Is Moissanite a Good Choice for Engagement Rings?

Everyone is talking about moissanite engagement rings - a lab-grown alternative to mined diamonds that come with megawatts of sparkle. Moissanite is a lab grown gemstone made from silicon carbide. It exhibits a high level of fire (rainbow sparkle), and brilliance, and sits just below diamond on the Moh scale for hardness, making it extremely durable and hard to scratch. Due to its rarity in its natural form, the majority of moissanite gemstones for sale today have been grown in laboratories. So, if you’re wondering if moissanite is the right gemstone for your engagement ring, read on.

According to the American Gem Society, moissanite occurrence in nature is extremely rare and only found in upper mantle rock and meteorites, or inclusions in diamonds, xenoliths, kimberlite, and lamproite. Moissanite was discovered in 1893 in a meteor crater. At first, the sparkling particles were assumed to be diamonds, but Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Henry Moissan, identified that it was a completely new and unique precious metal sent to us from the stars. Moissan then recreated moissanite by combining pure silica with carbon - a combination that rarely occurs on Earth, but is plentiful in space and on meteorites.

Thanks to Moissan’s efforts, scientists can now grow moissanite in labs, giving the world a heavenly gemstone with a similar look to diamonds but with higher clarity, refraction, and fire. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the 1990s - the era of supermodels, slip dresses, and choker necklaces - that moissanite engagement rings were first sold by jewellers. At first, moissanite was marketed as a diamond alternative, but over time, jewellers and consumers alike have come to appreciate moissanite in its own right.

Precious stones are rated for hardness using the Moh Scale, which rates the hardness of a gem out of ten. Diamonds are the hardest at 10, but moissanite is just below diamond at 9.25, making it one of the hardest substances on earth, and therefore very durable and capable of being worn every day with a low risk of damage. Moissanite is more durable than almost every other type of gemstone, including rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Due to their durability, a moissanite engagement ring will not lose any of its beauty or sparkle over time. At Cullen Jewellery, we are so sure of our moissanite gems that we offer a lifetime warranty, which protects your moissanite stone against any changes in brilliance, colour, or clarity.

Thanks to its unique facet pattern, moissanite boasts a refractive index of 2.65 to 2.69, making it the world's most brilliant gemstone. When light hits a moissanite ring, the flashes are more colourful and rainbow-like than you would see with a diamond. Even when a moissanite engagement ring is due for a cleaning, it will still retain a lot of its sparkle, which is perfect for busy people who can’t have their jewellery cleaned often. The bigger the moissanite stone, the more sparkly and fiery it will be, and the more noticeably radiant.

A Cullen moissanite ring comes with a lifetime warranty on the stone and will remain as sparkly and eye-catching as the day you popped the question (or answered “I do!”)