Have you ever heard of the gem called amora? If you have, are you astonished, like I am, how much like a diamond it looks?
We all know about diamonds and how everyone wants one, no matter how tiny. But if you cannot have a diamond, what about amora? It really does well when placed side by side with a diamond.
In this article, I am going to look at amora vs diamond. Let’s how well each does in this comparison.
What Is the Amora Gem?
Say hello to beauty!
Amora is a stardust that occurs naturally. Large stars in the universe have it around them. But you will only find its crystal under high temperatures, extremely high.
Because of this, you can only find it next to the heated core of the earth. This is unlike diamonds that you don’t have to go so deep to find. And this is why it is rarer than diamonds.
It is said that the amora is older than earth but that is saying a lot. It may mean that it was only found quite recently.
Therefore, the extreme heat needed to form the gemstone is the reason why it has never been seen here on earth.
And this is why diamonds have comfortably occupied the position of the most precious stone on earth.
The part I like is that it can be made in a lab. Somehow, scientists found a way to grow the gem in a lab. They do this by recreating its star-like properties. So this means every amora gem is not gotten from the core of the earth.
However, even though it is grown in labs, the gem is still not as many as diamonds. It is still pretty difficult to recreate. As a result, you won’t find many of it around and this may explain its seeming mystery.
Amora, chemically, is a silicon carbide of the single-crystal formulation. Though it is not as hard as diamond, it is definitely hard enough to be termed a forever stone. Well, it is about 27% harder than the gemstone sapphire.
Note: Amora and moissanite are not the same stone. True, they both have carbon and silicon, belonging to the same crystal family of silicon carbide. But that is where it ends.
The sales of amora gem began in 2013, July to be precise. One of the first amora gems is in Hungary, in its museum of Natural History. Another, a larger one, is in a ring worn by one of the former Miss Americas.
Current Value of an Amora Gem
You may get a carat of an amora gem for a price as low as $350 or as high as $675. The cut of the gemstone adds some more value to it and may increase the price.
This is way below even half a carat of a diamond but that is understandable.
The gemstone is not popular; you wouldn’t believe the number of people who have never heard of the amora gem.
Besides, most of what counts for value in diamonds doesn’t exactly play a role with amora. Color and clarity are not measured.
This is because the amora gem is usually a pure D-color. The most color it can have is F on the scale, which is almost the same as D. in diamonds, the difference is not seen with the naked or untrained eye.
With time and more exposure, it may gain traction and draw more attention. One thing is clear: it will give diamonds a run for their money.
Amora Gem vs Diamond: Unique Properties
It is true that both gems look almost the same. If you don’t know what one or the other looks like, you can easily mistake them.
However, they have unique characteristics that separate one from the other. Let me make a list and explain them.
Refractive Index
You can call this the brilliance each gemstone exhibits. Shortened to RI, the refractive index measures the refractive power of a gemstone. It also measures the angles at which the stone can refract light.
Diamond is 2.42 on the index. Amora, on the other hand, is 2.71.
It seems amora does a better job with refraction than diamond. Can you believe that? A gemstone that is more brilliant than a diamond is on the market.
Color
I give this to amora gem. Its color starts at D in the color range and ends at F. With a diamond, this short range represents the purest colors and therefore, the rarest and most expensive.
Hence, amora gem colors are better than most that you will find with many diamonds.
Diamonds have different colors, going from the D-Z range to the fancy color diamonds. But amora does not have such colors.
You can chalk this up to the atomic composition of each gemstone. Amora has 50% silicon and 50% carbon as its atomic composition. But diamond has 99.99% carbon as its composition. In other words, it is made almost entirely of carbon.
Hardness
Diamond is harder than amora. In fact, it is about the hardest stone available. On the Mohs scale of hardness, a diamond occupies level 10, which is about the best spot. But amora lands at 9.5.
But when it comes to sturdiness, amora wins. The heat that forms this gemstone would completely vaporize a diamond. The temperatures at which amora grows are extremely high. Are you shocked?
Light Dispersion
The amora gem is better at dispersing light than diamond. That is it is better at dispersing and reflecting white light that gets into it. While a diamond lands at 0.044 on this scale, amora gets up to 0.104.
Cutting Precision
Getting the right shape and cut can be hard. This is one of the reasons cut features as an important factor when buying or selling diamonds.
Precisely, in round cuts, hearts and arrows are the highest points. But you may never be able to do it right with a diamond. However, with an amora gem, you stand a better chance.
You may attribute this to the fact that it is not as hard as a diamond so may be easier to cut into intricate shapes.
Durability
Amora wins this one. Believe it or not, it has better stability physically than a diamond. This is great because if you choose to use it on a piece of jewelry you want to wear every day, there is little or no fear of chipping or breaking.
And because it is less expensive than a diamond, you can easily replace it even if you lose it. My heart would break if my diamond ring goes missing.
Mining
Mining diamonds quickly and easily depletes the land of its natural resources. This can lead to problems with the land, too numerous to mention. This does not apply to all places with diamond mines but the exceptions are few.
But with amora, this does not apply. Getting and creating the gem does not have any adverse effect on the environment. This is made especially true as it is lab-made.
Clashes
Diamonds are usually embroiled in one clash or conflict. This is characteristic of so many other precious gems. You will often find communities around diamond mines fighting and clashing over the gemstone and revenue accruing from its mining.
Have you ever hear the name conflict diamonds? Well, this name belongs to diamonds that militants or rebel groups sell to the highest bidder.
With the money from the sale, the groups buy arms to continue fighting in their countries.
On the contrary, getting the amora gemstone does not involve such a conflict. Again, this can be attributed to the fact that most of it is not mined.
Here is a chart with each gemstone and its different properties in their degrees:
Properties |
Amora |
Diamond |
| Brilliance | 2.71 | 2.42 |
| Hardness | 9.5 | 10 |
| Fire | 0.104 | 0.044 |
| H&A Cut | Rarely accurate | Always accurate |
| Environmental friendliness | Always | Depends on area |
| Rarity | Very rare(1 million times rarer) | Common |
| Composition | 99.99% carbon | 50% silicon and 50% carbon |
| GIA Grading | Always | Typically |
This is a video of an amora gem and a diamond together, under the same light. Can you tell the difference?
Conclusion
An amora gem is truly beautiful, even compared to a diamond. Sometimes, you can’t tell the difference between the two stones when they are placed together.
People are yet to understand what the gemstone is about and what makes it worthy to compete with a diamond. And that is the point of this guide.
If you are one of those wondering, here is a reminder of the properties that make both very similar yet different:
- Refractive index or brilliance
- Hardness
- Color
- Toughness
- Clashes
- Mining
- Rarity
- GIA grading
- Cutting precision
- Light dispersion
- Composition
However, it does not have the upper hand over a diamond in all aspects. For one, the diamond is still much more popular and consequently, more expensive.
And the diamond offers an array of colors to choose from, from colorless to blue, red and even pink. An amora gem cannot boast of that.
Nevertheless, if you are in the market for something interesting and unique, choose amora.
Do you have any questions? Ask them in the comments section.
