A moissanite stone is a rare, naturally occurring mineral made of silicon carbide (SiC), known for its exceptional brilliance and fire. First discovered in 1893 by French chemist Henri Moissan, moissanite is now primarily lab-grown, ensuring a consistent and high-quality product with minimal imperfections.
One of the key advantages of choosing moissanite over a diamond is its affordability—moissanite typically costs around 80% less than a natural diamond while offering nearly identical sparkle and durability. Moissanite is incredibly hard, ranking just below diamonds on the Mohs scale, making it suitable for daily wear.
Additionally, moissanite is an ethical and sustainable choice, as it is created in a controlled environment, avoiding the environmental and ethical concerns often associated with diamond mining. Whether you're seeking an engagement ring or a timeless piece of jewellery, moissanite offers a stunning, cost-effective, and responsible alternative to traditional diamonds.
| Durability | Moissanite has a 9.25 on the Mohs scale, being the second hardest material used as a gemstone (after diamond). With a diamond scoring a 10, moissanite falls right behind it with only a 0.75 difference. |
| Brilliance (refers to the stones ability to reflect white light) |
When you’re looking at a diamond, you’ll notice both brilliance (white flashes) and fire (coloured flashes). Moissanite also shows both, but typically has more fire than diamond. So, moissanite tends to have more flashes of light than diamond. Moissanite has a refractive index from 2.65 – 2.69, which is higher than a diamond. |
| Clarity |
Because moissanites are grown in laboratories, they don't have the clarity imperfections that diamonds can contain. Moissanite will always offer that eye-clean look, whilst diamonds may contain imperfections that are visible to the eye. |
| Ethics / Sustainability |
Moissanite stones are not mined meaning there is no risk of unsustainable gem mining, lack of rehabilitation to the environment, exploitation of human labour, or indirectly supporting conflict.
|