---
title: "Diamond vs moissanite"
description: "Diamond vs moissanite: how the two stones differ in refractive index, fire, weight, color, testers and paperwork, and how to tell them apart."
url: https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite
image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/learn/jMYuj1xYWSg.jpg?v=c8afcc11
---

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[Learn](https://digitalgemology.com/learn)

# Diamond vs moissanite

Ten lessons · four videos · read them in any order

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](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/why-moissanite-has-more-fire).

1. 1 · Video
  ## [Diamond vs moissanite: two look-alikes, two different materials](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/diamond-vs-moissanite-differences)
  What each stone is made of, why moissanite is a simulant, and why every moissanite in jewelry is lab-grown.
2. 2 · Article
  ## [Diamond vs moissanite properties: hardness, refractive index, dispersion, density](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/diamond-vs-moissanite-properties)
  The property card: index, dispersion, density, hardness and toughness of both stones, and what each predicts.
3. 3 · Video
  ## [Moissanite's refractive index, and why it needs its own cut](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/moissanite-refractive-index-and-cut)
  How a higher index breaks the T73's hearts and arrows in moissanite, and how DG-Anteros brings them back.
4. 4 · Animated explainer
  ## [Why moissanite shows more fire than diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/why-moissanite-has-more-fire)
  Where fire comes from, how big the gap is (fire 97 against 78 in the T73), and the light that shows or hides it.
5. 5 · Article
  ## [The loupe test: doubled facet edges in moissanite](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/moissanite-doubled-facets-loupe-test)
  The loupe test: where to look for doubled facet edges, and the other clues a loupe shows in moissanite.
6. 6 · Article
  ## [Moissanite vs diamond: same size, different carat weight](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/moissanite-vs-diamond-carat-size)
  Why the same carat weight gives a bigger moissanite, and how to use weight for size as a check.
7. 7 · Article
  ## [Moissanite color and fluorescence compared with diamond](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/moissanite-color-and-fluorescence)
  How diamond color is graded, why moissanite's tint was hard to grade, and what a UV lamp can and can't tell you.
8. 8 · Video
  ## [Diamond testers and moissanite: what the instruments say](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/diamond-tester-and-moissanite)
  What the refractometer, dichroscope, spectroscope, polariscope, testers and labs show for each stone.
9. 9 · Article
  ## [Moissanite certificates vs diamond grading reports](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/moissanite-certificate-vs-diamond-report)
  Which document each stone comes with, what it states, and how to check that a report belongs to the stone.
10. 10 · Article
  ## [Moissanite vs diamond: wear, care and cleaning](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/diamond-vs-moissanite/moissanite-vs-diamond-durability-and-care)
  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](https://digitalgemology.com/skool/quiz/diamond-vs-moissanite) 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.

- [T73 Round Brilliant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/t73-round-brilliant): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [DG-Anteros Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/dg-anteros): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [DG-M5 Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/dg-m5): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each

[All topics](https://digitalgemology.com/learn)