One is a diamond.One only looks like one.The honest comparison.
Moissanite is the alternative most people weigh against a lab grown diamond — and it's a beautiful, affordable stone. But it is a different material, not a diamond. Here's the fair, complete comparison, so you can choose on facts rather than sales talk.
The real difference isn't the sparkle. It's what the stone is.
A lab grown diamond is a diamond — pure carbon, identical to a mined stone. Moissanite is silicon carbide: a different mineral, grown in a lab, that happens to look a lot like a diamond. In gemology it's called a diamond simulant — a stone that resembles diamond without being one.
That's not a criticism. Moissanite is genuinely lovely, extremely durable, and far cheaper. But it behaves differently in the light, and it isn't a diamond — and those two facts are what the whole choice comes down to.
"Neither stone is 'fake'. The honest question is simply: do you want a diamond, or a beautiful stone that looks like one?"
Meet each stone on its own terms.
Both are lab-created and both sparkle beautifully. Here's what each one actually is, and where its strengths lie.
A genuine diamond, grown above ground. Chemically and optically identical to a mined diamond, with the classic bright-white brilliance people picture when they think "diamond".
- Made ofPure carbon — a real diamond
- Hardness10 on Mohs — the hardest material on earth
- SparkleBright white brilliance with subtle, refined fire
- Sold byCarat weight, graded on the 4Cs
- CertifiedIGI / SGL, as a diamond
- PriceHigher than moissanite; far below mined
A lab-created gemstone (silicon carbide) that closely resembles a diamond. Naturally almost non-existent, so jewellery moissanite is grown. Exceptionally sparkly and very affordable.
- Made ofSilicon carbide — not a diamond
- Hardness~9.25 on Mohs — very hard and durable
- SparkleIntense fire — strong rainbow flashes
- Sold byMillimetre size, not carat weight
- CertifiedAs moissanite, not on the diamond 4Cs
- PriceA fraction of a diamond of the same size
Diamond and moissanite, compared directly.
Every key difference, laid out plainly — the good and the trade-offs on both sides.
| Lab Grown Diamond | Moissanite | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A real diamond — pure carbon | Silicon carbide — a diamond simulant |
| Hardness | 10 on Mohs (the maximum) | ~9.25 on Mohs — still excellent for daily wear |
| Brilliance | Classic bright-white "diamond" brilliance | Very bright; slightly more mirror-like return |
| Fire (colour flash) | Subtle, refined rainbow flashes | About 2.4× the fire — bold, "disco" rainbow flashes |
| Light behaviour | Singly refractive — crisp, clean facets | Doubly refractive — can look faintly doubled or "fuzzy" in larger sizes |
| Colour | Graded D–Z; near-colourless is easy to find | Near-colourless, though some show a faint tint in large sizes or bright light |
| Sold by | Carat weight, on the 4Cs | Millimetre size (it is lighter than diamond) |
| Certification | IGI / SGL, graded as a diamond | Certified as moissanite, not on the diamond 4Cs |
| Price | Higher than moissanite; well below mined diamond | The most affordable of the three by far |
| Is it a diamond? | Yes — genuinely | No — it resembles one |
Why they catch the light differently.
This is the difference you can actually see — and the one that most divides personal taste. Neither is "better"; they simply sparkle in different ways.
A diamond returns mostly crisp white light with restrained coloured fire — the look most people call "diamond". Moissanite disperses far more colour, throwing bold rainbow flashes that many love and some find too much.
Moissanite is doubly refractive: light splits in two as it passes through. In smaller stones it's invisible, but in larger ones it can give a slightly doubled or "fuzzy" facet look. A diamond is singly refractive, so facets stay razor-crisp.
At around a carat and below, most people can't tell them apart. The bigger the stone, the more moissanite's extra fire and doubling show — which is why the choice matters most in larger centre stones.
We sell diamonds — but we'll tell it straight.
"Moissanite is a wonderful stone for the right buyer. If what you want is a genuine diamond, though, only a diamond — mined or lab grown — is one."
Diamond vs moissanite, answered.
The questions we hear most when people are weighing the two. If yours isn't here, just ask — we'll give you a straight answer.
Chat on WhatsAppExplore our lab grown diamonds.
If a real diamond is what you're after, ours are IGI certified, set in BIS hallmarked gold, and priced far below mined. Still deciding? Message us — we'll talk you through both, honestly.