Diamond and moissanite look alike, but they are two different materials: carbon in a cubic crystal, and silicon carbide in a hexagonal one. These pages compare their properties, fire, doubled facets, weight, color, instrument readings, paperwork and wear, and end in a bench routine that says "diamond", "not diamond" or "send it to a lab". Each page uses our free tools to show the difference; the tools simulate geometry and optics, and none of them tests a real stone.
New here? Start with Why moissanite shows more fire than diamond.
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1 · Video
Diamond vs moissanite: two look-alikes, two different materials
What each stone is made of, why moissanite is a simulant, and why every moissanite in jewelry is lab-grown.
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2 · Article
Diamond vs moissanite properties: hardness, refractive index, dispersion, density
The property card: index, dispersion, density, hardness and toughness of both stones, and what each predicts.
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3 · Video
Moissanite's refractive index, and why it needs its own cut
How a higher index breaks the T73's hearts and arrows in moissanite, and how DG-Anteros brings them back.
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4 · Animated explainer
Why moissanite shows more fire than diamond
Where fire comes from, how big the gap is (fire 97 against 78 in the T73), and the light that shows or hides it.
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5 · Article
The loupe test: doubled facet edges in moissanite
The loupe test: where to look for doubled facet edges, and the other clues a loupe shows in moissanite.
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6 · Article
Moissanite vs diamond: same size, different carat weight
Why the same carat weight gives a bigger moissanite, and how to use weight for size as a check.
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7 · Article
Moissanite color and fluorescence compared with diamond
How diamond color is graded, why moissanite's tint was hard to grade, and what a UV lamp can and can't tell you.
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8 · Video
Diamond testers and moissanite: what the instruments say
What the refractometer, dichroscope, spectroscope, polariscope, testers and labs show for each stone.
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9 · Article
Moissanite certificates vs diamond grading reports
Which document each stone comes with, what it states, and how to check that a report belongs to the stone.
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10 · Article
Moissanite vs diamond: wear, care and cleaning
How each stone handles wear, heat and cleaning, and a ten-step routine from a first look to the lab.
Quick quiz
Every lesson ends with a few questions. Want more? The Diamond vs moissanite quiz covers the whole topic, with the answer and the reason after each question.
Cuts in this topic
We sell the files of these cuts: 3D models and cutting files, with a personal-use license.
