Post # 1
Member
30 posts
Newbee
I went to our jeweler today to pick up some business cards, and he told me that he was turned onto a new stone called “Russian Brilliant”. He said that he knew I was looking for moissanite, but had recently been turned onto this stone and it was gorgeous. He is going to bring in a round one for us to come look at, but of course I’m anxious to research it first. I can’t tell online if it is CZ or like the other diamond sims out there… Hopefully we can find something out!
Post # 3
Member
4804 posts
Honey bee
Never heard of it!
Is it a clear stone? Like diamond-looking?
Post # 4
Member
30 posts
Newbee
I guess it is supposed to be. He said he set either a cushion or radiant cut and it was beautiful. I guess we can wait and see what it will look like when he brings it in. I remember asking before about doing the enhanced moissanite, but he said it still had the yellow hue to it. Now I’ve seen a bajillion moissanites on here and they are all absolutely gorgeous. SO said he doesn’t want to go with a colored stone like some of the many other fabulous rings I lust over daily on the boards.
I guess my problem is when you google it, you really only find the websites that are of the Russian Brilliants, so there isn’t much else out there to tell me otherwise. That itself makes me wonder.
We already have the setting picked out, so now it’s down to the stone. I will wait and see if anyone else has ever heard of or knows of them….
Post # 5
Member
1444 posts
Bumble bee
I haven’t heard of them, but it might just be (dont quote me) a fancier type of cz. If that’s what you’re looking for then go for it, but you have to keep in mind no matter the type of cz, it will end up going cloudy. I have a 1ct enhanced moissy and I see no color in it at all. I’ve had it under all lighting, etc and it’s as clear as day which I love. I was worried about the color too, even after getting the enhancement but I dont see any color. Personally, I prefer moissy’s over cz just because it’s harder so it wont chip as easily, and I know that it wont ever change color or clarity. Sorry I couldnt help with the russian brilliants aspect, but I just thought I’d give my input 🙂
Post # 6
Member
602 posts
Busy bee
According to their website they are simulated stones.
http://www.russianbrilliants.net/
Post # 7
Member
5668 posts
Bee Keeper
Post # 8
Member
30 posts
Newbee
The more I thought about it, the more I just don’t feel like it’s what I want. I hope it’s just not to get us to upgrade down the line. I have just been drawn to the moissanite ever since I started reading these boards. I am going to have SO call the jeweler today to see if he can bring some stones in for us to view. I’m not against ordering our own loose stone (maybe the Mira Moissanite) and bringing it with us then too. It is returnable if he has something better than that. Any thoughts?
Post # 9
Member
851 posts
Busy bee
Go with Moissanite, or even Asha. Russian Brilliant is horribly marked up standard CZ.
Post # 10
Member
4109 posts
Honey bee
Yep, CZ.
What FutureMrsMoore said.
Post # 11
Member
140 posts
Blushing bee
I can’t find a really reliable source (a patent or something similar) which speaks for itself, I think.
I found this: http://www.diamondsourceva.com/Education/ArtificialDiamonds/diamonds-cubic-zirconia.asp
Which would support the CZ theory. Also never is there stated (on various Russian Brilliant sites) that that they are not CZ which speaks volumes too…
Just my two cents.
Edit: This seems to be an interesting source too: http://www.moissanitejewelrystore.com/russian-brilliants-information.htm
Post # 12
Member
30 posts
Newbee
That’s what I thought as well. I had googled it and thought that it seemed like they paid a lot to have all of their websites on the first pages of google. Of course they can pay for this because they are making how much off of a CZ.
We are now going to the jeweler next week to look at the different options. I kind of want to buy my own Moissanite or the Mira Moissanite and bring it with me. I wonder if I would get it in time. I guess I could wait and see if he has a moissy there since it’s what I had asked for originally. I asked SO what he wanted me to have deep down, and he said a diamond. Ok… sweet, but honestly I know the money just isn’t there for a diamond. I also don’t know if I want to risk losing such an expensive stone in the winter time when my hands seem to shrink down from the cold.
Well, I guess Wednesday just can’t come fast enough! Thanks for the supporting information. It just solidified what I had thought~
Post # 13
Member
145 posts
Blushing bee
the store thats sells jewelry here says that russian stone is same with cz
Post # 14
Member
235 posts
Helper bee
I think the Russian Blue is a coated CZ but, I don’t know.
I know Asha is a diamond coated CZ and it has some really good reviews as far as realism 🙂
Post # 15
Member
68 posts
Worker bee
I think you’ve already reached a verdict, but I decided to look it up and found this funny. I can’t believe how much information they’ll give out before simply naming the stone.
Their FAQ section says “Russian Brilliants® have their origins in a synthetic material first developed by the French in 1960 and later perfected by the Russian’s in 1973 for use as an optical material in their space program.”
I looked up cubic zirconia on Wikipedia and it says this in the history section: “Some of the earliest research into controlled single-crystal growth of cubic zirconia occurred in 1960s France […] Later, Soviet scientists under V. V. Osiko at the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow perfected the technique […] Their breakthrough was published in 1973…”
Post # 16
Member
1 posts
Wannabee
@cas2thom: Russian Brilliants are high end cubic zirconia. An excellent info site is
http://www.manmadediamondinfo.com/simulant.shtml 
Member