Jewelers Foiled by Moissanite on 20/20
Rob Bates -- JCK Online, 4/1/2001 3:00:00 AM
Jewelers again failed the moissanite test—even as consumers passed it—in a recent investigation conducted by the ABC television newsmagazine 20/20.
Five jewelers in the Washington, D.C., area misidentified a 1-ct. moissanite worth $600 as a diamond worth thousands, according to the episode. That's an improvement over past TV news exposés, where nine out of 10 jewelers were fooled by the diamond look-alike.
When the newsmagazine went to Manhattan's Great Bridal Expo, three out of three women correctly picked the diamond out of a group that included a cubic zirconia and a moissanite.
The show compared moissanite to designer "knock-offs" like fake Gucci handbags. "If imitations are in, and fakes are fashionable, a lot of guys may be asking themselves, why buy a woman real diamonds when there are substitute stones that can fool even jewelers?" said reporter Arnold Diaz.
However, Diaz also noted that while "diamond look-alikes may be fine with your valentine, don't try to fool her. Women have a sixth sense about genuine gems." Said one, interviewed on the show: "It feels different when you're wearing the real thing."
Prior to the show, the abcnews.com Web site challenged viewers to tell a moissanite stone from a diamond, based on three pictures. According to the show, 70% of viewers failed. The challenge can be viewed at http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/DailyNews/2020_010209_moissanite.html.
