Moissanite Tennis Chain 925 Silver (5mm)

Moissanite Tennis Chain 925 Silver (5mm) With VVS D Stones and a GRA Certificate

A continuous row of moissanite of 5mm on a base of solid 925 sterling silver. Where most tennis chains are set with cubic zirconia, these stones come with a grading of their own and a certificate: VVS D, recorded by GRA.

Product details

• Base material: solid 925 sterling silver

• Stones: VVS D moissanite

• Width: 5mm

• Lengths: 50, 55 and 60 cm

• Clasp: box clasp

• Includes GRA certificate and a Carpe Ice jewelry box

What VVS and D Concretely Mean

Those two markings come from the diamond world and are used for moissanite as well. D is the highest color grade there is: completely colorless, without the yellow or gray undertone cheaper stones often have. VVS stands for very very slightly included, meaning inclusions that are hard to find even under a loupe. On a tennis chain the first of those counts most: one stone with an off tone stands out immediately in a continuous row, because you see it right beside dozens of others.

Moissanite Against Cubic Zirconia

This is the comparison that matters on a tennis chain, because most are made with cubic zirconia. Moissanite scores 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale against 8 to 8.5 for cubic zirconia, and that difference decides whether the facet edges are still sharp after a year. On a row of dozens of stones that is more visible than on a single stone: as soon as part of the row goes matte, the whole loses its line. The dispersion is also 0.104 against 0.044 for diamond, which gives clearly more colored flashes in movement.

What the Certificate Does and Does Not Say

The GRA certificate records that these are moissanite and what grading the stones have. It is not a diamond certificate and does not pretend to be one: moissanite is a gemstone in its own right, silicon carbide, and not a diamond or an imitation of one. What the certificate is for is that you have on paper what you are buying rather than relying on a sales story.

How 5mm Wears, and Which Length

At 5mm this is a chain that is seen without the proportions of a broad iced out link. It comes in 50, 55 and 60 cm (20, 22 and 24 in): at 50 cm (20 in) it stays inside a buttoned shirt, 55 cm (22 in) falls just below the collarbone and is our best-selling length, and at 60 cm (24 in) it shows freely over a T-shirt. Wear it on its own or with the matching tennis bracelet; a second chain alongside makes the picture busy rather than rich. The box clasp closes flush and does not interrupt the row of stones.

Care

Moissanite attracts grease, and that is the main reason stones can look dull. Lukewarm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft toothbrush along the underside of the setting will lift it away; that is where the light enters. Silver can darken over time between the settings, which you touch up with a silver cloth. Do not use an ultrasonic bath or abrasives.