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Brilliant Cut vs. Crushed Ice Cut Moissanite

Discover the differences between brilliant cut and crushed ice cut moissanite.

When you imagine a moissanite engagement ring, you’re probably picturing a polished band topped with a scintillating, symmetrical brilliant cut stone. Yet, another moissanite cut is gaining popularity – and its name is crushed ice.

Known for its shimmering beauty and distinct ice-like appearance, crushed ice moissanite is a gorgeous alternative to a brilliant cut stone.

However, to understand the differences between the two cuts, let’s first discover how light interacts with moissanite, and the impact the interplay of light has on the way moissanite sparkles.

How Light Interacts with Moissanite

When light enters a substance like moissanite, it refracts and reflects. Gemstones are so sparkly because they are cut in a way that causes the light that enters at the top of the stone to bounce off facets (cut surfaces) within the stone and then reflect out. How this light acts, and therefore the overall look of the gemstone, is based on how the stone is cut.


The brilliant cut is the traditional, relatively symmetrical style which causes the classic sparkling pattern.

Brilliant Cut Moissanite

Characteristic of brilliant cut stones are well-defined, arrow-like sparkling facets that can be seen fanning out from the centre of the stone when looking from the front on. They are cut with uniform facets on the pavilion (bottom angle of the stone), which causes light to travel in the most efficient way possible, meaning the most light possible will exit the crown (top angle of the stone) and back to the observer. This causes the highest level of fire and brilliance possible.


In a crushed ice moissanite, the irregular shaped facets on the pavilion of the stone bounce the light within the stone in an irregular pattern.

Crushed Ice Cut Moissanite

Crushed ice cuts have numerous, irregular facets. Although some light will bounce off two surfaces of the pavilion before exiting the crown, as in the case of the brilliant cut, some light will also bounce more times within the stone before exiting through the pavilion. As a result, light is travelling in many scattered directions within the stone, causing it to look like – you guessed it – crushed ice. Due to these properties, crushed ice moissanite stones display a different sparkling pattern and a lower level of brilliance, fire, and sparkle than brilliant cut moissanite.


Crushed ice cut moissanite will exhibit more of a bowtie effect, like a diamond, whereas the bowtie effect will be absent in a crushed ice cut stone.

What is the Bowtie Effect?

An example of the difference between these two cuts is seen in certain shapes of moissanite such as oval or pear. Usually, an oval diamond will display some level of a bowtie effect, which is a darker band through the middle width of the stone where light is lost. This can sometimes detract from the stone if it’s too distinct, but can also help to give a certain level of contrast, which some prefer.

Due to the higher refractive index of moissanite, brilliant cut oval moissanite stones can usually be cut to avoid the bowtie effect. The faceting pattern of crushed ice moissanite means this cut has more of a bowtie effect – giving it a more diamond-like appearance.


How Do Brilliant Cut and Crushed Ice Cut Stones Compare?

Due to the efficient use of light, the brilliant cut extracts the most amount of fire and brilliance from moissanite. This unmatched sparkle is the very reason so many people fall in love with moissanite! The brilliant cut shows uniform, larger facets, resulting in a noticeably gorgeous, extra sparkly stone. However, for some, a moissanite that matches a diamond as closely as possible is their main goal. This is where the crushed ice cut comes into play, as its faceting pattern displays less fire and brilliance and produces smaller, more scattered sparkles – a closer match to the fire and brilliance of a diamond. In addition, the crushed ice cut can exhibit a bowtie effect, which also closely parallels the look of a diamond.


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