Herkimer & Moissanite

Moissanite is a gemstone made of silicon carbide. It occurs in nature only very rarely, so the moissanite used in jewelry is lab created. It is loved as a brilliant, affordable diamond alternative, with even more fire and rainbow flashes than a diamond.

No, and we are always upfront about that. Moissanite is its own gemstone, not a diamond. It is, however, a real and very durable stone that looks similar to a diamond at a fraction of the price, which is why it is such a popular choice.

Moissanite is exceptionally brilliant and throws more colorful fire than a diamond, and at around 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale it is very hard and well suited to everyday wear. The main differences are that it is not a diamond, it sparkles with more rainbow flash, and it costs far less for the same size.

It describes color and clarity, much like diamond grading. GH is a near-colorless color grade, so the stone looks bright white once set, and VS2 means very slightly included, which is eye clean in normal wear. In short, it is a high-quality, white, clean-looking stone.

A Herkimer diamond is a naturally double-terminated quartz crystal, meaning it has points at both ends, and it is famous for its clarity and diamond-like faces. The name comes from where these crystals were first found, and they are prized for their natural, ready-to-use shape.

No. Despite the name, Herkimer diamonds are a type of natural quartz, not diamond. They are genuine, natural crystals with a beautiful clarity and sparkle of their own, just from a different mineral.

Raw Herkimer crystals can be bezel or prong set, or you can string the drilled Herkimer bead strands into necklaces and bracelets. Moissanite is faceted and set just like a diamond into rings and earrings, and the flat-back rose cut moissanite sits easily in a bezel setting.

Moissanite is excellent for daily wear thanks to its high hardness of around 9.25. Herkimer quartz is softer, at roughly 7 to 7.5, so it is ideal for pendants, earrings and occasional-wear rings, and benefits from a protective setting if worn every day.

Moissanite is sold by the piece or as matched pairs and priced by carat weight, generally from around 0.2 CTW up to 2 CTW and more, mostly near-colorless white with a few light aqua options. Herkimer is sold as single crystals, clusters and bead strands, with sizes from about 5mm up to large 40mm-plus collectable pieces, in clear white.

Everyone is welcome. As a wholesale supplier we sell to retailers, shop owners, jewelers, designers and individual customers alike, all at wholesale prices. We also offer bulk lots, such as 30-piece moissanite packs, matched pairs, and custom shapes and sizes on request. Start a wholesale or custom enquiry.