Real Moissanite and Cubic Zirconia vs. Moissanite

by April
(Casselberry, FL, USA)

My boyfriend bought me a beautiful moissanite engagement ring, which I chose. I love it!! It came with a Charles & Colvard certificate. He bought it off eBay and now I'm wondering how would we know if it's moissanite and maybe not CZ?? Is there any way for us to know for sure??


Hi April,

Charles & Colvard once retained the patent for moissanite synthesis – and while there are a few copycats out there, Charles & Colvard is still one of the only companies which produces quality moissanite loose stones and jewelry pieces. So, a certificate from this company is a great validation for the authenticity of the moissanite. (One of our sponsors, Gemvara, offers moissanite engagement rings made by Charles & Colvard moissanite).





Moissanite also looks a lot different than cubic zirconia, and it has different physical properties which can be easily measured by an experienced jeweler or gemologist. Below you can see how moissanite compares to cubic zirconia.


MoissaniteCubic Zirconia
Hardness9.58.5
Density3.2-3.225.6-6.0
Dispersion0.1040.060
Refractive Index2.654-2.9672.15
FlawlessAlwaysAlways
ColorSlight TintNone



Visually, moissanite differs from cubic zirconia in two ways:

1.Moissanite has a very slight color tint to it whereas cubic zirconia is always colorless.

2.Moissanite has a much higher dispersion and refractive index rating than cubic zirconia, this means that moissanite has a lot more sparkle, flash and fire than cubic zirconia – some would say moissanite has a ‘disco ball’ look.

Physically, moissanite is harder than cubic zirconia and it weighs almost half as much as cubic zirconia. A gemologist or jeweler would be able to quickly measure these characteristics of your ring, including the dispersion or refractive index, to confirm that it is indeed moissanite.

Hope you find the info helpful – and do write back if you have any additional questions…

Thanks!

Suzanne Gardner
Everything Wedding Rings

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