Because we are a moissanite workshop, people assume we will talk you into moissanite no matter what. In this article we are going to do the opposite: list the cases where a diamond is the better call, and the cases where moissanite wins outright.
The numbers on paper
Moissanite measures 9.25 on the Mohs scale. Diamond is 10. That is a smaller gap than it sounds: sapphire is 9, and sapphire has been a daily-wear wedding stone for a century. Moissanite will not scratch under normal wear. It can chip if you hit it hard against a hard edge, and so can a diamond.
The refractive index is where moissanite leads. Diamond sits at about 2.42; moissanite is 2.65. A higher refractive index means more fire, more rainbow flashes. In direct sunlight, a moissanite actually throws more color than a diamond of the same size. Some people love this; some find it too much. Look at a real stone in natural light before you decide.
Price, the part everyone asks about
A 6.5mm round moissanite with a GRA certificate costs us, at factory level, a small fraction of what a comparable 1-carat diamond costs. At retail, the gap is even larger because diamond grading labs, brokers and retail markups stack up. A $200 moissanite ring will out-sparkle a $2,000 diamond ring in a side-by-side photo.
What you are not paying for with moissanite is rarity. Diamonds carry a scarcity story; moissanite does not. If the emotional meaning of the ring depends on a rare natural stone, that is a real reason to choose diamond, and we will say so.
Grading and certificates
Diamonds are graded by GIA, AGS and IGI on the 4Cs. Moissanite is graded by GRA and a few smaller labs. The grading is less standardized across the industry than diamond grading, which is why we only buy stones from two suppliers we have audited ourselves. When you buy from us, the GRA card matches the stone we set, not a stone from another batch.
Ten years later
Silver-plated jewelry, whether it holds a diamond or a moissanite, will eventually wear through its plating. We replate our own rings free for the first year, and cheaply after that. The moissanite itself will not cloud, fade or change color over a human lifetime. It is one of the most stable gems known.
Choose diamond if the story of rarity matters more than the ring itself. Choose moissanite if you want a stone that looks bigger, fires brighter, and lets you spend the rest of the budget on the setting, the band and the honeymoon.
We are happy to lay a moissanite and a small diamond next to each other on a video call so you can see the difference yourself before you commit.
