Moissanite vs Lab Diamond vs Diamond

Diamonds are an iconic gemstone and a first choice for many. But not everyone can afford diamond jewelry. Thankfully, there are some alternatives. Both lab diamonds and moissanite look like diamonds, are eco-friendly, and cost just a fraction of the price. 

But are there any differences? And if so, what are they? Well, if you wish to know more about the differences between diamonds, lab diamonds, and moissanite, read on.

Moissanite
While natural Moissanite does exist, it is incredibly rare and comes in tiny crystals. So most Moissanite is created in a lab. However Moissanite has a different chemical makeup than that of Diamonds and Lab Diamonds. While Diamond is pure carbon, Moissanite is both silica and carbon. As a result, Moissanite sparkles more and isn’t as hard as diamond (9.25/10 on the hardness scale). It's a good choice if you just want something sparkly and you don’t care whether it’s a diamond or not. It’s also the cheapest of the three options.

Lab Diamonds

also known as “Synthetic Diamonds,” or “Man-Made Diamonds”, have the same properties as natural diamonds and are practically identical, both are crystal-clear carbon, with the same hardness (10/10), the same look, and the same sparkle, the only difference being one is made in a lab instead of the Earth’s crust. The only way you can tell it is a Lab Grown Diamond is if you have it tested. They’re cheaper than Natural Diamonds but more expensive than Moissanite.

Diamonds

Formed far beneath Earth’s surface, in the planet’s mantle layer, with billions of years of intense heat and pressure causing carbon to rearrange on an atomic level, and thus taking on the solid form of a diamond. Natural Diamonds are expensive because of demand and the difficulty of finding large, good-quality natural diamonds (it is thought that there is a finite amount of the stone on this planet). Natural Diamonds will appeal to purists who like the special feeling of having a stone from the earth.