What is Moissanite?

Moissanite is a near-colorless gemstone that’s composed of silicon carbide. First discovered in 1893 by a French scientist named Henri Moissan, who later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, moissanite was originally found in the crater left behind by a fallen meteor. Although they look similar at first glance, moissanite is very different from a diamond. Diamonds are made of carbon, whereas moissanites are made of pure silicon carbide — an extremely rare, naturally-occurring mineral. The natural moissanite discovered by Moissan in 1893 is exceptionally rare, making it practically impossible to use natural moissanite for jewelry. Natural moissanite is incredibly rare, so moissanite available today is laboratory-created.

The 4Cs of Moissanite

The traditional 4C model is a valuable tool for comprehending the impact of a diamond's four primary characteristics on its price and visual appeal:
Cut - This refers to the precision and quality of craftsmanship involved in shaping the diamond.
Color - It represents the perceived whiteness of the gemstone.
Clarity - This denotes the level of purity, indicating the presence or absence of inclusions or blemishes.
Carat - It relates to the weight and size of the diamond.

In today's market, all available moissanite gemstones are lab-created, ensuring exceptional quality across all the Cs. Moissanite is much more than a mere "affordable diamond alternative." In fact, moissanite has its own grading system that closely mirrors the four C's of diamonds: cut, clarity, color, and carat. To guarantee high standards, every MSBLUE's moissanite gemstone undergoes thorough evaluation by experienced gemologists who examine both color and inclusions meticulously.

Moissanite Cutting

Cutting refers to the process of shaping and faceting a diamond to maximize its brilliance, fire, and overall beauty. It is one of the most important factors that determine the visual appeal and light performance of a diamond. Skilled diamond cutters use precise techniques to transform rough diamonds into well-proportioned and meticulously faceted gemstones.

Often confused with the shape of the diamond (round, princess, pear, etc.), the cut actually refers to the way the facets interact with light.
Cut has the greatest influence on a diamond’s beauty and sparkle. Even a diamond with a flawless clarity grade (no blemishes or inclusions) can look glassy or dull if the cut is too shallow or deep.

Moissanite Color

Moissanite comes in a variety of colors, ranging from colorless to fancy colors.
The color of a moissanite gemstone is primarily determined by its chemical composition and the presence of trace elements.
The Moissanite color grades range from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown).

Fancy Colored Moissanite

Moissanite can come in almost any color you can imagine. Stones can come in various shades of grey, green, brown, blue, purple, pink, and yellow. And that is just a few of the most common choices.

Moissanite Clarity Chart

Like diamonds, Moissanitealso has a clarity chart. Moissanite is a lab-created gemstone and is typically produced with minimal internal inclusions or blemishes. As a result, moissanite is generally considered to have excellent clarity.

Moissanite Carat

The term carat is often misunderstood. Carat refers to a diamond's weight, not to its size.

Moissanite carat sizes are typically measured in the same way as diamonds, with one carat equaling 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams. However, it's important to note that carat size alone does not indicate the dimensions or visual appearance of a moissanite gemstone. Moissanite weighs approximately 10% less than a diamond of the same diameter. The cut and shape of the stone can also significantly affect how large it appears.