Our Materials
MOI is soulful luxury. It is meant for everyday and forever! We only work with high-quality, enduring materials, from precious metals to genuine gemstones.
Precious metals
The metal of royalty, gold has long been coveted for its reddish gold sheen and resistance to oxidation or corrosion. Although rare, gold is a highly malleable metallic element and is found throughout the world. Pure gold is very soft, so it's alloyed with other metals like copper, silver, and zinc to create the 14 karat gold that we use. This means that 14 out of 24 parts are gold, giving you the ideal balance of luxurious color, bright shine, and long-lasting strength.
14 Karat Gold : 14K gold with 58.4%(14 out of 24 parts) gives a subtle hue to the pieces and tightly holds and secures the diamonds and gemstones. It is appropriate for everyday-wear; scratches less and doesn’t bend or wear out easily.
18 Karat Gold : purity though seldom used in our designs is also appropriate for everyday-wear but we prefer to use 14K gold for its strength in holding the gemstones in place.
22 Karat Gold : 22K gold has 91.67% (22 out of 24 parts) purity and is mostly used in our designs that use the kundan setting (see glossary).
24 Karat Gold : 24k gold has 99.9% purity, is technically a gold foil as it is the purest and hence the most malleable. It is only used in our designs that use the kundan setting (see glossary)
925 Silver :The extremely ductile 925 Sterling Silver is an alloy made of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper.
Diamonds
The Four C's of Diamonds, Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat, are the basics that are used to select and grade all diamonds.
The different cuts and colors of Diamonds we use are :
Brilliant-cut Diamond : Can you think of a better name for the sparkling look of the brilliant cut? With a precise arrangement of 57 facets, the brilliant cut is the benchmark for white diamonds. These stones represent the pinnacle of the gem cutter's art and bring unmatched brightness to any setting.
Rose-cut Diamond : A throwback to the centuries-old cut, the simple and stunning rose cut was the jeweler's cut of choice for hundreds of years. Unlike round brilliant cuts, the rose cut is flat on its bottom with a domed surface, giving any setting an architectural beauty and creating a more subtle and understated sparkle. It is usually round but sometimes oval too.
Read more about inclusions in rose-cut diamonds here .
Single - cut Diamond : Also called “Melee” diamonds, these are cut as round brilliants but have fewer than the standard 57 or 58 of facets are referred to as “single cut”.
Baguette-cut : Often used as accent stones, baguette-cut gemstones are long and rectangular with octagonal corners. A baguette-cut diamond will generally have less brilliance than a traditional brilliant cut. It became popular during the Art Deco era, which favoured straight, geometric patterns and forms. It is one of the more expensive diamond shapes as more of the stone is lost to create the shape than with other cuts.
Marquise-cut Diamond : A modified brilliant cut, the Marquise cut looks a little like a football. Symmetry is critical to the marquise cut, and even a slight misalignment of the two end points or right and left sides can cause it to appear off-balance in jewellery design.
Princess-cut Diamond : Betzalel Ambar and Israel Itzkowitz created the popular princess cut in 1980. A square cut, these diamonds are flexible and work well in nearly any ring style.
Champagne Diamond : Though white is the most famous, diamonds actually occur in lots of colors and champagne is one of our favorites. Naturally brown with a yellow tint, these diamonds add extra romance to our designs. Best of all, you get all the virtues of a natural diamond like superior hardness and incredible fire.
Sliced Diamond : Diamond slices are thinly sliced sections of a larger diamond piece, each cut in their own particular shape, which can be oval or irregular.
Uncut Diamonds/Polki/Vilandi : A diamond that has few facets and appears to have little fire or brilliance. It refers to unpolished or rough diamonds. Polkis can be irregular in shape and are frequently used in the Indian setting technique of kundan.(which is essentially gold foil.) Unpolished and unfaceted in nature, polki/uncut diamonds diamonds usually contain inclusions, which is what adds to their distinctive look. - see kundan (see glossary)
Read more about inclusions in uncut diamonds here .
Gemstones
Agate : A semiprecious gemstone, agate is a variety of quartz and usually features bands of colour that vary from tan to red or brown to green. Agate is an umbrella name for a number of varieties of banded chalcedony. Agate crystals occur in many colors that range from translucent to opaque.
Amber: The translucent, fossilized sap or resin of conifer trees that ranges in colour from white and pale yellow to deep red, black and blue.
Amethyst :A purple form of quartz, amethyst is the birthstone for February usually translucent.
Aventurine : Aventurine is a form of quartz, characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give a shimmering or glistening effect termed aventurescence. The most commonly seen colours are green, but it may also be orange, brown, yellow, blue, or grey.
Read more about inclusions in aventurine here .
Blue Sapphire : This valuable gemstone comes from the mineral corundum. Many sapphires have been heat treated to bring out their blue hue. Sapphires have excellent hardness and durability.
Citrine : Citrine is a beautiful yellow gemstone with a color that ranges from light to dark. It is a member of the quartz family
Creative Green Sapphire : Lab-made green sapphire.
Creative Tourmaline : Lab-made tourmaline.
Cognac Quartz : A variety of quartz, that ranges from very pale brown to deep brown, and from opaque to transparent. The name Cognac Quartz comes from the stones rich golden colour which is similar to the colour of Cognac or Brandy.
Emeralds : Part of the beryl family, these stunning green gemstones were created during an intensive tectonic process that brought together traces of chromium and vanadium with the normally colourless beryl. The earliest emeralds came from Zimbabwe and are among the oldest known gemstones in the world. Today, top-quality emeralds are mined in Colombia. Naturally occuring emeralds typically occur in a range of tones and color saturations and have inclusions in them which is what make them unique.
Read more about inclusions in emeralds here .
Emerald Doublet : A doublet is a gemstone that is composed of two parts; usually a valuable gemstone material at the crown(top) and a less expensive material (synthetic sapphire, quartz or glass) in the pavilion(bottom).
Garnet :Garnet is a group of silicate minerals. It is popularly known as a dark red gemstone, but it is actually a group of gemstones that can be a variety of colors.
Hessonite :Hessonite is a brownish-yellow variety of garnet.
Labradorite : Labradorite is a gemstone in the feldspar family. It is known for a brilliant play of color and exhibits lustrous metallic tints of blue, green, yellow, red, gold, and purple.
Moissanite : Moissanite is a diamond simulant made of silicon carbide.
Nano Amethyst (gem) : Nanogems are the glass-ceramic material with nano sized (10⁻⁹m) crystals of Spinel in an aluminosilicate glass matrix, which is not special glass and it is not synthetic crystal or mineral – it is their hybrid. They are available in more than 220 colors and shades: Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, Garnet, Topaz, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Morganite, Kunzite, Peridot, Tsavorite, Rubellite, Red and Black Spinel, Turquoise and many others.
Natural Crystal : Naturally occurring crystals.
Onyx : Onyx is a variety of the microcrystalline quartz, called chalcedony. Traditionally found in black, onyx is also available in a variety of colours. We have also used green onyx.
Rose Quartz : A pink variety of quartz, that ranges from very pale pink to deep reddish pink, and from opaque to transparent.
Ruby : Naturally occurring rubies are one of the world’s most valuable gemstones. They come from the mineral corundum, which is also the host for sapphires. However, only red corundum can be considered a ruby and the ruby is prized for its hardness, durability, luster, and rarity.
Rutile Quartz : Rutilated Quartz is clear quartz or smoky quartz with hair-like inclusions of the mineral rutile. The hairs are usually golden colored, but can also be silver, copper, or black. This feature makes each rutile quartz unique.
Read more about inclusions in rutile quartz here .
Serpentine : Serpentine is a group of minerals. Ranges in color from pale yellowish green through various shades of green to almost black, often with a mottled or scaly appearance. It is soft in terms of gemstones
Simulated Ivory : A man-made gemstone created with a compound of minerals to make the gemstone look and feel like Ivory.
Tanzanite : Tanzanite is the violet blue to blue violet variety of the mineral zoisite. It is mined commercially only in one area of the world: the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, which is where it gets its name. Naturally occuring Tanzanite cabochons typically have inclusions in them and occur in a range of tones and color saturations which is what make them unique.
Read more about inclusions in tanzanite here .
Topaz : Topaz is a silicate mineral. It can be found in many colors, including red, orange, peach, pink, gold, yellow, blue, brown, green, white, and clear. We mostly use blue topaz and yellow topaz.
Tourmaline : Tourmaline is a silicate mineral. It is found all over the world and comes in a variety of colors including shades of red, pink, yellow, black, green, and blue.
Translucent Green Amethyst: Green Amethyst or Prasiolite is a light green-colored, transparent, semi-precious gemstone of Quartz mineral family. It is considered a highly effective healing gemstone and is also worn to gain spiritual serenity, better communication skills, higher self-esteem and a healthy body.
Turquoise : An opaque greenish-blue mineral. It often has veins of darker or lighter material running through.
Yellow Sapphire : Yellow sapphire is the yellow variety of sapphire, a very hard stone consisting of the mineral corundum. Ruby is also a variety of corundum.
Tumbled Gemstones :Tumbled stones are small, rounded pieces of stones that have smooth edges and surfaces. They are popular because they are natural materials with modified shapes which gives it its pleasing appearance. Because of their untreated nature, they exhibit internal and external inclusions.
Read more about inclusions in tumbled gemstones here .
Pink Sapphire : Pink Sapphire is a natural, light pink to deep violet-pink colored, precious gemstone from the Corundum mineral family. It has an incredible colour and hardness to it and is found primarily in the mines of Madagscar. Naturally occuring Pink sapphires typically have inclusions in them and occur in a range of tones and color saturations which is what make them unique.
Read more about inclusions in pink sapphire here .
Pearls
South - Sea Pearls : South Sea Pearls are very rare and unique. Given the rarity of the oyster, cultivation and production costs remain extremely high. Also the reason why South Sea Pearls are among the most expensive pearls. South-sea pearls have naturally occuring imperfections and indentations. They may have surface damage, imperfections, cracks or chips in their nacre and that is what adds to their beauty.
Read more about inclusions in south sea pearls here .
Tahitian Pearls : More rare than white pearls, black pearls come from the giant black-lipped oyster called the Pinctada Margaritifera. These iridescent pearls range in colour from deep midnight black to shimmering emerald green and pale silver blue. Although black pearls are found in various oceans around the world, Tahitian black pearls are particularly renowned for their sheen and beauty. These pearls derive their name from the fact that they are primarily cultivated around the islands of French Polynesia, around Tahiti.
Mother of Pearl : Also known as nacre, mother-of-pearl is the iridescent layer that forms inside the lining of many molluscs, including pearl oysters and abalone. It comes in many natural colours but is often bleached or dyed. We have also used a colored mother of pearl.
Cultured Pearls : These pearls are created by a mussel farmer or oyster farmer under controlled conditions.
Chinese Button Pearls : Chinese button pearls are symmetrical button-like pearls that appear to be flattened or squashed to some degree.
Freshwater Pearls : Freshwater pearls come from freshwater mussels. Freshwater pearls come in an amazing variety of shapes and colours.
Shell Pearls : Shell Pearls are synthetic pearls.
