3 Free Tools to Design Your Perfect Moissanite Engagement Ring

Before you sit down with a jeweller, there are a few free tools that can help you work out what you actually want. They'll save you time and stop you getting sold on something that isn't right for you.

1. The AGS Cut Grading database

The American Gem Society keeps a public database of cut grading standards. It's free to use. The grading applies to moissanite just as much as diamond, because cut quality is what controls how light moves through the stone.

What to look for: a round brilliant with symmetry graded Excellent or Very Good will minimise the disco-ball effect some people associate with moissanite. If you prefer crushed ice or other patterns, the AGS data shows the trade-offs clearly.

Spend fifteen minutes on the database and you'll arrive at any jewellery store ready to ask sharper questions.

2. James Allen's HD video tool

James Allen, an online retailer, has 360-degree video of thousands of loose moissanite stones. You don't need to buy from them to use it. Load up a 1.5-carat round brilliant in DEF colour and watch it spin under different lighting conditions.

What you learn in five minutes: how moissanite actually behaves under fluorescent office light versus daylight versus warm indoor lighting. The differences are striking, and it's free.

3. Producer lab reports

The major moissanite producers (Charles & Colvard, Moissanite Company) publish technical lab reports for their stones. Refractive index, thermal conductivity, colour grade, the actual numbers.

Download a couple and make a quick comparison sheet. List the carat weight, cut, colour grade, and lab ID for any stone you're considering. Bring it with you when you visit a studio. The conversation shifts from "it looks nice" to "this 1.2-carat round brilliant in DEF will give me the look I want."

4. Our Design Your Own Engagement Ring tool

Once you have the technical foundation, you can put it to work. Our Design Your Own Engagement Ring tool lets you combine any stone shape and size with the setting style, metal and band design you like — you will see the price update as you go, and we will craft the finished ring to order in our Melbourne studio. If you are weighing up settings before you start, our solitaire vs halo vs trilogy comparison and trilogy engagement rings guide are good companion reads.

How we use these in the studio

These tools give you the technical foundation. What we add at Guthrie Jewellery is the part you can't do online: seeing the stone in person under your own lighting, building a 3D render of the finished ring before we make it, and standing behind it with a lifetime warranty.

For context on Australian pricing: a 1.5-carat moissanite in 18K gold sits between $1,200 and $1,800 depending on cut. The same in mined diamond is $9,000+. Doing the homework first means you're not paying for marketing, you're paying for what you actually want.

If you've done your reading and want to compare options in person, book a showroom appointment and we'll work through it together.