Moissanite is the most misunderstood stone in jewelry. It is not a fake diamond, and it is not cubic zirconia. It is its own gemstone - silicon carbide - with properties that beat diamond in the one category most people actually notice: fire. Here is the honest comparison.
Sparkle: moissanite wins
Moissanite has a higher refractive index than diamond (2.65 vs 2.42), which means it throws more rainbow fire, especially in sunlight and under spotlights. Diamonds sparkle with more white light; moissanite sparkles with more color. In person, most people cannot tell them apart - many pick the moissanite as "the diamond" in blind comparisons.
Hardness and everyday wear
Diamond is 10 on the Mohs scale; moissanite is 9.25. That makes moissanite the second-hardest gemstone commonly used in jewelry - harder than sapphire's rivals like emerald (7.5-8) and perfectly suited to daily wear in rings and pendants. It will not cloud, scratch or fade the way cubic zirconia does.
Color: where it gets fun
Classic moissanite is near-colorless like a high-grade diamond. But moissanite also comes in colors diamonds charge fortunes for - like the blue-green center stone in our Snowflake Necklace, which shifts from blue to green as the light moves. Try getting that from a diamond at this price.
Price: the real reason people switch
A 1-carat moissanite typically costs a small fraction of a comparable mined diamond - often 80-90% less - and it is lab-created, so there is no mining involved. That is why our 1 CT Moissanite Engagement Ring can exist at a price that surprises everyone who sees it on a hand.
When a diamond still makes sense
If resale value is your priority, or a family tradition specifically calls for a mined diamond, diamond remains a fine choice. But if you want maximum sparkle per dollar in jewelry you will wear and love daily, moissanite is the smarter buy - and nobody looking at your hand will ever know the difference.
See it for yourself: browse moissanite necklaces and rings - 60% OFF storewide, ships from Florida, FREE standard shipping on orders $24.99+.