Why is moissanite so cheap?

Quick answerUpdated October 2026

Moissanite is so cheap because it is grown in a furnace, not mined, and the patents that gave one company exclusive rights to it ran out in 2015 in the US and 2016 in most other countries where it held them. Other makers now grow it, and the original maker reports downward pressure on prices. A low price alone does not mean a fake; what it usually leaves out is solid gold, and any grade beyond the seller’s word.

Why is moissanite so cheap now?

It is grown, not mined. GIA says natural moissanite is extremely rare and all moissanite used in jewellery is lab-created. The crystals are grown in a furnace: the 1998 gemstone patent describes a sublimation furnace, and GIA’s 1997 study explains that in sublimation the turns to vapour and recrystallises without passing through a liquid; our page on how lab gems are grown explains more. It was never priced like diamond. Before launch, the maker, C3 Inc. (now Charles & Colvard), told GIA it planned to release gem moissanite to the trade in early 1998 at 5% to 10% of the average retail price of comparable diamonds. The patents have run out. Charles & Colvard says its patents gave it what it believed were "broad, exclusive rights to manufacture, use, and sell moissanite jewels" in the US until 2015, and that their expiry "enabled competitors and other businesses to duplicate and market a similar product". There is competition. In its annual report for the year to June 2024, the company says competing moissanite has "emerged primarily from eastern Asian countries", arrives "at competitive price points", and that it has been "experiencing downward pricing pressures". It adds that falling lab-grown diamond prices have weighed on moissanite as well.

When did the moissanite patents expire?

US patent 5,723,391, "Silicon carbide gemstones", was granted to C3 Inc. on 3 March 1998, and Google Patents gives its anticipated expiry as 31 August 2015. Charles & Colvard’s annual report for the year to June 2024 says its US product and method patents for moissanite jewels expired in 2015, that the same patents in 25 other jurisdictions, mainly in Asia and Europe, expired in 2016, and that a last one, in Mexico, expired in 2021. Its report for 2017 puts the US expiry in August 2015 and the others in the third quarter of 2016.

Why is moissanite so cheap on Amazon?

What you get	Low-priced listing (typical)	Higher-priced ring
The stone	Moissanite (silicon carbide), lab-grown	Also lab-grown moissanite: GIA says all jewellery moissanite is
Who made it	Often not named; Charles & Colvard says competing moissanite comes mainly from eastern Asia	A brand names itself; Charles & Colvard calls itself the original source of created moissanite
The metal	Often 925 sterling silver; under the FTC guides, "sterling" must be at least 925 parts per 1,000 silver	Often solid 10k, 14k or 18k gold, or platinum; 14k is 14/24ths gold, about 58%
The surface	Often rhodium or gold plating; under the FTC guides, a plated piece should not be called "gold" without saying it is plated	Solid gold or platinum underneath any finish
The grade	Colour and clarity letters are the seller’s own claim, sometimes with a GRA card	Ask what the grade is based on; a brand’s grade is still its own

Is cheap moissanite real?

A low price alone is not a sign of a fake. Moissanite itself is now inexpensive, so a seller gains little by swapping in something else, though a mislabelled cubic zirconia or glass stone is possible, and we know of no survey of how often that happens. Two facts help you check. GIA reported in 1997 that thermal diamond testers react to moissanite as if it were diamond, so "passes the diamond tester" says nothing about quality. And moissanite is doubly refractive: look at the stone at an angle, through a side (crown) facet, with a 10x loupe, and the back facet edges look doubled, which diamond does not show. Looking straight down through the table (the large top facet) may show no doubling, because moissanite is usually cut to hide it in that direction. Our guides to diamond testers and moissanite and whether Amazon moissanite is real go through the checks.

Does cheaper moissanite look worse?

It can, but the label will not tell you. Charles & Colvard calls the cheaper moissanite now reaching the market "inferior", saying it "in most cases exhibits a lower color grade and a lesser cut, clarity and polish standard" than its premium stone, and that it has not found competing moissanite with a consistent level of colour, cut, clarity and polish to match. That is a competitor speaking, and we found no independent study comparing makers. On low-priced listings, "D colour" and "VVS1" are the seller’s own words (see moissanite grades explained). Judge the cut and colour from clear photos and video, check the metal stamp, and buy where returns are easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a moissanite ring from a jeweller cost hundreds?

Partly the stone and the brand, and partly what surrounds the stone. A solid 14k gold ring contains real gold, priced daily on world markets (today’s price is on our gold page), and a gram of 14k gold is worth many times a gram of sterling silver (see silver). On top come the setting work, the brand and the shop’s costs and margin. We found no independent breakdown of how those shares split, so treat any percentage you see as an estimate.

Is moissanite cheaper than diamond?

Yes. GIA says moissanite costs much less than comparable diamonds, which lets buyers choose a larger stone for the same budget, and before its launch, planned for early 1998, its maker said it would sell at 5% to 10% of the average retail price of comparable diamonds. For how it compares with lab-grown diamond, see moissanite vs lab diamond.

Will a cheap moissanite ring last?

The stone will: GIA gives moissanite a hardness of 9.25 on the scale, second only to diamond. The weak point on a low-priced ring is the plating, a thin surface layer that can wear through where the ring rubs; under the FTC guides, gold electroplate can be as thin as the equivalent of 0.175 microns of fine gold. A solid gold band avoids that; a plated ring can be re-plated by a jeweller.

Is Charles & Colvard moissanite better than cheaper brands?

Charles & Colvard says so, and it calls itself the original source of created moissanite, but that is the company describing its rivals. We found no independent study comparing moissanite by maker. Compare cut, colour and metal on the listing, and treat every grade as the seller’s claim.

Sources

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