The Secret of Moissanite Diamond-Is it Worth Buying?

Many friends who want to buy moissanite for diamond rings, necklaces, and wedding rings may not know how to identify the authenticity of moissanite. Today's market is a mixture of good and bad products. There are often unscrupulous traders who mix zircon with low-quality moissanite, causing consumers to suffer losses.

Here we will share how to identify the authenticity of moissanite, what the grade is, how to take care of it, and all FAQs about moissanite jewelry.

What Is Moissanite?

Moissanite is a naturally occurring silicon carbide and its various crystalline polymorphs. It has the chemical formula SiC and is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893.

At first, he mistakenly identified the crystals as diamonds, and it was not until 1904 that he identified the crystals as silicon carbide. The mineral form of silicon carbide was named in honor of Moissan later in his life. (source from Wikipedia)

Is Moissanite A Lab Grown Diamond?

No, Moissanite is not a lab diamond. Moissanite is a mineral made of silicon carbide, a popular diamond simulant, but it's not a diamond.

Where Does Moissanite Come From?

Natural moissanite is found in meteorites from the universe, so it is very rare (rare than many gemstones) and therefore rarer than many gemstones) and, therefore, difficult to bring to market. With the advancement of science and technology, American scientists finally developed artificially cultivated moissanite (artificial silicon carbide) in the late 1990s.
Next, after more than 20 years of technical optimization and quality improvement, artificially cultivated moissanite has now reached the level of high-end gemstones in terms of color and clarity, and its output has also begun to increase, becoming a shining stone in the market.

How Long Does Moissanite Last?

Moissanite is composed of silicon carbide, an atomic crystal. It is very stable and not prone to chemical changes. Therefore, it is not easy to cause yellowing, fading, or blurring and can maintain its luster for a long time. If properly cared for, it can be worn permanently.

How Much Is Moissanite Worth?

Check today's Moissanite Price List 2024 below:

Grade	Today's Price	Price Unit	Compare with Diamond
High-quality   American moissanite	$500-800	per carat	not much         difference
Mid-quality      Chinese  moissanite	$100-400	per carat	big difference
Low-quality Chinese  moissanite	$30-80	per carat	big difference
Mid-quality    Foreign  moissanite	$200-500	per carat	big difference
High-quality     Foreign moissanite	$600-1000	per carat	not much difference

8 Differences Between Moissanite​ And Diamond

1. Different Yields

Although the production of moissanite in nature is small, it is very convenient to synthesize it artificially. Most moissanite on the market today is synthetic. Diamonds are a rare "species." There are very few truly natural diamonds, and they cannot be synthesized artificially.

2. Different Production Methods

Moissanite is easy to process, generally requires only professional tools, and can be produced in a few days; diamonds, on the other hand, require a series of processing procedures such as mining, cutting, and polishing, and the process requirements are relatively high.

3. Different Dispersion Value

The dispersion value of moissanite is more than 2.5 times that of diamond, it emits warm light, and its color is more brilliant and vivid than diamond – it isn't as noticeable in smaller stones, but in stones over 5mm, it's much more noticeable. Moissanite is known for its “disco-ball” effect because rainbow light quickly flashes around the gem.

Diamonds emit cold light, dominated by soft and cool blue light.

4. Different Composition Elements

moissanite is made of silicon carbide; Diamonds are made of carbon.

5. Different Hardness

The hardness of moissanite is about 9.25 and diamond is 10. They can both cut glass, and both are afraid of violent impacts.

6. Different density

Diamond is denser than moissanite. When tested with diiodomethane liquid, moissanite will float and diamonds will sink. If a moissanite is cut to a one-carat diamond size, the moissanite will weigh less than 1 carat.

7. Different Refractive Index

Due to the different crystal structures, moissanite is birefringent and diamond is single refractive, so moissanite is more dazzling than diamonds.

8. Different Prices

Generally speaking, the price of moissanite is only a few tenths of that of diamonds. Moissanite diamonds of more than one carat are even only 1/100 of the price of diamonds.

How To Identify The Authenticity Of Moissanite?

1. Dispersion value

It should be noted that the dispersion value of moissanite is 0.104 and that of diamond is 0.044, which is 2.5 times stronger than diamond. Under sunlight or light, they can burst out with strong, colorful light. Comparing zircon, they will have obvious differences, which is also one of the ways to identify moissanite and zircon.

2. Cut

Savvy merchants will use moissanite-coated zircon to pass it off as moissanite. How should we distinguish this type of fake "moissanite"? Generally, genuine American moissanite is cut with eight hearts and eight arrows. However, zircon-coated moissanite cannot meet this standard.

Check a cutting mirror. If it has 8 hearts on the front and 8 arrows on the back, it is top-quality Moissanite. On the contrary, it may be poor quality or zircon-coated Moissanite.

3. Hardness value

The hardness value of moissanite is 9.25, diamond is 10, and zircon is about 6-7. Make moissanite and zircon scratch each other; moissanite can leave scratches on the surface of zircon, but zircon cannot scratch moissanite. Of course, this method is risky and is not recommended.

4. Lipophilicity

Both diamonds and moissanite are lipophilic. Just put a drop of oil on the moissanite. If the oil spreads out immediately, it is moissanite, but if the oil does not spread out, it is not.

5. Double shadow

Moissanite is a birefringent gemstone. A close look at the ridges and culet of moissanite will reveal a double shadow. It will still be there if you change the angle. Zircon has no double shadow.

How To Grade Moissanite And How To Judge Whether It Is Good Or Bad?

1. Color

Moissanite can be divided into 11 grades according to color, from high to low: D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, and N. The closer to the D grade, the color will be closer to colorless. Moissanite comes in a variety of natural colors. The more transparent it is, the easier it is to be penetrated by light. It becomes more colorful after refraction and dispersion.

Technicians determine the color grading of moissanite by comparing it to a standard stone in a lab. From high to low, there are 5 levels: extremely white, excellent white, white, light yellowish white, and light yellowish white. Usually, white and light yellowish-white are the main ones.

2. Weight

The weight unit of moissanite is carat (c), 1 carat = 0.2 grams = 100 points. Usually, the grade of moissanite is marked if it is above 10 points.

The specific gravity of moissanite is 3.22, which is about 8.8%–10% lighter than diamond (3.52).

So moissanite tends to be sold by size rather than weight. A moissanite with a table diameter of 65 mm can be perfectly set in a 1-carat diamond setting, but it only weighs 0.88 carats. If you buy moissanite by weight, you will find that it is 10% larger than expected.

3. Clarity

Moissanite can also be divided into 11 grades according to clarity. From high to low, they are FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, and I3. The closer the moissanite is to the FL grade, the fewer defects it contains.

Moissanite's cultivation is complicated. It will have some impurities or flaws. The inclusions' color, number, size, and location will affect Moissanite's clarity. The clarity grade is VVS1; VVS2 means that it only contains very slight inclusions, which can only be seen under a 10x magnifying glass.

4. Cut

Moissanite cutting mainly includes three aspects: cutting, polishing, and symmetry. Good cutting can maximize moissanite's brightness and sparkle. It should also try to keep the stone's original weight. Moissanite has five cut grades: EXCELLENT, VERY GOOD, GOOD, FAIR, and POOR. The cut has three parts: cutting ratios, polishing, and decoration. All three must be EXCELLENT for the best cut.

The cut of moissanite is the most important point in the 4C standards. It is an important factor that can only be operated on by a technical person and enhances the beauty of moissanite. Therefore, cut can also be said to be the second life of moissanite.

 Parameters Of Different Types Of Gemstones