Before my husband and I got married, we talked a lot about what we wanted to do. Instead of spending a lot on a big wedding or an engagement ring, we decided the practical thing to do was buy a house. I learned about moissanite from a friend who often wore the stone which was so beautiful, and we thought it would be cool to have a moissanite engagement ring. Today I just love my 2-carat cushion cut moissanite ring. If we hadn't found moissanite I would have wound up with a simple band.

Now I also have moissanite earrings, an anniversary eternity ring and two necklaces - a circle pendant and a solitaire pendant I wear almost every day. I notice that a lot of stores are carrying the stone, and I will admire a piece in front of my husband who sneaks back to the jeweler so he can surprise me for a special occasion.

What do I love about moissanite? Hello! I love that it's not a diamond.

I get compliments on my jewelry all the time. I tend to dress very simply and what I would like to think is classy. My husband and I enjoy trying new restaurants and visiting the wine country, and when we go out I wear dressy black slacks and a nice white top or something lacey. My moissanite jewelry fits perfectly with this look.

When I got engaged a few years ago, I could not find an engagement ring in my price range. My mother, who is a jeweler, could see that I was frustrated and told me about moissanite. I learned that for our budget, I could get a very large and beautiful ring. My husband just wanted me to be happy.

I selected a 2-carat brilliant solitaire set in a white-gold, four-prong setting. I like it so much that I bought each of my four bridesmaids quarter-carat solitaire earrings, as well as chocker necklaces that featured oval-cut moissanites all around. Their apple red bridesmaids dresses featured a rhinestone do-hickey at the hip, and with their hair swept up, the moissanite jewelry just pulled it all together as the perfect finishing touch.

I get so many compliments on my engagement ring every day. On my right hand I also wear a two-tone anniversary with five round moissanite stones. I definitely know I will buy more moissanite jewelry in the future. I just really like it, and for what we could spend I got just what I wanted.

I usually give my employees money for holiday gifts, but if you give cash, it disappears between spending for your kids or paying bills. I wanted to give my girls something special - something they would be able to have for a long time and something they might have wanted but could not afford.

I heard about moissanite through a local jeweler who is a personal friend of mine. For Christmas last year, he partnered with me to give each of my 25 employees credit towards a piece of moissanite jewelry. The credit was based on their years of service with me and their sales, and sums ranged from $500 to $2,000.

It was so exciting - for a variety of reasons. The women who work for me range in age from 20 to 50, and each has her own taste and things going on in her life. A couple of the young women were recently engaged and had not yet been able to afford an engagement ring, so they were thrilled to be able to have a beautiful moissanite ring. Other women replaced the smaller stones in their bridal jewelry with a 2-carat moissanite and used what they would have spent on a similar diamond upgrade for new carpet for their house.

The moissanite worked out well for the jeweler, too. The girls wear their jewelry in the shop all the time, and clients are constantly asking about it.

Last year I was reading a fashion magazine - I think it was Vogue - and I saw an advertisement for a moissanite ring I just loved. I circled it and showed it to my husband and jokingly said, ‘This is the kind of ring I want.’

Then for my 40th wedding anniversary last year he surprised me. I was blown away. The 3-carat center stone is set in six prongs and has a beautiful, unusually wide band with a crisscross design. It plays off the light so much even when it needs to be cleaned. I wear it every day. Twenty years ago I had my engagement and wedding rings set into one ring and that doesn't even hold a candle to this.

Not a day goes by when someone doesn't give me a compliment on my ring. I teach third grade and the little girls are so cute. They say, ‘Miss Wilson, is that real? Who gave it to you?’ When people ask about it, I try to tell them as much as I know about moissanite.

My ring is big, which fits great with my style. I like wild things. I like to dress trendy and feel young, even though I'm not. But I do try to dress my age. I love really cool jackets, which I'll wear with nice pants and simple top and dress shoes.

I love good jewelry, but I would never buy something like this for myself. I like for my husband to give me my nice jewelry, while I spend my money on my grandkids. Now I'm hinting and I think he might be planning to get me some nice earrings and a tennis bracelet next. But you never know, if he doesn't buy it for me.

Patricia first discovered moissanite when the national retail department store she works for brought it to her fine jewelry department. She attended an educational seminar in New Hampshire, where she learned about the unique and interesting qualities of moissanite.

“As a seasoned jewelry sales professional, I appreciate quality and I also look for new and interesting concepts. I wear my diamonds on the left hand and moissanite on the right. The moissanite outshines my diamonds. It has more brilliance, more fire and needs almost no light to radiate its qualities. I am amazed at its scientific properties. I think it would be amazing to see moissanite being formed and faceted! I believe that my customers are ready for a new and more interesting sparkle that is pure quality and less expensive. Moissanite embodies all of these characteristics!”

“After my first moissanite experience, I attended another educational seminar in Augusta to introduce new associates to moissanite. The moissanite representative brought out a JFIRE unit and a 2 carat un-mounted moissanite jewel to show us its amazing fire and brilliance. He asked me what I thought of this particular example, and my answer was that I would like to have that very same jewel set in a nice high tiffany type setting!”

Patricia was so in love with this 2 carat jewel that she e-mailed the moissanite training representative a week later, and asked if any of the stores had this 2 carat moissanite jewel in the setting that she could see. Months went by, new jewelry shipments came into the store, but the 2 carat ring she longed for wasn't in any of the boxes she opened. But then, a surprise arrived! A fine jewelry shipment came to the department, with the exact ring that she had asked for months earlier.

“My husband had expressed his desire to get me a ring for our anniversary, but I had not found anything unique enough to wear. Guess what? The moissanite ring meant for my jewelry case at the store never made it to the sales case. I finally found what I was looking for and my husband was so happy to put that moissanite ring on my finger because he knew how I would enjoy it, and that the beauty would represent our love for each other—unique and pure, with brilliance and fire.”

I'm a professional working woman and I have to dress very conservatively. I wear a suit every day and I used to wear either very small gold hoop earrings, or small pearl studs. A friend in the jewelry business introduced me to moissanite, and I looked at some earrings at a local retailer. I thought they were just fabulous! I couldn't believe how incredible they are.

I have a pair of diamond earrings, but when I tried on a 2-carat pair of moissanite earrings, I liked them even better. I decided not to buy them that day, but as soon as I left the store, I thought, ‘That is silly. That is exactly what I want.’

At the time there was a lot going on in my life. I was getting divorced and I was turning 40. While my kids’ father is a big part of their life, he is a pilot and away most of the time; and much of my time, energy and money goes to my children, all of whom are under age eight. It is very rare I go out and do something exceptional just for me.

At that time in my life I decided to celebrate the start of a new chapter, and I turned around and bought the earrings. They were a splurge, and the purchase was financially a big deal. But they were also a smart purchase, and I couldn't be more pleased.

I learned about moissanite and Charles & Colvard through Raleigh's business community. I found their business concept really interesting. Then a few years ago I started to see the gemstone in jewelry stores I frequent, and I found it pretty easy to treat myself to some pieces. I was intrigued from all angles.

I first bought myself a small pair of stud earrings to add a bit of sparkle to my outfits - something I could wear all the time. I liked them so much I thought, why not buy bigger? Now I have a carat in each ear. Over the years I've visited a couple of trunk shows where I bought a beautiful right-hand ring with about 50 small stones, and necklace with a significant center stone surrounded by a circle of smaller moissanite gems. All my pieces are set in white gold.

I tend to buy a few really high-quality pieces of classic clothing and wear them all the time. I want people to notice me and not what I'm wearing. Moissanite fits perfectly with my style. But those earrings get worn every day, even when I participate in triathlons. I come out of the water looking like a wreck but at least I have my moissanite on!

I don't have a lot of time to shop, so if I see something that suits me or that is clearly a good value I go for it. But I do like to invest in treating myself, as long as it is a wise way to spend my money. For example, I enjoy going to the spa, but I invest in a discount card so I feel good about the purchase, and good about investing in myself. Moissanite is both a treat and a good investment, and moissanite lasts - while a spa treatment is great for only a short time.

When you're younger, there are a lot of big life steps you tend to wait to take until you're married - like buying a house. For me, buying a significant piece of jewelry or a gemstone was in that realm and a huge investment. I always wanted a pair of diamond earrings, but everything was out of my price range. I wanted to make the right purchase and spend my money wisely.

A friend of mine told me about moissanite and I went on the Internet to learn more about it and find a local retailer. At the time I had just gotten a new job in Atlanta and I had bought my first house. I never really treated myself much. Like a lot of women, I'm a giver and I tend to think of other people and their special occasions before my own.

But my birthday was coming up, and I thought, ‘I'm going to buy myself those earrings. I'm not going to wait for someone to buy them for me. It's something nice I can do for myself that I've waited a long time for - plus it won't take up half my salary to make the purchase.’ One year ago I bought a pair of 2-carat moissanite earrings and they're just remarkably beautiful. I'm slowly trying to integrate the practice of treating myself into my life.

I wear my earrings all the time - to the office with slacks, or going out when I like to dress up in a cocktail dress or a skirt. I tend to dress very modest and traditional; I'm not very flashy with jewelry. I like pieces that are classy and not overstated, and my moissanite earrings are just that. Plus, they're easy - they compliment everything and you don't have to change them up all the time.

Moissanite was a great gift to give myself, but I also recently bought my niece a pair of half-carat earrings when she graduated from college. She is 21 and entering the workforce, and I think they are a perfect gift for her too.

I had seen Moissanite in stores but not paid much attention to them until a friend of mine introduced me to it. She had a very big pair she wore every day and always looked so professional and put together. Her earrings weren't cute or cool, they were simple and elegant.

Then last year I closed a large condominium deal and I thought, ‘You should treat yourself to a little something.’ I could have treated myself to a real little something, but I decided that a pair of 4.5 total carat weight moissanite solitaire earrings set in platinum was a wise purchase and a fun purchase and I didn't think twice about it. They're an impressive size.

I have a lot of jewelry, but I'm on the go so much and taking things on and off all the tíme. I figure, ‘Why not have something bigger that is just as nice that I can travel with and I don't have to worry about?’ The security factor alone is worth it. When I wear them, people's eyes go from my eyes to my ears, and I can see the look of ‘Oh my gosh!’

In the past year, only about 20 days have gone by when I wasn't wearing my moissanite earrings. I can sleep in them and throw them on day or night with whatever I wear -- I dress traditionally in pants suits or pants separates. These earrings work with anything and everything I have. In today's world we're always thinking about so many things -- remembering colleagues' first, middle and last names, and memorizing dozens of pass codes. The one thing I don't have to think about is what I put in my ears.

I have some beautiful diamonds, but at this point in my life, if they're just going to sit in a drawer and present security issues, I would rather have moissanite. In fact, I may put some of diamond jewelry on the market soon. I'd rather put my money in real estate.