The best cut for moissanite, if you want maximum sparkle, is the round brilliant: it returns the most light, shows the strongest fire and hides moissanite's double refraction best. Oval, pear, cushion and radiant cuts also sparkle strongly and look larger on the finger. Step cuts like the emerald cut trade fire for long, mirror-like flashes, and they show moissanite's facet doubling more clearly.

That said, "best" depends on your hand, your style and what kind of sparkle you enjoy. Here is how each cut behaves in moissanite specifically.

Why cut matters a little differently for moissanite

Two properties make moissanite behave differently from diamond.

High fire. Moissanite's dispersion is about 0.104, more than double diamond's 0.044. Brilliant-style cuts, with many small triangular and kite-shaped facets, break light up and show that fire as rainbow flashes.

Double refraction. Moissanite is doubly refractive: light entering the stone splits into two rays. If you look through the stone at an angle, you may see the back facet edges doubled, slightly blurred. Cutters usually orient moissanite so you look straight down the direction where this effect disappears, which keeps it minimal face-up. It becomes easier to notice in larger stones and in cuts with big, open facets.

Put those together and you get a simple rule: busy, brilliant facet patterns flatter moissanite's fire and disguise doubling; clean, open step facets do the opposite.

Brilliant cuts vs step cuts

• Brilliant cuts (round, oval, pear, cushion, radiant, princess, heart) use many facets radiating from the center. They look bright and lively, with lots of small sparkles.
• Step cuts (emerald, asscher) use long, parallel facets stepping down like stairs. They give a calm "hall of mirrors" look, with fewer but bigger flashes.

Neither is better. They are just different moods.

The cuts, one by one

Round brilliant

The classic, and the most sparkly. The round brilliant's facet layout is designed to send as much light as possible back to your eye, and in moissanite that means strong brightness and lots of fire. It hides doubling better than any other shape and suits every setting style.

You'll find round moissanite across our catalog: The Signature Ring (2 ct, 8 mm), the Heirloom Crown Two-Tone Ring (0.5 ct, 5 mm), the floral halo of Queen's Bloom, and everyday pieces such as the Radiance Stud Earrings and Solitaire Icon Necklace. The 3 mm stones in the Celeste Drop Huggies are listed as an 8 hearts & 8 arrows cut, a term for round brilliants cut with very precise symmetry.

Oval

An oval is essentially a stretched round brilliant, so it keeps a lot of the round's sparkle. Its length runs along the finger, which tends to make the stone look larger and the finger look longer and slimmer. Some ovals show a darker "bow-tie" across the middle; good cutting keeps it subtle.

Our Luna Oval Cut Engagement Ring offers 1 to 4 ct ovals, the Vintage Oval Elegance ring adds marquise and round side stones, and the Solitaire Engagement Ring sets a 2 ct oval measuring 9×7 mm with a pavé crown. For a deeper look, see our oval moissanite engagement ring guide.

Pear

A teardrop shape: rounded at one end, pointed at the other. It sparkles much like an oval, with the same elongating effect and the same possibility of a slight bow-tie. The point is the vulnerable part, so look for a prong or V-shaped setting protecting the tip. Pear cuts are especially pretty as pendants, where the point naturally hangs downward.

We use pear-cut moissanite in the Fortuna Pear-Cut Necklace, framed by a pavé halo, and in the Balance Duo Necklace, which pairs a 1 ct (5×8 mm) pear with a 2 ct (6×8 mm) emerald cut.

Emerald

The emerald cut is a rectangular step cut with cut corners. It shows broad, clean flashes rather than a scatter of rainbow sparks, and it has an elegant, architectural look. It is also the cut where moissanite's character shows most: with large open facets, double refraction and the resulting doubling are easier to see, especially at an angle, and you'll notice less fire than in a brilliant cut. Because step facets act like windows, a clean stone matters; our stones are listed as VVS1 clarity.

Our emerald-cut pieces are the Lumière Royale Emerald Ring (4 ct, 8×10 mm, with an emerald or radiant cut option), the Emerald Halo Set of pendant and studs, and the Balance Duo Necklace.

Cushion

A square or slightly rectangular brilliant with soft, rounded corners, like a pillow. Cushions can have bold, chunky flashes or a finer "crushed ice" sparkle depending on the facet pattern. They have a romantic, slightly vintage feel and pair beautifully with halos.

Our Radiant Elegance Necklace & Bracelet set uses cushion-cut centers (1 ct on the necklace, 0.8 ct on the bracelet) in a pavé halo.

Radiant

The radiant cut combines an emerald cut's rectangular, cut-corner outline with brilliant-style faceting. You get the clean shape of an emerald with much more sparkle and fire, and the busier facets disguise doubling far better than a step cut. If you like the emerald shape but want more light, this is the compromise. It's available as the radiant option on the Lumière Royale ring.

Princess

A square brilliant with sharp, pointed corners. It sparkles brightly and suits modern, geometric styles. The corners are the weak point on any princess cut, so they should be protected by prongs. We don't currently offer a princess-cut piece, but it's a good shape to know when comparing.

Heart

A brilliant cut with plenty of sparkle and an obvious romantic meaning. It looks best at around 1 ct and above, where the shape reads clearly. We use heart-cut moissanite in The Signature Heart Ring, the Luxora Heart Trilogy Bracelet and the Promise Duo Ring, among others.

Cuts compared

Finger coverage and how big a stone looks

At the same listed size, shapes don't look the same on the hand. Our 2 ct round on The Signature Ring measures 8 mm across; our 2 ct oval on the Solitaire Engagement Ring measures 9×7 mm. The face-up areas are similar, but the oval's extra length along the finger makes it look bigger to most people. Elongated cuts (oval, pear, emerald and rectangular radiant) also make fingers look longer, which is why many people with shorter fingers like them.

Remember that moissanite is sold by size, not true weight: "1ct (6.5mm)" means the look of a 1 ct diamond, and the moissanite itself weighs a little less because it is lighter. Our moissanite carat size chart converts common sizes.

How to choose

• Want the most sparkle? Round, then oval, cushion or radiant.
• Want the stone to look as big as possible? Oval, pear or a rectangular radiant.
• Love a clean, vintage, architectural look? Emerald, and accept a little more visible doubling and less fire as part of its character.
• Want something romantic? Pear, cushion or heart.
• Very active hands? Round, oval or cushion, which have no sharp points, set with secure prongs.

The setting matters too. A halo frames and enlarges any shape; a solitaire keeps it clean. Our halo vs solitaire guide and moissanite engagement ring guide cover those choices.

Browse by shape

You can compare rounds, ovals and emerald and radiant cuts side by side in our engagement rings collection, and see pear, cushion and emerald-cut pendants in necklaces. All our settings are 925 sterling silver with gold or rhodium plating. When ordering a ring, measure your size carefully first, since wrong-size returns aren't accepted.