Moissanite Buying Guide
Moissanite is a naturally occurring mineral (silicon carbide) that is lab-created for jewelry use. It is not diamond, and Crown Diamond Avenue never represents it as such — but it is a genuinely brilliant gemstone in its own right.
What is moissanite?
Moissanite is silicon carbide. It was first found in a meteorite crater in 1893 and is extremely rare in nature, so the moissanite used in jewellery is lab-created. It is its own gemstone: not a diamond, and not cubic zirconia.
Moissanite vs diamond
- Sparkle: moissanite throws more flashes of rainbow colour (fire) than diamond, most noticeably in larger stones. Diamond's sparkle looks whiter.
- Hardness: 9.25 on the Mohs scale, just below diamond's 10. Both suit everyday wear.
- Price: moissanite costs a fraction of a diamond of the same size.
Moissanite vs lab-grown diamond
A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond: pure carbon, the same material as a mined diamond, grown in a laboratory. Moissanite is a different gemstone.
- Sparkle: moissanite shows more coloured fire; a lab-grown diamond looks like a mined diamond.
- Hardness: 9.25 for moissanite, 10 for any diamond.
- Price: moissanite usually costs less than a lab-grown diamond of the same size.
- Reports: lab-grown diamonds often come with an IGI report and moissanite with a GRA certificate. On our listings, both are as stated by our supplier and have not been independently verified.
Caring for your piece
Clean moissanite with warm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft brush. Take off plated silver jewellery before swimming, showering or using lotions, as they wear the plating faster, and store pieces separately so they don't scratch each other.