Updated 4 October 2026
Moissanite is not a diamond. A lab grown diamond is: pure carbon, grown in a lab, with the same crystal and hardness as a mined stone. Moissanite is silicon carbide, a different gem that is also grown in a lab. It is hard and very fiery, but it looks, tests and costs differently.
Is moissanite a diamond?
No. A diamond is carbon. Moissanite is silicon carbide, a compound of silicon and carbon, so it is a different mineral with a different crystal. French chemist Henri Moissan found it in 1893 in rock from a meteor crater in Arizona. Natural moissanite is far too scarce to cut for jewellery, so the moissanite in a ring is grown in a lab, as a lab grown diamond is. The difference between the two is not natural against lab grown. It is carbon against silicon carbide.
Moissanite is a gemstone in its own right, with its own look and its own history. For how a lab grown diamond is grown, see our guide to CVD and HPHT diamonds.
Moissanite vs diamond: the differences side by side
| Lab grown diamond | Moissanite | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Carbon | Silicon carbide |
| How it is made | Grown in a lab, the same crystal as a mined diamond | Grown in a lab; natural moissanite is too rare for jewellery |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 10 | About 9.25 to 9.5 |
| Refractive index | About 2.42 | About 2.65 to 2.69 |
| Fire (dispersion) | 0.044 | 0.104, more than twice as much |
| Double refraction | No, facet edges look single | Yes, facet edges look doubled under a loupe |
| Weight for the same size | Heavier (specific gravity about 3.5) | Lighter (about 3.2), so usually sold by millimetre |
| Paperwork | IGI report: cut, colour, clarity, carat | A diamond report does not apply; ask who issued any report and what it grades |
| At Nivara | ₹50,000 per carat, gold and setting added; solitaires from around ₹49,000 | We do not sell moissanite |
Figures are the standard published gemmological values; individual stones vary slightly. Cubic zirconia, sold in India as American diamond, is a third stone buyers compare, and our guide to American diamond vs lab grown diamond covers it.
How do they look? Fire and brilliance
Brilliance is the white light a stone returns. Fire is the rainbow colour it throws. Both stones are brilliant. Moissanite's dispersion is much higher, so it throws more than twice the colour. Light also splits in two as it passes through moissanite, which gives its sparkle a slightly different pattern from a diamond's.
That is a matter of taste, not quality. Some people love moissanite's colourful flash. Others prefer the crisp white sparkle of a well cut diamond. Judge either one by a window in daylight, not under shop spotlights, which flatter every stone.
Hardness and everyday wear
Hardness is resistance to scratching. A diamond is 10 on the Mohs scale, the top of it. Moissanite is about 9.25 to 9.5, and only diamond is harder. Either will take everyday wear in a ring. It is the gold around the stone that picks up the small marks first.
How testers tell moissanite and diamond apart
A handheld diamond tester measures how quickly heat travels through a stone. Diamond is exceptional at it, and moissanite is so close that standard thermal testers read moissanite as diamond. Two things separate them. Moissanite is doubly refractive, so a jeweller looking through the top with a 10x loupe sees the back facet edges doubled; a diamond shows single edges. And a tester that also measures electrical conductivity can tell them apart, because moissanite conducts electricity and a colourless diamond does not.
A lab grown diamond passes a diamond tester, because it is a diamond. Telling it from a mined one takes laboratory instruments, which is why the IGI report states how the diamond was made, and why the report number is laser inscribed on our solitaires. A beep from a pocket tester is not proof of a diamond. A report whose number matches the inscription on the stone is.
Moissanite vs lab grown diamond: price and size
Moissanite is generally priced below a lab grown diamond of the same size, and that is a fair reason to choose it. We do not sell moissanite, so we do not quote its prices. What we can show is the diamond side plainly. Every Nivara diamond is VVS clarity, E colour, ideal cut and IGI certified, at ₹50,000 per carat, with the gold and setting added.
| Round diamond | Diameter, about | Diamond price at Nivara |
|---|---|---|
| 0.50 ct | 5.2 mm | ₹25,000 |
| 1.00 ct | 6.5 mm | ₹50,000 |
| 2.00 ct | 8.2 mm | ₹1,00,000 |
Prices are for the diamond alone. Because moissanite is lighter than diamond for the same size, it is usually sold by millimetre, or as a "diamond equivalent weight", rather than by true carat weight. To compare fairly, compare the diameter: a 6.5 mm round looks the size of a 1 carat diamond, whichever stone it is. Our carat size chart has the full table.
Which should you choose?
Choose moissanite if you love strong, colourful flash, want the largest face for the least money, and are glad for the stone to be what it is: a lab grown gem that is not a diamond.
Choose a lab grown diamond if you want a diamond. It is the same material as a mined one, 10 on the Mohs scale, graded and IGI certified with the number on the stone, with a lifetime exchange and buyback behind it.
A good test is whether you can say what your stone is in one sentence, and say it with pleasure. "It is a lab grown diamond, IGI certified." Or "It is moissanite, and I love the fire." Either is a good answer. It is your ring and your sentence. The only wrong answer is not knowing.
Lab grown diamond solitaires to compare
A solitaire is where the difference between the two stones shows most, because the stone is all there is. Prices are for 14k gold and move with the gold rate.
Amora round solitaire, from around ₹49,000. A single 0.50 carat round diamond, about 5.2 mm across, in four prongs on a slim yellow gold band.
Amara classic solitaire, from around ₹51,000. A single 0.54 carat round diamond in prongs on a slim white gold band.
Amara oval solitaire, from around ₹87,000. A single 1.00 carat oval diamond in four prongs on a slim white gold band. An oval looks larger across than a round of the same weight.
Amara ribbon band solitaire, from around ₹93,000. A single 0.80 carat round diamond in prongs, with the white gold band twisting into several ribbons beneath it.
Amora sleek solitaire, from around ₹1,38,000. A round diamond, 1.60 carat in all, in prongs on a yellow gold band edged with fine milgrain, with a small diamond set into the side of the shank.
See all lab grown diamond solitaire rings and the round solitaires, or browse our full range of lab grown diamond jewellery.
What comes with every piece
- One diamond standard, whatever the budget: VVS clarity, E colour, ideal cut.
- IGI certification, and on solitaires the report number laser inscribed on the stone, so the paper and the diamond are one.
- 14k or 18k BIS hallmarked gold.
- A lifetime exchange at 100% of the current gold and diamond value, and a lifetime buyback at 100% gold and 85% diamond value.
- Lifetime polishing, cleaning and prong tightening, for as long as the piece is worn.
See a lab grown diamond in daylight
The surest test is to look. Book a private viewing at our showrooms in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Indore or Ahmedabad, and ask to see the sizes side by side. Anywhere else in India or abroad, book a video consultation; we ship to 28 countries.
Comparing brands before you buy? Read our guide to the best lab grown diamond brands in India.
Frequently asked questions
Is moissanite a real diamond?
No. A diamond is carbon and moissanite is silicon carbide, so they are different minerals. Moissanite is a gemstone in its own right, but it is not a diamond. A lab grown diamond is a diamond: the same carbon crystal and the same hardness as a mined one.
Which is harder, a lab grown diamond or moissanite?
A lab grown diamond. It scores 10 on the Mohs scale, the top of it, exactly as a mined diamond does. Moissanite scores about 9.25 to 9.5, and only diamond is harder. Both resist scratching well enough for a ring worn every day.
Will a diamond tester tell moissanite from a diamond?
A basic thermal tester usually will not, because moissanite carries heat almost as well as diamond and reads as diamond. A tester that also checks electrical conductivity can separate them, and so can a jeweller's loupe, which shows the back facet edges of moissanite doubled. A lab grown diamond passes a diamond tester because it is a diamond.
Does moissanite look different from a diamond?
It can. Moissanite throws more than twice the rainbow colour of a diamond, because its dispersion is 0.104 against 0.044. A well cut diamond shows crisp white flashes with smaller sparks of colour. Look at both by a window in daylight rather than under shop spotlights.
Does moissanite cost less than a lab grown diamond?
Moissanite is generally priced below a lab grown diamond of the same size. It is usually sold by millimetre rather than by carat, because it is lighter than diamond, so compare diameters. At Nivara every diamond is ₹50,000 per carat, with the gold and setting added, and a 1 carat round measures about 6.5 mm.
