Moissanite is a naturally forming mineral, much like diamond, emerald or ruby.

Henri Moissan - Source: Wikipedia

It was first discovered in 1893 by French scientist Henri Moissan (thus the name “moissanite”) and is naturally incredibly rare (many times rarer than diamond).

Once cut, moissanite is strikingly similar to diamond. Only a connoisseur can tell the two apart. Moissanite, however, is a gemstone in its own right with a completely different composition than diamond.

Meanwhile, moissanite and diamond are often compared with each other. That’s because more and more people are choosing moissanite as an alternative to diamond. For example, many people nowadays consider purchasing a moissanite engagement ring instead of a diamond ring.

Why are more and more people choosing a moissanite engagement ring?

Moissanite is virtually indistinguishable from diamond with the naked eye. Only a connoisseur sees the difference. In contrast, there are other strong differences that make any moissanite an attractive choice:

Price

Price plays a huge role in choosing between moissanite or diamond. Because while you can spend up to €10,000 for a perfectly cut 1 carat diamond, the same perfectly cut moissanite costs no more than €100. That’s a 99% price difference!

Brilliance and color

You might think because of the large price difference that moissanite is less beautiful than diamond. However, nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, many people find the brilliance of moissanite more beautiful than that of diamond. This is because moissanite shines more and also reflects more fire (color).

For example, when you compare a diamond ring side by side with a moissanite ring, it is immediately noticeable that the moissanite ring shines more and also reflects more colors. The difference, meanwhile, is subtle, so that to the naked eye it still looks strikingly like a diamond.

Hardness

Moissanite is also almost as hard as diamond. Because while diamond is a 10 on the Mohs scale (the scale used to measure hardness), moissanite is between 9.25 and 9.5. That makes moissanite the second hardest gemstone in the world (after diamonds)!

So you have absolutely no need to worry about the longevity of moissanite. It is extremely hard and highly scratch resistant, just like diamond. For example, it is harder than sapphire, emerald and topaz, each of which has also been used in jewelry for centuries.

Ethics

A big reason that more and more people are choosing moissanite is that it is simply the more ethical choice.

When you buy a natural diamond, you can’t verify:

  • Where it was mined;
  • Under what conditions it was mined;
  • If it has financed rebel groups (blood diamonds);
  • How it affects the climate and natural environment as a result of the diamond mine;
  • Whether the miners received a proper salary.

The truth remains that an awful lot of conflict, abuse and suffering still exists around diamond mining. Of course, this is not told when shopping for engagement rings or gold stud earrings at a local jeweler, but in the meantime, you run the risk of supporting a shady industry.

If moissanite is so fantastic, why isn’t it much more popular?

Moissanite is not yet well known because its production and sale was patented by an American company called Charles and Colvard until 2016. This gave the company a monopoly on both the production and sale of moissanite.

By now, everyone is allowed to sell this beautiful gemstone, and as a result, the gemstone is only starting to become known in recent years.

We expect that in time moissanite may become more popular than diamond, due to the many advantages described above.

Why is it that moissanite is much more affordable than diamond?

Gold Moissanite stud earrings

Moissanite is on average 100 times more affordable than diamond (literally!) That’s because although it is extremely rare in nature, we can reproduce it in laboratories.

This means you have the exact same gemstone as the “natural” variety, only it has been grown in the lab instead of underground.

Diamond today can also be created in the lab (also called “lab made diamond”). But this process is still much more labor-intensive and, incidentally, it takes longer to grow a diamond. Because of this, even a lab-grown diamond is still many times more expensive than moissanite.

Why does moissanite sparkle more than diamond?

Moissanite is exceptionally brilliant and even 10% more brilliant than diamond! This is because moissanite has a higher refractive index and dispersion compared to diamond.

The refractive index of a gemstone represents how much light is reflected (refracted), while the dispersion represents the light reflected back from the gemstone at certain wavelengths. Each wavelength produces a specific color in it. The more wavelengths, the more color in the reflection.

Without the differences in wavelengths, you would simply have a “dead” gemstone that only reflects light, but otherwise has no color or brilliance. This can be seen, for example, in Zirconia, which has both a lower dispersion and refractive index than diamond.

In contrast, when light shines over moissanite, it will not only produce a wider color spectrum than a diamond; it will also reflect more of this colorful light back! This gives moissanite its wonderful brilliance and dispersion that cannot be compared to any other gemstone.

We don’t call moissanite the world’s most beautiful gemstone for nothing!

What should you look for when buying moissanite?

There are some things that are important when considering moissanite jewelry:

Color

As with diamonds, the color of the moissanite is important. Diamonds have a color scale from D to Z, with D being completely colorless and Z being extremely colorful (these are brown or black diamonds).

Generally, the closer the color to D, the more valuable the diamond. With moissanite, this rule also applies. However, most moissanite stones on the market are usually D-E-F colorless. This means that no color can be observed in the stone.

So it is important that you pay attention to this when you purchase moissanite jewelry.

All moissanite jewelry offered at My Moissanite is D-E-F colorless, unless you have contacted us in advance. In fact, we can also supply colored moissanite stones.

Cut quality

Cut quality is by far the most important consideration when buying a diamond or moissanite. That’s because the cut quality determines how well the light is reflected back. This gives moissanite and diamond its brilliance.

There are 5 degrees of cut quality:

  1. Excellent
  2. Very good
  3. Good
  4. Moderate
  5. Bad

In this, it is important, especially when it comes to moissanite, to choose an excellent cut quality.

When you buy your moissanite jewelry from My Moissanite, you are assured of excellent cutting quality as standard. For any moissanite over 0.3 carats, you also get a standard GRA certificate, which describes the cut values.

Brightness

The clarity or “inclusions” of a moissanite show the unevenness of the stone. These can generally only be seen with a magnifying glass, but they do have an effect on the reflection of light (and therefore beauty).

You want to have as little imperfections as possible. Usually moissanite stones are sold today with virtually no blemishes, but it is still important to watch for them. When you shop at My Moissanite you are guaranteed a moissanite stone with little to no blemishes.

Buy your perfect moissanite jewelry now at My Moissanite!

Are you also convinced by this amazing gemstone? Shop in our store now and discover the brilliance of moissanite for yourself!