Moissanite is often unfairly compared with cubic zironia. While cubic zirconia still remains the most popular diamond simulant, moissanite, a relative “newbie” to the market, is gaining ground quickly.
Cubic zirconia is a colorless, lab grown diamond simulan while moissanite is more durable and provides more brilliance.
According to The Moissanite Buyers Guide:
Unlike cubic zirconia, moissanite jewels are doubly refractive. This means that light is bent twice as it passes through the moissanite jewel. This double refraction is directly responsible for moissanite’s superior brilliance. You can see this with a 10x loupe. Viewing through the crown or pavilion facets is recommended. Do not look directly through the table of a moissanite stone; the double refraction is less apparent as seen from this angle.
Comparison Chart: Beauty, Durability, Specific Gravity
| BEAUTY | DURABILITY | SPECIFIC GRAVITY | ||||
| BRILLIANCE Refractive Index | FIRE Dispersion | LUSTER | HARDNESS Mohs | TOUGHNESS | ||
| Moissanite | 2.65-2.69 | 0.104 | 20.4% | 9.25 | excellent | 3.21 |
| (CZ) Cubic Zirconia | 2.15 | 0.060 | 13.6% | 8.50 | good | 5.80 |
So if you’re searching for that perfect engagement ring that’s both eco-friendly and still maintains the qualities of a natural diamond, it might be time to give moissanite a try. Because its priced so much better than a mined diamond, you just opened up the possiblities to all sorts of amazing rings, like the one below:
Style 9501M
Tension Set Engagement Ring With Side Diamonds
Tension set ring with .70ct t.w. natural side diamonds (setting only, does not include center stone)