Moissanite vs Diamond: Ultimate Comparison Guide for Engagement Rings

Comparing moissanite vs diamond engagement rings? Discover key differences in brilliance, durability, and price to make the perfect choice for your budget and style.

Are you trying to decide between a moissanite and a diamond for your engagement ring? This comprehensive guide will help you understand the significant differences between these two popular gemstone choices.

In this article, you will learn:

• How moissanite and diamond compare in visual appearance, including brilliance, fire, color, and clarity.
• The durability differences between moissanite vs lab diamond options for everyday wear.
• The substantial price differences that make moissanite an attractive alternative to natural and lab grown diamonds.
• Where to purchase high-quality moissanite and diamond engagement rings.
• How to decide which gemstone best suits your preferences and values.

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What Is Moissanite? Understanding This Diamond Alternative

While natural moissanites exist in nature as extremely rare, minute crystals, the stones used in jewelry today are laboratory-created. When comparing moissanite vs lab diamond options, consumers are typically examining synthetic moissanite - a crystalline silicon carbide manufactured specifically to serve as a diamond simulant. Jewelers exclusively offer these lab-created versions unless you're specifically collecting unusual mineral specimens, as natural moissanite remains too scarce for commercial jewelry use.

Moissanite vs Diamond: Which is More Beautiful?

The primary question in the diamond vs moissanite debate centers on aesthetic appeal. Moissanite certainly convinces as a diamond alternative. To distinguish between diamonds and moissanites, jewelry experts need a "moissanite tester" — a device measuring electrical conductivity — and a loupe for close visual examination. However, subtle beauty differences exist that consumers might notice.

Brilliance and Fire

When examining a diamond, you'll notice both brilliance (white flashes) and fire (colored flashes). Moissanite displays both characteristics but typically exhibits more fire than diamond. This means moissanite tends to produce more colored light flashes than diamond.

This difference depends partly on the diamond cut. Diamonds with older cut styles or modern cuts with certain angles show more fire than most contemporary diamonds, potentially making differentiation more challenging.

Distinguishing moissanites and diamonds based solely on brilliance and fire isn't reliable, though differences become more apparent at larger sizes. Without jewelry industry experience, visual differentiation remains difficult.

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Color

Today, you can easily find moissanites in the same color range as white diamonds. This wasn't always the case.

"Classic" moissanite displays a yellowish or brownish hue, often comparable to J through M color diamonds. This range works best with yellow gold or rose gold settings and vintage-style jewelry.

Modern moissanite also comes in colors equivalent to "Near Colorless" G to I range and "Colorless" D through F range. These options give moissanite buyers excellent alternatives for mimicking preferred diamond appearances and styles.

However, moissanite can shift color depending on lighting conditions and may not consistently appear perfectly colorless. Some stones may show yellow or yellow-green tints. Those particularly sensitive to color variations might prefer diamond or white sapphire over moissanite.

Clarity

Because moissanites are grown in laboratories, they don't contain the significant clarity imperfections that diamonds may have. Consequently, a moissanite will always appear eye-clean, while diamonds might contain imperfections visible to the naked eye.

For shoppers with limited budgets, finding an eye-clean diamond in their desired size often proves challenging. The process involves closely examining numerous diamonds, which can be time-consuming and may require expert assistance.

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Is Diamond More Durable Than Moissanite? Comparing Longevity Factors

Hardness Rating: How Scratch-Resistant Are These Gemstones?

At a 10 on the Mohs scale, diamond is well-known as the hardest material. Nothing but a diamond can scratch another diamond. At 10 on the Mohs scale, diamond reigns as the hardest material known. Nothing except another diamond can scratch a diamond. With a hardness of 9.25, moissanite stands as the second-hardest gemstone material. Unless you store your moissanite alongside diamond jewelry, scratching remains highly unlikely.

Toughness Factors: Which Gemstone Resists Damage Better?

Determining whether moissanite or diamond offers superior toughness presents challenges. Moissanite sellers may claim their product is tougher, while diamond sellers might assert the opposite.

Moissanite lacks a cleavage plane, unlike diamond, which does possess this internal plane along which diamond crystal can easily split. This characteristic gives moissanite a durability advantage. However, this doesn't clarify how much force a moissanite needs to withstand before chipping or shattering.

The following measurements of pressure tolerance in millions of pounds per square inch (PSI) for diamond, moissanite, and cubic zirconia (another well-known diamond simulant) may provide some comparison basis, though IGS cannot corroborate these figures:

• Diamond: 14.6 PSI
• Moissanite: 7.6 PSI
• CZ: 2.4 PSI

Sources: Does Moissanite Chip Easily?; Moissanite Versus Cubic Zirconia.

If reliable, these measurements suggest diamond withstands approximately twice the pressure before breaking compared to moissanite, while moissanite tolerates three times more pressure than CZ before breaking. However, it remains unclear whether the diamond measurement represents an average of pressure applied from any direction or specifically along its weaker cleavage plane. (CZ, like moissanite, also lacks a cleavage plane).Generally, both diamond and moissanite resist chipping or cracking well, although such damage remains possible and depends partly on cut type. (Princess cuts may chip more easily than rounds). When choosing between these gems, durability shouldn't significantly influence your decision.

Budget and Size Comparison: Moissanite vs Diamond Value

Cost almost always plays a major role when selecting an engagement ring. When comparing moissanite vs diamond, moissanite clearly wins in the price category. Consider the moissanite sizes available at various budget levels compared to diamonds of different color grades.

For simplicity, these prices represent round diamonds with the highest carat weight within budget for an eye-clean SI2, excellent-cut diamond from James Allen. These diamond prices indicate minimum eye-clean quality. Moissanite sizes come from Brilliant Earth's Super Premium moissanite, equivalent to D-E-F diamond color grade.

Moissanite offers significant cost savings. Even on a sub-$1,000 budget, you can acquire a stone comparable to a one-carat diamond. A diamond this size would cost at least $3,000, with considerable compromises in color and clarity. Spending that amount on moissanite would yield an impressively large stone, exceeding 1 cm across!

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Even with smaller $500 budgets, the size difference between moissanite and diamond remains notable, with moissanite appearing 8% larger than a faint-colored diamond or 20% larger than a D-E-F diamond.

Natural Origins or Lab-Made Beauty?

The most crucial factor in your moissanite vs diamond decision—even more significant than cost—will be your gemstone preference.

Some consumers choose diamond for its tradition, prestige, or natural origin. Others prefer moissanite for sustainability or ethical reasons, or simply because they can achieve their desired aesthetic for less money. This remains a personal choice with no wrong answers. If you prefer diamond, purchase a diamond. If you prefer moissanite, select moissanite.

Where to Purchase High-Quality Moissanite or Diamond Engagement Rings

If you've decided on a diamond, first read about diamond quality to avoid overpaying. Because a diamond represents such an expensive and personal purchase, you must examine how it sparkles before buying. To maximize value, consider online retailers like James Allen and Blue Nile. Both offer 360° video of their diamonds and numerous ring settings. Their extensive diamond selections ensure you'll find your perfect stone.

For moissanite, quality varies less significantly, simplifying the shopping experience. Charles & Colvard, the original gem-grade moissanite manufacturer, offers hundreds of ring styles online.

If finding the ideal engagement ring style proves difficult, consider contacting CustomMade experts. Whether you prefer diamond, moissanite, or something entirely different, CustomMade will help you discover the perfect center stone for your style and budget, setting it in a unique engagement ring you'll treasure.