What is moissanite
A stone, not a substitute
Moissanite is silicon carbide. It was identified in 1893 by Henri Moissan in a meteorite crater in Arizona, which is also why natural moissanite is effectively unavailable — there is almost none of it on Earth. Every stone we set is lab-created, grown under controlled heat over roughly two to three months.
Its refractive index is 2.65. More of the light entering the stone is bent, split and returned to the eye. Its dispersion — the measure of how widely a stone separates white light into spectral colour — is 0.104. That is where the fire comes from, and it is a property of the material, not of the cut.
We do not sell moissanite as a stand-in for anything. It is a different material with a different optical signature, and it is chosen on purpose.
The specification
| Property | Moissanite | Diamond | Cubic zirconia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refractive index | 2.65 | 2.42 | 2.15–2.18 |
| Dispersion (fire) | 0.104 | 0.044 | 0.058–0.066 |
| Mohs hardness | 9.25 | 10 | 8.0–8.5 |
| Composition | Silicon carbide (SiC) | Carbon (C) | Zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) |
| Origin | Lab-grown, 2–3 months | Mined or lab-grown | Lab-grown, hours |
| Behaviour over time | Stable; does not cloud or abrade in normal wear | Stable | Surface dulls and clouds with wear |
| Thermal conductivity | High | High | Low |
Dispersion and refractive index are measured constants, not marketing claims. You can verify both in any gemmological reference.
How it is created
Silicon carbide is grown as a single crystal boule by seeded sublimation: a source powder is vaporised at around 2,500 °C and re-deposits onto a seed crystal in a controlled gradient. The boule takes two to three months to form. It is then cored, sliced, pre-formed and faceted by hand.
Nothing is mined. There is no tailings pond, no overburden, no extraction site, and no chain of custody to audit — because the chain of custody is a furnace with a serial number.
Certification
Every piece ships with a certificate recording the stone type, carat weight, colour grade, clarity grade, cut and setting metal. We grade to D–E–F colour and VVS1 clarity and we do not stock below that.
Certifying body: [TO FILL]. Certificate number is printed on the card and repeated on your order confirmation.
Questions
Will it cloud or go dull?
No. Silicon carbide is chemically inert and does not react with skin oils, cosmetics, chlorine or perspiration. What people read as clouding is almost always a film of soap and hand cream on the surface — see jewelry care.
Can I wear it every day?
Yes. At 9.25 on the Mohs scale, very little in daily life is hard enough to scratch it. Sand and abrasive grit are the exceptions worth avoiding.
Is moissanite a real stone?
Yes. It is real silicon carbide. Lab-grown does not mean simulated — the crystal structure and the optical properties are the genuine article, produced in a controlled environment rather than found in the ground.
How is it told apart from other stones?
A moissanite tester reads electrical conductivity and identifies it in seconds. Under magnification, moissanite shows doubled facet junctions because it is doubly refractive. Neither is a defect; both are simply how the material behaves.
Does the colour grade matter at this size?
Yes, but less than clarity. D–E–F is colourless to the unaided eye at every carat weight we sell. VVS1 is where inclusions stop being findable without a loupe.