Moissanite: More Fire. More Sparkle. Less Spend.
Moissanite is the lab-created gem with more fire than a diamond, everyday durability, and a price that lets you actually glow. Here's everything worth knowing — then go find your sparkle.
What is moissanite?
Moissanite is silicon carbide — a gemstone first discovered in 1893 by the French chemist Henri Moissan, who later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He found the tiny, glittering crystals in rock from a meteorite crater near Canyon Diablo, Arizona, and at first mistook them for diamonds. The mineral was named "moissanite" in his honour in 1905.
Natural moissanite is vanishingly rare, so today every moissanite used in jewellery is created in a lab. That means it's ethical, conflict-free, and consistently brilliant — without anything coming out of the ground.
Why moissanite sparkles more than a diamond
This is the part people fall in love with. Moissanite has a higher refractive index than diamond (2.65 versus 2.42) and more than double the dispersion — 0.104 versus a diamond's 0.044. Dispersion is what gemologists call "fire": the way a stone splits light into flashes of colour.
In plain terms, moissanite throws roughly 2.4 times the rainbow fire of a diamond. That lively, colourful flash is moissanite's signature. It's the reason a moissanite catches the light across a room.
Built for everyday wear
Sparkle means nothing if it doesn't last. Moissanite scores 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale — second only to diamond at 10, and harder than every other gemstone used in jewellery. It won't cloud, it won't dull, and it holds its brilliance for life with nothing more than the occasional clean.
That makes it genuinely suited to daily wear: the ring you never take off, the studs you sleep in, the necklace that goes from desk to dinner. See our simple care guide →
The price advantage
Moissanite costs a fraction of what a diamond does per carat. That's not a compromise — it's the whole point. The same budget buys you more size, more sparkle, and more pieces to play with. Affordable luxury, exactly as it should be.
Ethical & lab-created
Because our moissanite is created in a lab, there's no mining, no conflict, and no murky supply chain. For a generation that cares where things come from, that matters. Beautiful jewellery shouldn't cost the earth — literally.
Moissanite vs diamond vs cubic zirconia
| Moissanite | Diamond | Cubic Zirconia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire (dispersion) | 0.104 — the most | 0.044 | 0.060 |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 9.25 | 10 | 8.5 |
| Everyday durability | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Price | Affordable | Premium | Most affordable |
| Lasts a lifetime | Yes | Yes | With care |
We work with both moissanite and cubic zirconia. Moissanite is the durable hero for the pieces you'll wear hardest; CZ delivers gorgeous, accessible everyday sparkle. Both are beautiful — it just depends on the piece and the moment. Read the full moissanite vs diamond comparison →
How we set our moissanite
Every Auralie piece is made in genuine 925 sterling silver or 18k gold vermeil — never cheap plating that turns your skin green. The result is demi-fine jewellery that looks and feels far above its price. More on our materials →
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Moissanite FAQ
Is moissanite a diamond?
No — moissanite is its own gemstone (silicon carbide). It isn't a fake diamond or an imitation; it's a distinct gem that happens to look strikingly similar and actually sparkles with more fire.
Does moissanite get cloudy over time?
No. Moissanite doesn't cloud, fog, or lose its sparkle. A quick clean with warm soapy water brings it right back to brilliant.
Is moissanite real?
Yes. It's a real, naturally occurring mineral — just extremely rare in nature, so we use lab-created moissanite for quality and ethics.
Will people know it's not a diamond?
To the naked eye, moissanite and diamond look almost identical. The main difference — moissanite's extra fire — is something most people read as "stunning," not "different."
