If you’ve made the smart decision to choose a simulated gemstone for your engagement ring, the question then becomes, which one? Cubic zirconia has long been the popular choice since it’s better known. But moissanite rivals or exceeds natural diamonds and cubic zirconia in a lot of the important categories. How do you know which one to choose?

The categories that people usually refer to when judging stones are durability, brilliance, color, and price. Let’s see how they stack up against each other.

Durability

Here, the moissanite is the clear winner. Mineral hardness is judged by the Mohs scale. At the very top of the scale is diamond, which is a perfect 10. However, moissanite comes in quite close at 9.25. Cubic zirconia is an 8.5, which isn’t quite as good.

Brilliance

Cubic zirconia is as brilliant as diamond, but that brilliance fades as the stone is made bigger and bigger. Larger stones will start to lose their depth of sparkle.

Moissanite gemstones have a higher refractive index than diamonds at 2.65, which means they actually create more rainbow flashes and fire.

Color

When moissanite first came out, it was known to have a slight grayish hue, but the technology has advanced so far that most moissanite stones are completely colorless. Cubic zirconia can come in different colors, which can be more similar to how natural diamonds can change hue depending on where they are mined.

Price

Moissanite is much cheaper than natural diamond, coming in at roughly less than a fifth the price. Cubic zirconia is cheaper, especially since it is measured in weight, but the huge disparity in price can mean a loss in quality too. Typically, you should expect to pay more for high-quality cubic zirconia.