Crushed Ice Vs Brilliant Cut Moissanite

A question we receive often is, ‘what’s the difference between a crushed ice moissanite stone and a brilliant cut moissanite stone?’ When we refer to crushed ice vs brilliant cut, we’re referring to the stone faceting or, the way the stone has been cut. 

Read this blog post to learn about the primary moissanite faceting types.

Brilliant Cut

This is your more traditional cut stone. The type and number of facets within the brilliant cut moissanite stone is optimised to refract the most light, and therefore sparkle the most. Light will go down into the centre of the stone, reflect off of the clear and precise facets, and come back out through the stone. The clear and defined facets that define a brilliant cut stone, is the most efficient way for light to travel and as a result, the facets and sparkle are clear and bright.

Crushed Ice

With a crushed ice moissanite stone, there are many more facets within the pavilion of the stone and each facet has a different angle, which ensures the crushed ice effect. Light will enter the stone and will interact with the smaller, more randomised facets in a different way, compared to the brilliant cut. Typically, light will reflect multiple times inside the stone, sometimes it will exit instead of reflecting back up. So, in short - it doesn't reflect the light as 'brilliantly'. It boasts a more subtle sparkle. The smaller facets of the crushed ice moissanite are said to make the gemstone appear more diamond like. 

A side - by - side comparison

What is a bow-tie?
A bow-tie is a darkened area that runs horizontally across the body of gemstone and resembles the appearance of a man's bow-tie. A bow-tie is most common in pears and oval diamonds. There is a balance between cutting the gemstone too deep and forming a bowtie, and cutting it too shallow, causing light loss throughout the rest of the gemstone.

One of the many benefits to choosing a moissanite versus a diamond is, the bow tie can be more easily avoided. This is a result of moissanites higher refractive index.

When we take a look at oval or pear cut moissanite stones, like what is set in our beautiful Luise and Sophia designs, a brilliant cut will show beautifully defined facets and have a brighter sparkle. However, it’s important to note, if you want a stone that visually appears similar to a diamond, crushed ice faceting might be worth considering for these two stone shapes.

Why? An oval diamond is more likely to have a crushed ice appearance because diamonds have a lower refractive index. A clearly defined pavillion is also rarely achieved in oval and pear diamonds, so the crushed-ice look is somewhat standard for these stones.

So what should you choose? Crushed Ice or Brilliant Cut?

If you want a gemstone ,with the most sparkle and clearly defined facets, a brilliant cut is the best option. If you’re wanting a more subtle sparkle, perhaps crushed ice is the better option for you. And when it comes to ovals and pears - if your goal is to have the most diamond like alternative, perhaps consider the crushed ice faceting as this will be the most similar in appearance to a diamond.

This decision is ultimately personal preference. Our Moissanite Company stones have been cut to perfection. They are D colour and VVS1 clarity, meaning whichever you choose, you’ll have the highest quality moissanite stone in your beautiful forever ring.