Moissanite sells for about a tenth of what mined diamonds do but the two gems have strikingly similar appearance and durability. Moissanite was originally discovered in its natural form in the late 19th century by Nobel Prize-winning chemist Henri Moissan at an Arizona meteorite strike site called Canyon Diablo (Devil’s Canyon). Moissan originally mistaken the moissanite fragments for diamonds, but later fell under the new rock’s spell and devoted his life to recreating it. F

Sustainability is an important consideration If you want the piece of jewellery you are wearing to benefit, not damage the world. From...

At Valeria's Secret we offer fine jewellery with ethically sourced natural mined and lab-grown gemstones. Gemmology is the science of gems, and like any proper science, it's highly complex and largely inaccessible to most people — meaning they can't easily make sense of it without expert help. Lab-grown gems are a relatively new phenomenon which often makes them misunderstood by jewellery shoppers due to seriously confusing information available. Where they are perceived as '