[npteljes]

I find people usually like a specific amount, and that often there is such a thing as excess, even with desirable things, traits. This also changes over time, and from culture to culture. Another example is the coloring of clothes. In ye olde times, a vibrantly bright colored article is a rarity, because dying it, and then keeping it clean are not trivial tasks. Nowadays, bright basic colors such as royal blue can easily seem cheap, like something from a bazaar. And many subtle tones, such as colors resembling what you'd find in nature, are popular.

[A_D_E_P_T]

Right. There's also the fact that cubic zirconia has, like moissanite, a refractive index higher than diamond's. So a lot of poverty-tier CZ costume jewelry is, like moissanite, extremely shiny. That moissanite is basically indistinguishable from CZ -- but highly distinguishable from diamond -- is not a point in its favor.

> In ye olde times, a vibrantly bright colored article is a rarity

I had heard that medieval nobility was very fond of brightly-colored clothes. Blues, reds, yellows, etc. It stands to reason that this was to exhibit their wealth in an immediate and obvious way.