Moissanite is a mineral that was first discovered in 1893 by Henri Moissan, a French chemist. It’s composed of silicon and carbon, and is incredibly hard and durable. Moissanite has a remarkable sparkle and brilliance, rivaling even diamonds.
Its affordability and like-like qualities have made it a popular choice for jewelry, especially as an alternative to diamond engagement rings. Thanks to its many advantages, this beautiful gemstone is taking the jewelry market by storm.
Is a moissanite diamond a diamond, and is it different from a diamond?
A moissanite diamond is not a natural diamond. It is a lab-created diamond alternative made from silicon carbide. There is a fundamental difference in chemical composition.
Moissanite has a hardness of 9.25 on the mohs scale, which is slightly lower than that of diamonds (which have a hardness of 10 on the mohs scale). However, the dispersion of moissanite is higher than that of diamonds, so when compared to diamonds, moissanite has a better fire, making it look more sparkly than diamonds.
Let’s introduce moissanite in a few dimensions.
Price：
Moissanite, on average, will cost about one tenth of the price of diamonds with similar quality, size, and type. The exact price difference can vary depending on the specific characteristics of the individual diamond and moissanite stones.
- Moissanite is still an excellent choice when you want to pick a few carats for the main stone of your engagement ring and you can afford it.
Hardness:
Moissanite is the second hardest gemstone in the world, with a Mohs hardness of 9.25, while diamonds are the hardest, with a Mohs hardness of 10.
Color & Clarity：
Moissanite will also follow the 4C standard for grading diamonds, a standard also cited by Forever One Moissanite. You can find this data in their loose moissanite for Forever One Moissanite as a parameter display.
When we buy moissanite in the market, we will refer to the diamond 4C standard to buy (Clarity: VVS Color: D/E), which can take up a lot of our time and cost more money, but it is worth it. I have maintained good confidence in our moissanite, so for the moissanite we provide, we label it as Oveela moissanite.
Carat & Size:
Carat is an indicator of the weight of a diamond, and generally, moissanite weighs about 10% less than a diamond.
For example, an 8.0 mm round-cut diamond weighs 2 carats, while an 8.0 mm round-cut moissanite weighs about 1.80 carats. This is despite the fact that moissanite is the same size as a diamond – 8.0 mm in diameter.
Moissanite is typically sold with its millimeter and diamond equivalent carat weight (DEW) listed.
Recommended Reading：
We have also written a series of blogs about the 4Cs of diamonds, , and a series of popular science you can check at any time.
Material related:
Common types of jewelry metals Guide
Gemstone related：
Moissanite vs Lab Grown Diamonds
