Key Takeaways:
- Two Different Stones: Moissanite is silicon carbide, while a lab grown diamond is pure carbon with the same crystal structure as a mined diamond.
- Unique Light Performance: Moissanite throws noticeably more rainbow-colored flashes, while a diamond balances white brilliance with softer glints of color.
- Price Follows The Material: Lab grown diamonds cost more than moissanite and less than mined diamonds, because you’re paying for an actual diamond.
Is moissanite a lab grown diamond? No. Both are created in a lab, but moissanite is a different gemstone entirely, with its own chemistry, hardness, and way of handling light.
At Aurate, we sell natural and lab grown diamonds, and we label every stone so you always know exactly what you’re wearing.
Below, we break down what separates these two stones, how they look side by side, and what drives the price gap.
Two Stones, Two Stories
These gems show up in the same conversations, but they come from completely dissimilar starting points.
What Moissanite Is
Moissanite is silicon carbide. French chemist Henri Moissan first identified it in 1893 in meteorite fragments from an Arizona crater. Natural moissanite is extremely rare, so virtually all moissanite on the market is lab-created. In the jewelry industry, it’s classified as a diamond simulant, a stone that resembles a diamond without being one.
What Makes A Lab Grown Diamond A Diamond
A lab grown diamond is carbon crystallized in the same structure as a mined diamond. It’s grown under heat and pressure that recreate conditions deep inside the earth. The result is physically, chemically, and optically a diamond. The only difference is where it formed.
Why The Confusion Exists
Both stones are made in a lab, and both are marketed as alternatives to mined diamonds. That’s where the overlap ends. A simulant imitates a diamond, while a lab grown diamond is one.
Where Lab Grown Diamond Jewelry Fits At Aurate
We carry lab grown and natural diamonds side by side, and every product page names which one you’re getting, along with its color and clarity. You won’t find moissanite in our collection. Our lab grown diamonds give you a legitimate diamond at a price that leaves room in your budget for everything else you’re building.
Lab Grown Diamonds vs. Moissanite: How They Compare
Side by side, the differences show up in how each stone handles light, color, and decades of wear.
Brilliance And Fire
Moissanite has a higher refractive index and more than twice the dispersion of a diamond. Dispersion, often called fire, is how much a stone splits light into rainbow colors. In sunlight or under strong overhead lighting, moissanite’s colorful flashes stand out. A diamond delivers crisp white brilliance with more restrained fire. Moissanite is also doubly refractive, so looking down through the stone, its facet edges can appear doubled.
Color
Today’s moissanite is mostly near-colorless, though some stones show a faint yellow or green tint in certain light. Moissanite doesn’t follow a standardized color scale. Lab grown diamonds are evaluated by independent gemological labs, and many labs grade them on the same color and clarity scales used for mined diamonds.
Durability
Moissanite rates 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale, which measures scratch resistance. Diamond, lab grown or mined, rates a 10, the highest possible. For a ring you plan to wear every day, that difference adds up over the years.
Moissanite vs. Lab Grown Diamond Price
The price gap comes down to what each stone is.
- Moissanite Costs The Least: Silicon carbide is an abundant material, and producing moissanite is efficient, which keeps prices low.
- Lab Grown Diamonds Sit In The Middle: They cost more than moissanite because they’re diamonds, but noticeably less than mined stones of similar size and quality.
- Mined Diamonds Cost The Most: Natural diamonds carry the premium of rarity and geological origin.
- The Setting Changes The Total: Metal choice affects price as much as the stone does. So, a solid gold setting costs more than a vermeil setting.
Are Lab Grown Diamonds Worth It?
If you want a diamond, yes. You get the same hardness and brilliance as a mined stone, and the savings go where you want them: a larger center stone, a matching wedding band, or the life you’re working toward.
The same logic applies to the pieces you buy for yourself. You closed the deal, finished the marathon, or simply decided it was time, and a lab grown diamond lets you mark it without settling. Tennis jewelry is where this shows up most. A Classic Lab Grown Diamond Tennis Bracelet in 14k solid gold sets a continuous line of diamonds around your wrist, and lab grown stones make that many diamonds far more attainable. For everyday wear, our Lab Grown Diamond Stud Earrings in 14k solid gold use GH color, SI clarity stones that look clean to the naked eye.
Choosing The Right Setting Metal
The metal holding your diamond matters as much as the stone itself. Our 14k gold jewelry is the go-to for diamond pieces worn daily, since the alloy is hard and holds stones securely. 18k gold jewelry contains more pure gold, giving it a deeper yellow tone. Both are solid gold, made with recycled gold, and built to be worn every day.
Gold vermeil is a layer of gold over sterling silver, which sets it apart from gold-plated jewelry made over base metals. Take vermeil off before showers and workouts to keep its shine. Our stainless steel jewelry is the most durable entry point to fine jewelry, made for pieces you rarely take off.
Final Thoughts
Moissanite and lab grown diamonds are not interchangeable. One is silicon carbide made to resemble a diamond. The other is a diamond, grown in a lab and identical to a mined stone in every way that counts. Knowing the difference means you buy exactly what you want, and at Aurate, every stone is labeled so you never have to guess.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whether Moissanite Is A Lab Grown Diamond
Is moissanite the same as a lab grown diamond?
No. Moissanite is silicon carbide. Lab grown diamonds are carbon and share the same composition and crystal structure as mined diamonds.
Does Aurate sell moissanite?
No. Every diamond Aurate sells is a real diamond, natural or lab grown, and each product page states which one it is.
Can you tell moissanite and a diamond apart by eye?
Often, yes. Moissanite shows stronger rainbow flashes, especially in sunlight, and its facets can look doubled when viewed through the stone.
Is moissanite harder than diamond?
No. Moissanite rates 9.25 on the Mohs scale, while diamond rates 10, the highest possible.
Are lab grown diamonds graded like mined diamonds?
Independent labs evaluate lab grown diamonds on cut, color, clarity, and carat, though some labs use their own simplified categories. Aurate lists the color and clarity of every diamond on its respective product page.
Can a jeweler tell a lab grown diamond from a mined one?
Not by eye. Telling them apart requires specialized laboratory equipment.
Do lab grown diamonds hold their resale value?
Lab grown diamonds typically resell for less than mined diamonds. Most buyers choose them for the look and value at purchase, not as an investment.
