Moissanite 101
Choosing Between Two Moissanite Stones
No report to compare, no grades that mean the same thing twice β so the comparison has to be built from numbers you request.
Written by the Mapple Gems workshop, Surat Β· Updated 1 October 2026
Short answer
Ignore the stated colour and clarity grades entirely β no laboratory grades moissanite, so those are seller assessments and one sellerβs VVS is not anotherβs. Compare four things you can actually verify: measured millimetres and depth, measurements against the standard for the stated size, rotating video in ordinary indoor light, and the ring around the stone β gram weight and shank thickness. Where two stones look equal, the difference is usually cut, and cut is visible in video.
Comparing two diamonds is a paperwork exercise. Comparing two moissanites is not, because the paperwork does not exist β which sounds like a disadvantage and is mostly just a different method.
Because nobody grades moissanite, there is also no upper price anchor β and that removes the one shortcut buyers rely on everywhere else. With a diamond, a report and a market mean that a much higher price usually reflects something. With moissanite, a stone can be priced at any figure a seller chooses, and nothing independent contradicts it. There is no report to check, no laboratory grade to compare, and no established resale market to correct an inflated number. So the ordinary heuristic β assume the dearer one is better β is not merely unreliable here, it is backwards often enough to be dangerous. This is not an accusation against sellers; it is a structural fact about an ungraded material, and it is the reason two stones described in identical language can differ substantially. The replacement for the price signal is the measurement and the video. Millimetres are objective, measurements-against-standard catches shallow cutting, and rotating video in ordinary light shows the one property that genuinely varies. Those three take five minutes and they are the whole comparison.
The comparison table to build
| Ask for | What it settles |
|---|---|
| Measured mm and depth | The only true size comparison |
| mm vs standard for the DEW | Larger than standard = cut shallow |
| Rotating video, ordinary light | Cut β the only real variable |
| Gram weight of the ring | Verifiable against gold price |
| Shank width and thickness | Whether it survives twenty years |
| Stated colour and clarity | Nothing β not comparable |
Blank cells are the comparison. A seller who answers the first five quickly is telling you something a seller who answers none of them is also telling you.
Millimetres, and the shallow-cut check
Moissanite is sold by diamond equivalent weight because it is about 15% less dense than diamond β so the carat figure describes the size, not the weight. That makes millimetres the only honest comparison between two stones, two sellers, or a moissanite and a diamond.
It also gives you a free quality check. A round moissanite sold as β1Β caratβ should measure about 6.5Β mm. If one is 6.5Β mm and the other is 6.9Β mm at the same stated weight, the second has been cut shallow to spread β more face for the money, and less light returned, often showing as a flat, lifeless centre. That is a warning, not a bargain.
Ask for depth as well as diameter. Depth is what dispersion needs to develop, and it is the number sellers volunteer least.
The video, and what to look for
Insist on rotating video in ordinary indoor light β not a lightbox, which flatters every stone equally and is precisely why product stills are useless for comparison. Then four checks:
- No permanently dark zone as it turns. A dull patch that stays put through rotation is a cut problem, not lighting.
- Crisp facet junctions where lines meet at a point. Soft or offset junctions mean hurried cutting.
- A symmetrical outline β halve it mentally and compare the sides.
- A table that is not oversized. A very large table gives a big flat centre and less life.
On a large stone, one more: because moissanite is doubly refractive, a stone cut off its optic axis shows a faint softness from the top. Invisible at 4Β mm, detectable above about 9Β mm β and only in video.
When the two stones genuinely are equal
Which happens often, because the material is consistent. In that case the decision moves entirely to the ring, and that is where the real differences hide.
Compare finished gram weight β two rings that look identical can differ by a factor of two in metal, and gold trades publicly so this is verifiable. Compare shank thickness in millimetres, where 1.8Β mm is the daily-wear minimum. Compare whether every point and corner has a prong over it. And ask whether the gallery is open, since a closed back cannot be cleaned from underneath.
Then compare production and transit days as two separate numbers, since a checkout estimate covers only the second.
Two things not worth deciding on
Brand names for moissanite. Various trade names circulate, some referring to specific manufacturers and some to nothing at all. None of them are grading, and none can be independently verified β so treat a name as marketing rather than a specification.
Hearts-and-arrows claims. The pattern can be cut into moissanite, but there is no certification behind the claim as there can be for diamond, and double refraction blurs the pattern anyway. Judge the stone in video instead.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare two moissanite stones?
Ignore stated colour and clarity, which are seller assessments rather than laboratory grades. Compare measured millimetres and depth, the measurements against standard for the stated size, rotating video in ordinary indoor light, and the ring itself β gram weight and shank thickness.
Does a higher price mean a better moissanite?
Not reliably. Because nobody grades moissanite there is no independent price anchor β no report to check, no laboratory grade to compare, no established resale market to correct an inflated figure. The measurement and the video replace the price signal.
What if one stone measures larger at the same carat?
It has been cut shallow to spread β more face for the money and less light returned, often showing as a flat, lifeless centre. A round sold as one carat should measure about 6.5Β mm. Ask for depth as well as diameter, since depth is what dispersion needs.
Do moissanite brand names mean anything?
Some refer to specific manufacturers and some to nothing at all, but none of them are grading and none can be independently verified β so treat a name as marketing rather than a specification. The same applies to hearts-and-arrows claims, which carry no certification in moissanite.
Send us the other listing.
We will tell you what its numbers say β including when the answer is that the other one is the better buy.
Leave a comment