Moissanite Engagement Ring Price: Your Affordable Guide

A 1ct moissanite engagement ring at our Southbank studio runs $1,200 to $2,500. A 1.5ct sits between $2,000 and $3,500. A comparable mined diamond ring is 4-6x that. A lab diamond is roughly halfway between.

Below is what makes the price move, and where you can save without losing anything.

What drives the price

The stone

We use GRC-certified moissanite, DEF colour, VVS clarity, as standard. A 1ct round stone wholesales for roughly $200-400. By 2ct it's $400-700. The jump from 1ct to 2ct is much smaller than it is with diamond, which is why people sizing up usually go moissanite.

The setting

This is where most of the cost actually sits. A solitaire is the cheapest. A halo adds sparkle and around $300-600. A three-stone setting adds two more stones and roughly $400-800. Pave bands (small stones set in the band) add $200-500 depending on length.

The metal

18K gold is our standard. 14K is available and saves a bit but not a lot, maybe $100-200 on a typical ring. Platinum costs around 30% more than 18K white gold.

How it's made

We hand-make every ring in Southbank. 3-6 weeks standard. 3 weeks express for an extra $400 if you're tight on time.

The four C's, briefly

Diamond grading uses Carat, Cut, Colour, Clarity. Moissanite uses the same framework but the practical answers are different.

• Carat: Moissanite is slightly less dense than diamond, so a 1ct moissanite is fractionally larger in millimetres than a 1ct diamond. Most people prefer to spec by mm, not carat. A 6.5mm round is typical for a 1ct equivalent.
• Cut: This is the only one that genuinely matters for sparkle. Stick with ideal or excellent. Our suppliers cut to that standard.
• Colour: DEF (colourless) is what we use. Anything lower starts to show a yellow tint in daylight.
• Clarity: VVS is what we use. Lab-grown stones don't have the inclusions mined diamonds do, so the clarity question is mostly settled by the manufacturing process.

Moissanite vs lab diamond vs mined diamond

Same 1ct round, white gold solitaire setting, at our studio:

• Moissanite: around $1,800
• Lab diamond: around $4,500
• Mined diamond: around $8,000-12,000

All three look very similar in daylight. Side by side under a jeweller's loupe you can tell, but no one looks at your partner's ring under a loupe. For a full breakdown of the differences see our moissanite vs diamond comparison.

Durability

Moissanite is 9.25 on the Mohs scale. Diamond is 10. In day-to-day wear the difference doesn't show. Moissanite is actually tougher against impact than diamond because it doesn't have cleavage planes.

Both are everyday-wear stones. We back ours with a lifetime stone warranty.

What you'll actually spend

Most of our clients land between $1,500 and $3,000 for a 1-1.5ct moissanite ring with a setting they like. If you want a halo, pave band, or larger stone, add $500-1,000. Express turnaround is +$400. If you're working to a tight budget, browse our engagement rings under $2,000 to see what's possible at entry-level pricing.

Want a quote on a specific design? Come into the studio, design your own with our ring builder, or book a video consult. Free, no pressure.