Moissanite: Born in a Star

Q: How hard is moissanite?

Moissanite has a Mohs hardness of 9.25, well suited to daily wear.

Q: How is moissanite sized?

Moissanite is sold by millimetre size and diamond-equivalent weight. A one carat equivalent matches the width of a one carat diamond.

Found in a crater, grown in a lab

Moissanite has an origin most gemstones cannot claim. It arrived on a meteorite. In 1893 the French chemist Henri Moissan was studying rock from Canyon Diablo, the meteorite crater in Arizona. In that rock he found tiny crystals he first took for diamond. They were not. They were a new mineral, silicon carbide, and the gemstone later took his name.

Natural moissanite is extremely rare. There is not enough of it in the ground to make jewellery. So the moissanite you wear today is grown in a laboratory, where the same silicon carbide is formed into clear, hard crystals of gem quality. The story starts in space and ends in careful, controlled work on Earth.

What moissanite actually is

Moissanite is silicon carbide. It is one of the hardest materials used in fine jewellery, with a Mohs hardness of 9.25. That hardness is why it holds up to daily wear on a hand. It has a refractive index of around 2.65 and a high level of fire, which is the flash of colour you see when light moves through it.

Because moissanite is its own gemstone and not an imitation of anything, it is measured and sold by millimetre size and by diamond-equivalent weight. A stone described as a one carat equivalent matches the width of a one carat diamond, so it looks the size you expect on the finger.

Why grown moissanite is the honest choice

Growing moissanite in a lab is not a shortcut. It is the only practical way to make this stone available, because nature almost never provides it. The process gives a clean, consistent crystal that a jeweller can cut and set with confidence. You get the brilliance and hardness of moissanite without depending on a rock that fell from the sky.

Every moissanite stone we set comes with a GRA certificate, so you have a record of what you own. You can read more about what that covers on our certification and authenticity page.

From a chemist's discovery to your ring

Henri Moissan won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906. His name lives on in the stone he could not have imagined would end up on engagement rings more than a century later. That thread, from a crater in Arizona to a workshop in South Africa, is part of what makes moissanite worth knowing.

At Moissanite Engagement Rings South Africa we cut and set these stones into custom rings from our single South African workshop. There is no showroom. We work with you by remote consultation, and we deliver free anywhere in the country. That keeps the focus on the ring and on the stone inside it.

Wearing a stone with a story

A moissanite ring is not a copy of something else. It is a gemstone with its own history, its own chemistry, and its own reasons to choose it. It is hard enough for everyday wear, bright with fire, and priced so your budget reaches a size you will be happy with. Moissanite rings at MER SA start at R13,995 for a one carat equivalent in 9ct gold.

If the story has drawn you in, the next step is to see the rings. Browse our moissanite engagement rings or the wider engagement rings collection. When a design catches your eye, use our get a quote page and we will price it for you.

Is moissanite a real gemstone?

Yes. Moissanite is silicon carbide, a genuine mineral first found in a meteorite crater in 1893. It is a gemstone in its own right, not an imitation of diamond.

Where does moissanite come from now?

Natural moissanite is too rare to use in jewellery, so the moissanite sold today is grown in a laboratory. The lab process produces clear, hard crystals of gem quality.