Moissanite Engagement Rings Australia

Moissanite is silicon carbide. French scientist Henri Moissan identified the mineral in 1893 in fragments from a meteorite crater in Arizona. Natural moissanite is extremely rare, so commercial moissanite is grown in a lab by combining silicon and carbon at very high temperatures. The crystals are then cut and polished the same way diamonds are.

Moissanite is not a diamond substitute and not a synthetic diamond. It is its own gemstone with its own optical properties. It is used widely in engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings and pendants. For the short version, read what is moissanite.

Moissanite has a refractive index of 2.65 to 2.69 against diamond at 2.42, so more light bends back to the eye. Its dispersion (the way light splits into colours) is 0.104, more than twice diamond at 0.044. In practice that means moissanite shows more rainbow flashes alongside the white-light flash that diamond is known for.

In small stones the difference is hard to see. From about 1 carat and up, the rainbow fire becomes more noticeable, particularly in sunlight, in spotlights and on a dance floor. Some buyers love the extra colour. Some prefer the calmer, whiter look of diamond. The honest answer is to look at both in person.

Moissanite is 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale. Only diamond at 10 is harder. Sapphire and ruby sit at 9. That places moissanite firmly in the engagement-ring tier of stones that handle daily wear, hand washing, cleaning and travel without trouble.

It is also heat resistant up to about 1,100 degrees Celsius. Jewellery repairs, resizing and re-tipping prongs do not damage the stone. Moissanite is more chip resistant than most coloured gems and stands up well to the corners of fancy shapes like pear and marquise.

Modern moissanite is graded against the diamond colour scale. D, E and F are colourless. G, H and I are near colourless. LILY DIA uses DEF moissanite, which reads colourless in normal light.

Larger stones can occasionally show a subtle warm tint under warm indoor lighting, the same way large diamonds show more colour than small ones. Under fluorescent light some moissanite shows a faint grey or green cast. In daylight the stone reads cleanest. Clarity is rarely an issue. Modern moissanite is grown clean and most stones are eye-clean across all sizes.

Moissanite and diamond are sized by millimetre when comparing visual size, not by carat weight. Moissanite is slightly less dense than diamond, so a 6.5mm round moissanite reads close in face-up size to a 6.5mm round diamond but weighs a little less.

That is why moissanite suppliers often quote "diamond equivalent weight" (DEW), which is the carat weight of a diamond with the same millimetre dimensions. A 1 carat DEW round moissanite measures about 6.5mm across, the same as a 1 carat round diamond. When you are comparing prices and sizes, work in millimetres.

A moissanite typically costs around 10 to 15 per cent of a diamond at the same millimetre size. A 1 carat DEW moissanite is usually closer in price to a 0.25 carat diamond. The gap widens with size, which is why buyers often choose moissanite when they want more visible size for the same budget.

Moissanite does not hold resale value the way diamond can. Most lab-grown stones do not. If you want a stone that may hold some value down the track, choose diamond. If you want the stone for the look and the budget, moissanite makes sense.

Clean moissanite with warm soapy water and a soft brush. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are safe. Avoid harsh chemicals and remove the ring before activities that involve abrasive materials. Store separately from other jewellery so harder stones do not scratch each other.

Have the setting checked once a year, particularly for prong-set stones. Moissanite does not need any special treatment beyond what you would do for any fine ring. For more, read the care and maintenance guide.