A moissanite has no light of its own. Everything you see is light from around it, bent and split inside the stone and sent back out. Photographing it well is mostly a matter of giving it the right light, then letting the camera see what your eye sees.
1. Clean the stone first
A film of skin oil or hand cream on the back of the stone blocks light, and a camera shows it at once. Warm water, a drop of washing-up liquid and a soft toothbrush, then dry with a lint-free cloth. See how to clean moissanite.
2. Choose the light for the look you want
For fire: one point of light
Fire, the flashes of colour, needs a single small, strong light source. Sun through a window is the best there is; a single bare lamp or a torch held to one side works at night. Turn off the other lights in the room so they don't wash it out.
For brilliance: soft, even light
Light from everywhere at once, such as an overcast sky or a north-facing window, shows the stone crisp, white and bright, with fewer colours. This is closest to how it looks across a room.
Avoid flash and ring lights
A flash flattens the stone into a white blob, and a ring light turns it into a rainbow that looks nothing like real life. Read how moissanite looks in different light for why.
3. Set up the phone
- Don't go too close. Hold the phone a hand's length away and use the 2× or 3× lens, or macro mode, rather than pushing the main lens into the stone.
- Tap the stone to focus, then slide the exposure down. Phones expose for the darker hand or background, so bright facets blow out to plain white. Lowering exposure brings back their colour and shape.
- Turn off beauty and portrait modes. They smooth and blur exactly the edges that make a stone look sharp.
- Wipe the lens. A pocket-smudged lens gives every light a soft halo.
4. Move the stone, not the phone
Fire flickers as the stone moves against the light, so the moment to catch is a moving one. Rest the phone on something steady and tilt your hand slowly, a few degrees at a time. Film it in slow motion or take a burst, then pick the frame where the colour is strongest.
A short video almost always beats a photo. That's why every stone on our site is shown turning in light rather than as a still: you can see all ten cuts filmed in light.
5. Mind the background
- Dark backgrounds show fire. Black velvet, a dark jumper or a shadowed table make the colours stand out.
- Light backgrounds show whiteness. White linen or paper shows off a colourless stone, and is kinder to skin tones.
- Skin is the best background of all. A ring on a hand tells the viewer the stone's real size. Relax the fingers, angle the hand slightly, and keep nails clean and simple.
Where the light is best
Early morning and late afternoon sun, low and warm, gives the most fire with soft shadows. Midday sun is strong but harsh. Indoors, sit beside a window with the light coming from the side, never from behind you.
Share yours
We love seeing our stones in the light of their new homes. Tag us on Instagram at @moissanitesa, and read more about the stone and light on Notes on light.
How do you photograph moissanite sparkle on a phone?+
Clean the stone, use one strong point of light such as sun through a window, tap the stone to focus, lower the exposure, and tilt the stone slowly while filming a short video.
Why does my moissanite look white or blurry in photos?+
The phone is exposing for the darker background, so the bright facets blow out. Tap the stone and slide the exposure down, and use the 2× or macro lens instead of moving too close.
What is the best light for photographing moissanite?+
Direct sun or a single lamp for fire, and soft light from an overcast sky or window for a crisp, white look. Avoid flash and ring lights.
Should I use flash to photograph a gemstone?+
No. A flash flattens a stone into a white glare. Use daylight or a single lamp to one side instead.
Is video better than photos for showing moissanite?+
Usually, yes. Fire is the stone flickering as it moves against the light, and a few seconds of video show what a single photo can't.