just changed your mind! - I offer you a worry-free 14-day money back guarantee with free return service! So feel free to indulge in the unrivaled beauty of Moissanite and Ethiopian opal to complement any hand-made item in my shop, and then feel good wearing genuine gemstone jewelry that you bought wisely at a price point lower than even others’ sale prices! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou will find more comprehensive information about Moissanite further down, but the most important thing to know about this gemstone is that it’s 2 times more refractive than diamond, which is just a fancy way of saying that it’s twice as sparkly! The second most important thing to know is that Moissanite is a GENUINE gemstone, but because it is so exceedingly rare in nature all Moissanite on the market is lab-grown. It looks like the most perfect, colorless diamond - so much so that before the patent protecting its creation expired it was set in precious metals like platinum and high-karat gold (18k, 22k etc.).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are unfamiliar with Moissanite, you’ll be amazed at how this gemstone shows off like crazy, sending out dazzling sparks of colorful fire when it’s touched by even the smallest bit of light! And YOU will glow just as brightly when you experience this gemstone for yourself!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have been in love with Moissanite for almost 20 years, as it rivals the beauty and fire of the most colorless, perfect diamond! I even swapped out my diamond engagement ring for a 3 carat Moissanite solitaire set in white gold, and the earring studs I wear are 2 carats each of Moissanite in white gold. My ring and original Moissanite studs cost me a little over a thousand dollars each - on sale! But my teenage son claimed my studs as his own, so I had to buy myself a new almost identical pair that cost me 1\/10th  of the original pair (just $100)! Here’s why:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom 1998 to 2015 a company called Charles \u0026amp; Colvard held a U.S. patent that allowed them the exclusive right to produce, cut and sell Moissanite as a gemstone (C\u0026amp;C also patented Moissanite in dozens of other countries). I had bought my ring and first pair of Moissanite studs as certified Charles \u0026amp; Colvard Moissanites. When the patent held by  C\u0026amp;C expired in August of 2015, every gem lab was free to grow Moissanite crystals, cut them into gemstones and offer them for sale. The market for this gorgeous gemstone was finally competitive, and with Moissanite more abundantly available it plummeted in price (to 1\/10th the price in the case of  my replacement studs!). Although much more affordable, Moissanite still easily competes with diamond in its ability to drink in light and shoot it back out in a dazzling array of colorful sparkles! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy lessons learned from my love affair with Moissanite is that before I buy an expensive brand of something, I would be wise to check the expiration date of the brand’s patent! 😂 All kidding aside, I can rejoice in the knowledge that my Creator holds my eternal patent so I will forever remain a singular creation! I do, however, have a mortal expiration date, so I must strive in the time I have left to shoot forth a thousand rays of love and light upon my fellow man. You too are a singular creation, with your own gifts and ability to affect this world in a positive and meaningful way! If we all do our best to shine with the light that is within us, we have the capability to make this world a little brighter for the people in our orbit!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy I love it: I love the clean, vibrant fire of  Moissanite! A gemstone’s fire is determined by its “refractive index”, or its capacity to bend light when it enters the stone. The more light a gemstone can bend, the more fire, or colorful rays of light, it produces. Optically, diamond is singly refractive, whereas Moissanite is doubly refractive. Put simply, Moissanite produces twice the fire of diamond, and in gemology more fire means more brilliance means greater beauty!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformation about this gemstone: Moissanite was first discovered in 1893  by French chemist Henri Moissan (from whom this beautiful mineral derives its name). Henri was exploring a meteorite crater in Canyon Diablo in Arizona when he noticed some unfamiliar crystals. Chemical analysis of the crystals revealed that they were silicon carbide. Because this was the first documented discovery of Moissanite in nature and it had been found in a meteor crater, it was assumed that the crystals traveled to earth aboard the ancient asteroid that made the Canyon Diablo. However, Moissanite has since been found as inclusions in diamonds and other minerals in several different countries, suggesting that the crystals Henri discovered were likely already there before the meteorite struck. Nonetheless, natural occurrences of Moissanite crystals are very, very rare so it is exceedingly scarce as a naturally occurring mineral.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1980’s a company in North Carolina called Cree Research, Inc. developed a process that produced large individual crystals of Moissanite. Because Moissanite is a very hard mineral (just shy of diamond’s hardness, in fact), the crystals produced by Cree Research were used in electronics and manufacturing applications. (Note: Moissanite ranks 9.25 out of 10 on the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness, diamond ranks 10.) In1995 a man named Charles Hunter, who worked for Cree’s umbrella company C3, was able to duplicate and perfect the process for growing Moissanite crystals and secured a patent to market gem-quality Moissanite under the brand name Charles and Colvard. C\u0026amp;Cs U.S. patent for growing Moissanite crystals and marketing Moissanite gemstones expired in 2015, and in 2018 all C\u0026amp;C Moissanite patents expired worldwide. With every gem-growing lab now free to grow and sell Moissanite, this gorgeous gemstone increased in abundance and popularity as it simultaneously decreased in price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFun fact: Because Moissanite is doubly refractive, you can see double if you look through a Moissanite crystal at just the right angle!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hand Knotted Jewelry","offers":[{"title":"2.4ctw","offer_id":53942947184824,"sku":null,"price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"6ctw","offer_id":53942947217592,"sku":null,"price":155.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0975\/1527\/4424\/files\/DFBAD896-26F6-4A1D-97BC-865E4FD33BDE.jpg?v=1787093681","url":"https:\/\/handknottedjewelry.com\/products\/a-phenomenal-2-4cttw-or-6cttw-double-certified-pair-of-octagonal-cut-star-faceted-royal-blue-moissanite-studs-in-935-argentium-silver","provider":"Hand Knotted Jewelry","version":"1.0","type":"link"}