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Moissanite has become one of the best-known diamond alternatives as well as a valuable gemstone in its own right. Of all moissanite on the market, however, Forever One Moissanite is widely seen as the best brand for high-quality moissanite jewelry.
What makes Forever One Moissanite stand out and are they worth the money? In this comprehensive review, we’ll look at what moissanite is and what makes Forever One special, its pros and cons, and how you can figure out if this is the right pick for you.
We’ll keep this review short and to the point. For more information, check out our related articles:
A Review of Charles and Colvard – The Creators of Moissanite
Difference Between Lab Grown Diamonds and Moissanite
7 Best Places to Buy Moissanite Rings Online: Expert Picks
What is Forever One Moissanite?
Forever One Moissanite was created by Charles & Colvard, an American company known for introducing moissanite as a jewelry gemstone to the wider public. Forever One Moissanite came out around 30 years ago and remains the most premium moissanite brand.
But what does it mean when we say that Charles and Colvard introduced moissanite to the public? The reason this is the case is because moissanite used in jewelry is synthetic.
Is Moissanite a Real Gemstone?
Moissanite can be found in nature, as it is a type of naturally occurring silicon carbide. If you are lucky enough to find a piece of moissanite in nature, it’ll be more than understandable if you mistake it for a diamond – that’s how much these two gemstones look alike even though diamonds are made of carbon and not silicon carbide.
In fact, the person who first discovered natural moissanite in 1893 in a meteorite crater in Arizona – the Noble Prize-winning chemist Henry Moissan – also thought that he’d found a piece of diamond. It took Henry Moissan 11 years to realize his mistake and reveal this new type of gemstone to the world.
Because natural moissanite gemstones are so incredibly rare, it wasn’t used in jewelry. Its unavailability made it unviable as a jewelry gemstone. It was Charles and Colvard that changed this.
Using their 6H polytype silicon carbide, Charles & Colvard managed to create lab-grown moissanite stones that look exactly like natural moissanite and are chemically identical to it, thus giving birth to the Forever One Moissanite line.
This brings us to the question – is lab-grown moissanite real? Yes, just like lab-grown diamonds are real and chemically identical to natural diamonds, lab-grown moissanite is the same as natural moissanite.
However, as already mentioned, because natural moissanite is rare, all the moissanite you’ll find on the market is synthetic.
Moissanite is a highly durable, brilliant, and affordable gemstone that makes for an excellent alternative to diamonds. We’ve discussed the benefits of moissanite in comparison to diamonds in this article.
How Is Forever One Moissanite Different?
When assessing the quality of moissanite, it’s important to consider the 4Cs – the color, clarity, cut, and carat weight of the stone.
Forever One Moissanite is truly high-quality and follows the original patented process created by Charles and Colvard. The technical process used by Charles and Colvard to create this brand of moissanite ensures high grade color and clarity. These stones are colorless, free of inclusions, and brilliant in their cut and faceting structures.
Each Forever One stone over 4mm carries Charles and Colvard’s signature engraving on the stone’s girdle. Because of its exceptional quality, the stone’s hold more fire and brilliance than traditional mined diamonds.
In contrast, most moissanite on the market don’t pass these strict standards.
Pros and Cons of Forever One Moissanite
We’ve established that Charles and Colvard pioneered the synthetic moissanite industry with their Forever One Moissanite line and that these stones stand out from most other moissanite types. As a result, the brand has been associated with the highest quality moissanite. But are the stones worth the hype? Let’s take a quick look at its pros and cons.
Pros of Forever One Moissanite
1. Quality Moissanite
Charles & Colvard’s moissanite is made with the highest quality and offers clarity, brilliance, fire, and sparkle that few other moissanite jewelers can provide. As is (or should) be the case with any good moissanite, the Forever One stones have brilliance and sparkle that can rival any diamond and even better fire. They also hold excellent clarity and are colorless.
Note that Charles and Colvard also offer Forever Brilliant (referring to their original line of Forever One Moissanite) and Forever Classic (referring to their line of second color grade quality).
2. Hardness
Forever One moissanite has excellent hardness – 9.25/10 on the Moh scale, as should be the case of all good moissanite – not quite as hard as a diamond but as close as any other gemstone can get. Thanks to its high durability and tolerance to temperatures close to 2,000o Fahrenheit (over 1,000o Celsius), moissanite jewelry can easily and safely be resized and repaired.
3. Heirloom Value
Forever One moissanite has long-term and even heirloom value, especially when crafted and set into beautiful jewelry. All these stones need is the standard common-sense care you’d give any other diamond or gemstone jewelry and the moissanite will have no problems lasting decades.
4. Several Options
Charles & Colvard’s moissanite collection is divided into several different sub-sections. These include the original and highest quality moissanite stones of the Forever Brilliant collection, the new collection of the nearly colorless moissanite Forever Classic collection, as well as the current Forever One colorless collection. All three are of excellent quality but with some variation in the color (or lack thereof), fire, and price tag which gives Forever One’s customers more budgetary options.
5. Affordable Pricing
By virtue of being a lab-grown gemstone, moissanite is much more affordable than natural diamonds, similar to lab-grown diamonds. Having said this, moissanite is not inexpensive like cubic zirconia – a high-quality stone can still cost thousands of dollars. In the jewelry world, the word ‘affordable’ is relative.
6. Range of Jewelry Options
Forever One Moissanite offers a range of types of fine jewelry, including earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and fashion rings, as well as different styles and settings of engagement rings and wedding bands.
7. Excellent After Sales Policies
Charles & Colvard offers competitive financing options, 30-day free returns, free shipping, warranty options, repair & resize services, and more.
8. Bespoke Options
Custom-made Forever One Moissanite jewelry of all types is available at Charles & Colvard’s stores. This offers the option of creating the type of jewelry you require.
9. Eco Friendly
Naturally, as with any other lab-grown gemstone or diamond, Forever One Moissanite is eco-friendly by definition as its origins are traceable to the lab in which it was created. The environmental as well as the human impact are low.
Cons of Forever One Moissanite
1. Fewer Design Options in Stock
Charles & Colvard have limited options when it comes to moissanite engagement rings and fine jewelry pieces in stock. Most custom orders will require some time to be made and shipped – you’ll need to plan accordingly.
2. It’s not a Diamond
This is obvious, but for those who have their heart set on a diamond, it’s important to remember that moissanite isn’t diamond. While we’d definitely recommend Forever One moissanite – and moissanite in general – moissanite isn’t a diamond substitute. If the person you’re buying the moissanite jewelry for has their heart set on a diamond, they may be unhappy with moissanite even if it’s similar in appearance and of similar durability and value.
3. Premium Pricing
Forever One’s Moissanite jewelry is more expensive than most if not all, other moissanite jewelry brands and varieties. It is still relatively affordable compared to diamonds, but there is a noticeable price difference compared to other brands.
Wrapping Up – Is Forever One Moissanite for you?
Forever One Moissanite is ideal for virtually all types of customers, as long as you don’t have any hangups about lab-grown gemstones.
These moissanite stones are of the highest possible quality, look as good as the best-looking diamonds or natural moissanite stones in the world, are exceptionally beautiful and can work with all types of fine jewelry. They’re also durable and can last lifetimes, they are eco-friendly and truly conflict-free, and they are quite affordable, at least for the quality you’d be getting.
However, if you’re looking for affordable moissanite, you can find less expensive stones. The quality may not be the same, however.
