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Moissanite is a gemstone made of silicon carbide. It was first discovered in 1893 by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Henri Moissan inside a meteorite crater in Arizona. Today, every moissanite used in jewellery is grown in a laboratory. This guide explains exactly what moissanite is, how it is made, what its properties are and how it compares to diamond.
In 1893, French chemist Henri Moissan was examining rock samples from a meteorite crater in Canyon Diablo, Arizona. Inside those samples, he found tiny crystals of a material unlike anything identified before — silicon carbide. He initially believed he had discovered diamonds. On closer examination, he realised the crystals were something entirely new. The material was later named Moissanite in his honour.
Natural moissanite is extraordinarily rare. The deposits Moissan found are microscopic — far too small for any jewellery use. The only moissanite used in jewellery today is grown in a laboratory. This is not a compromise — laboratory-grown moissanite is chemically pure silicon carbide, identical in every measurable way to the natural material Moissan discovered.
The process of growing moissanite in a laboratory was developed in the 1990s, and the first moissanite jewellery appeared in 1998. Since then, the quality and consistency of laboratory-grown moissanite has improved significantly, making it one of the most optically impressive gemstones available in fine jewellery today.
Moissanite is silicon carbide (SiC) — a compound of silicon and carbon atoms arranged in a crystalline structure. This is fundamentally different from diamond, which is pure carbon. The difference in atomic composition gives moissanite different physical and optical properties to diamond — some inferior, some superior.
| Property | Moissanite | Diamond | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical composition | Silicon carbide (SiC) | Pure carbon (C) | Different materials entirely |
| Mohs hardness | 9.25 | 10 | Both extremely hard. Moissanite is the second hardest gemstone in common jewellery use |
| Refractive index | 2.65–2.69 | 2.417–2.419 | Moissanite bends light more than diamond — more fire (colour dispersion) |
| Brilliance (BRI) | ~2.65 | ~2.42 | Moissanite reflects more light than diamond |
| Fire (dispersion) | 0.104 | 0.044 | Moissanite disperses light into colour approximately 2.4x more than diamond |
| Thermal conductivity | Similar to diamond at some wavelengths | Very high | Can confuse standard diamond testers |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal | Cubic | The hexagonal structure creates double refraction in moissanite |
Every piece of moissanite in jewellery today is laboratory grown. The process involves creating the conditions for silicon carbide crystal growth in a controlled environment — a high-temperature process that takes weeks to produce gem-quality crystals.
Moissanite has several properties that make it exceptional as a gemstone — and one property (double refraction) that requires understanding before purchase.
Moissanite is graded on colour, with clarity being less relevant because modern laboratory-grown moissanite is produced at very high clarity consistently. The colour grading uses a simplified scale compared to the full D-Z diamond scale.
| Moissanite Colour Grade | Description | Equivalent Diamond Colour Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colourless (D-E-F equivalent) | No detectable colour — appears completely white | D, E, F | White metal settings — white gold and platinum |
| Near-Colourless (G-H-I equivalent) | Very slight warmth detectable in comparison only | G, H, I | White or warm metal settings |
| Faint colour (J-K equivalent) | Slight warmth visible in isolation | J, K | Yellow and rose gold settings where the warm metal complements the slight warmth |
Fenora offers moissanite as a genuine, high-quality alternative for buyers who want the look and feel of a fine gemstone ring at a significantly lower price point than a lab grown diamond. Moissanite at Fenora is set in the same 18KT recycled gold and platinum settings, held to the same craftsmanship standard and covered by the same lifetime manufacturing warranty as every other Fenora ring.
The most common questions about moissanite answered honestly.
Book a free online consultation. Yash Chandpara shows moissanite and lab grown diamond side by side on screen and explains the differences honestly.
