Is moissanite hard enough to wear every day?

A stone's beauty lasts only as long as its surface does. Light enters through the top facets and leaves through them again, so a scratched or worn stone stops returning light and looks dull. That is why hardness matters for sparkle, not just for toughness, and why moissanite looks as bright after decades as on the day it was set.

Where moissanite sits on the Mohs scale

The Mohs scale ranks materials by which can scratch which. It isn't evenly spaced: the step from 9 to 10 is far larger than the step from 8 to 9, so a 9.25 stone is much harder than its number suggests.

The line that matters for daily wear is quartz, at 7. Ordinary dust and sand are mostly quartz, and anything softer than 7 is slowly scratched just by being worn and wiped. Moissanite is well above that line, so its facets stay sharp and polished.

Will moissanite scratch?

Not in normal wear. Only diamond and a few industrial materials are hard enough to scratch it. Store it apart from diamond jewellery, and it will keep its polish for life.

Can moissanite chip?

Hardness is resistance to scratching; resistance to breaking is a separate thing, called toughness. Moissanite is tough for a gemstone, but no stone is unbreakable, diamond included. A sharp knock on the thin outer edge (the girdle) or on a point can chip it.

• Points need protecting. The pear, marquise, heart and princess have points or corners. Ask your jeweller for a V-shaped claw or a bezel over each point.
• Take rings off for heavy work. Gym weights, gardening and moving furniture are hard on any ring, and more often on the metal than the stone.
• Have the claws checked once a year. A worn claw is the usual way a stone is lost, whatever the stone.

Does moissanite go cloudy?

No. Moissanite doesn't cloud, yellow or fade with age, and its fire doesn't wear off. Stones that turn cloudy over the years are softer ones whose surface has been scuffed. If a moissanite looks dull, the cause is a film of skin oil, soap or hand cream on its back facets, blocking light. Warm water, a drop of washing-up liquid and a soft toothbrush clear it; see how to clean moissanite.

Heat and chemicals

Moissanite is silicon carbide, one of the most heat-stable materials used in jewellery. It tolerates more than 1,100°C, so a jeweller can usually resize or repair a ring with the stone in place. While hot, moissanite turns yellow or brown; it returns to colourless as it cools. Jewellers can read more in our bench guide to setting moissanite.

Household chemicals won't harm the stone. Chlorine in pools and bleach can damage the gold around it, so take rings off before swimming or cleaning.

How it compares with diamond for everyday wear

Diamond is harder, at 10, and nothing else on the scale is close. In daily life the difference is hard to see: both are far above the dust line, both keep their polish, and both can chip from a hard knock on an edge. For a full comparison, read moissanite vs diamond or lab-grown diamond or moissanite?

Light that lasts

Every stone we sell is DEF colourless and VVS clarity, and comes with a lifetime warranty on its optical properties: its brilliance, fire and colour. Hardness is why we can offer that. See every stone at true size on our stones page, or read more about light on Notes on light.