What is moissanite?
Every stone in our bracelet is lab-grown moissanite.
What moissanite is
Moissanite is a gemstone made of silicon carbide. It's named after Henri Moissan, the French chemist who discovered it in 1893 in fragments of a meteorite found at Meteor Crater, Arizona. Natural moissanite is extremely rare, so the moissanite used in jewelry, ours included, is grown in a lab.
Moissanite is not a diamond, and we never sell it as one. It's very hard and very bright, and it flashes a lot of color when it catches the light.
Lab-grown moissanite and diamond, side by side
Typical figures for each stone:
| Lab-grown moissanite | Diamond | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Silicon carbide, grown in a lab | Carbon |
| Hardness (Mohs scale) | About 9.25 | 10 |
| Refractive index (brilliance) | About 2.65 | About 2.42 |
| Dispersion ("fire") | About 0.104 | About 0.044 |
| Price for a similar size | Far lower | Far higher |
Hardness
At about 9.25 on the Mohs scale, moissanite is one of the hardest gemstones used in jewelry, second only to diamond at 10. That makes it a sensible choice for a bracelet you wear every day.
Brilliance
Refractive index measures how strongly a stone bends light. Lab-grown moissanite's is about 2.65, compared with about 2.42 for diamond, which gives it a very bright, lively sparkle.
Fire
Dispersion measures how much a stone splits white light into rainbow colors. Lab-grown moissanite has a dispersion of about 0.104, more than twice diamond's 0.044, so it shows more colorful fire than diamond. Some people love those flashes of color, and others prefer a cooler, whiter look. On small 2mm stones like ours, the color shows up as a fine shimmer instead of big rainbow flashes.
Price
Moissanite costs far less than a diamond of a similar size, which is how a full row of stones in sterling silver can be an everyday bracelet. Ours is $119, with free tracked shipping to the US.
Carat weight and DEW
We describe total weight as diamond-equivalent weight (DEW). DEW expresses the size of the stones as the weight a diamond of the same size would have. Moissanite is a little lighter than diamond, so a moissanite stone weighs less than its DEW figure. We'll list the approximate DEW for each length as soon as our supplier confirms it in writing.
Is moissanite the same as cubic zirconia?
No. Cubic zirconia is a different, softer stone, about 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale, so it scratches and dulls more easily over time. Moissanite is harder, at about 9.25, and keeps its polish well with everyday wear.
Why people choose moissanite
Most people choose lab-grown moissanite for its sparkle and its price. It shows more fire than diamond, and a full line of stones costs far less than diamonds of a similar size. It's also hard enough for daily wear with sensible care, and it's grown in a lab instead of mined.
Moissanite and diamond testers
Moissanite conducts heat much like diamond does, so many basic thermal "diamond tester" pens beep for it. A multi-tester can tell the two apart, and so can any jeweler. If a pen beeps for your bracelet, it's still lab-grown moissanite, which is how we always describe it.
Caring for moissanite
Moissanite is hard to scratch, but like any gemstone it collects lotion, soap and skin oils, and that film dulls the sparkle. To bring it back, soak the bracelet for a few minutes in warm water with a drop of mild dish soap, brush gently with a soft toothbrush, rinse, and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
The setting is sterling silver, which needs a little more care than the stones. Our care guide covers cleaning, storage and how to prevent tarnish.
