Moissanite
Also called silicon carbide, sic gemstone
Moissanite is a gemstone made of silicon carbide, sold mainly as a lab created diamond alternative. It is hard, durable, and bright, but it is a different mineral from diamond and it splits light more strongly, which gives it noticeably more coloured flash.
In other words, a diamond lookalike with its own chemistry, valued for looking close to diamond at a much lower price.
How it differs from diamond
Moissanite was first identified in a meteorite crater, but natural material is far too scarce for jewellery, so everything on the market is lab created. Chemically it is silicon carbide, not carbon.
It is hard enough for daily wear in a ring, sitting below diamond but above most coloured stones on the Mohs scale. Its dispersion is higher than diamond's, which is the source of the extra rainbow flash people either love or use to spot it.
How it should be rendered
Rendering moissanite as if it were diamond is a common shortcut and it is wrong. The extra dispersion is the visual signature of the stone, and a buyer comparing your image against real moissanite photos will notice the flash is missing.
We set the material properties for the stone you actually sell. If your CAD file is a moissanite line, say so, and the render will show the stronger colour flash rather than the tighter white sparkle of a diamond.
Selling it honestly
Moissanite sells well on its own terms. The listings that work describe it as what it is rather than dressing it as diamond, because a customer who feels the product was misdescribed returns it even when they like the piece.
Practical note for product pages: state the stone type, and give the size in millimetres alongside any diamond equivalent weight, since moissanite and diamond of the same width do not weigh the same.
Questions about Moissanite
Is moissanite a fake diamond?
No. It is its own gemstone with its own chemistry, silicon carbide. It is used as a diamond alternative, but it is not an imitation in the sense that glass or cubic zirconia are.
Can you tell moissanite from a diamond?
Often yes, by the extra rainbow flash, especially in larger sizes and bright light. Jewellers confirm it with a tester rather than by eye.
Does moissanite cost the same to render?
Yes. Every CAD file is $15 regardless of stone type, and comes back as 9 HD images and 3 videos in rose, white, and yellow gold.