Quick answer
Colored moissanite is lab-grown silicon carbide in shades like green, blue, pink, yellow, red and black. The color comes from trace elements or structural changes during crystal growth, or, for some shades, a very thin coating on a colorless stone. Either way it keeps moissanite's 9.25 Mohs hardness and strong fire, which makes it a durable stand-in for emerald, sapphire or ruby.
Most people meet moissanite as a bright white stone. Color changes the conversation: a green tennis bracelet reads like emeralds, a red one like rubies, and a black one like nothing else in your jewelry box. At Daellia, the colored line is called Prisme.
Key takeaways
- All colored moissanite in jewelry is lab-grown. Natural crystals are tiny and rare.
- Color is either grown into the stone or added as a thin surface coating. Ask which.
- At 9.25 on the Mohs scale, it is harder than emerald (7.5 to 8) and citrine (7).
- Clean it gently: warm water, mild soap, soft brush. Skip harsh abrasives.
How is colored moissanite made?
Moissanite is silicon carbide (SiC), first found by Henri Moissan in 1893 in fragments of the Canyon Diablo meteorite. Gem moissanite is grown in a lab, and a pure crystal is colorless. Color gets in one of two ways.
- During growth. Adding trace elements, or changing the crystal structure, as the stone grows colors it all the way through. That color cannot wear off.
- As a coating. A colorless stone gets an extremely thin colored film. In a 2024 study, GIA found blue moissanite coated with silicon dioxide layers about 45 to 62 nanometers thick, and pink moissanite colored by gold nanoparticles.
Why does it matter? A grown-in color is permanent. A coating is thin, so rough cleaning, abrasives or heat can damage it over time. Sellers do not always say which method they use, so ask, and care for any colored stone as if it could be coated.
Is colored moissanite natural?
No. Natural moissanite does exist, and in nature it is usually green or black, but it forms as tiny crystals in some meteorites and rocks, far too small for jewelry. Every colored moissanite you can buy is lab-created, just like white moissanite. More on that in our guide is moissanite real.
Every colored moissanite shade at Daellia
The Prisme line covers seven named shades, plus two lines, Iris and Opaline, that you can order in a wide range of colors.
| Shade | Color | Reads like | Pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absinthe | Deep forest green | Emerald | Tennis bracelet, solitaire studs |
| Azur | Color-shifting blue | Sapphire | Tennis bracelet, Full Blue or White & Blue |
| Cerise | Deep red | Ruby | Tennis bracelet |
| Pivoine | Soft pink | Pink tourmaline or pink sapphire | Tennis bracelet |
| Miel | Golden honey yellow | Citrine | Tennis bracelet |
| Minuit | Glossy black | Black diamond | Tennis bracelet, necklace, studs |
| Kaléidoscope | Random rainbow mix | Nothing else | Tennis bracelet |
| Iris | Up to 10 colors | Your pick | Necklace, studs, drop earrings |
| Opaline | Up to 13 colors, CZ halo | Vintage cocktail jewelry | Halo studs, halo pendant |
Green: Absinthe
Not quite emerald, not quite black. Absinthe is a deep forest green that shifts as you move. The Absinthe studs run from 5mm (0.5ct) to 9mm (3ct) per stud in sterling silver, and the tennis bracelet from 3mm to 6.5mm stones. Wear it with camel, cream or faded denim.
Blue: Azur
Azur is a color-shifting blue: darker indoors, brighter in the sun. Choose Full Blue for a bold wrist, or alternate blue with D color, VVS1 white stones for a crisper, more classic line.
Pink and red: Pivoine and Cerise
Pivoine is a soft pink that looks romantic from across the room and surprisingly bright up close. Set it in rose gold plating for blush on blush, or white for contrast. Cerise is a deep red with the look of a ruby line, in 3mm, 4mm or 5mm stones, and it warms up a black sweater instantly.
Yellow: Miel
Miel is golden yellow, like honey held up to a window. On yellow gold plating it melts into one glowing line. On white gold, the color pops.
Black: Minuit
Black moissanite behaves differently. Minuit stones are opaque and glossy, so they shine like polished glass instead of throwing rainbow sparks. The look is graphic and a little rock and roll, and the Minuit tennis necklace comes in 16 to 22 inch lengths.
Rainbow and pick-your-color: Kaléidoscope, Iris, Opaline
The Kaléidoscope bracelet sets each stone in a different color at random, so no two look alike. For a single color of your choice, the Iris solitaire necklace comes in 10 shades (6.5mm to 9mm), and the Opaline halo studs in 13, each framed in a bright CZ halo.
Shop the Prisme shades
Colored moissanite vs the gems it resembles
Colored moissanite is a look-alike, not the gem itself. Here is how it compares on hardness, the number that decides how well a stone handles daily knocks.
| Shade | Natural gem look-alike | Gem hardness (Mohs) | Birth month of that gem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Emerald | 7.5 to 8 | May |
| Blue | Sapphire | 9 | September |
| Red | Ruby | 9 | July |
| Pink | Pink tourmaline | 7 to 7.5 | October |
| Yellow | Citrine | 7 | November |
| Black | Black diamond | 10 | April (diamond) |
Moissanite of every color is 9.25. Gem hardness and birthstones per GIA.
Two honest caveats. A colored moissanite is not an emerald or a ruby, and it will not carry their value or resale. And for birthstone gifts, some people want the real gem. If she cares about the look and durability more than the mineral, colored moissanite is a strong pick. See the GIA birthstone list or our guides to the October birthstone and November birthstone.
December birthday? Tanzanite, zircon and turquoise all come in blue tones, so Azur blue is an easy match. Our December birthstone guide has the details.
How to wear colored moissanite
- One color per look. A single green or red line reads rich. Three colors at once reads costume, unless it is the rainbow piece on purpose.
- Match the metal to the shade. Pink on rose gold, yellow on yellow gold, black on black gold plating. White gold plating makes every color pop.
- Stack it with white. A colored tennis bracelet next to a white one looks deliberate. Our tennis bracelet guide covers stone sizes and lengths.
- Dress for the color. Green with camel and cream, blue with denim, red with black knits, black with a white shirt.
How to care for colored moissanite
Moissanite does not cloud or fade. When it looks dull, it is a film of lotion, oil and soap on the surface. Because some colors may be coated, clean every colored stone the gentle way:
- Soak for a few minutes in warm water with a drop of mild dish soap.
- Brush behind the stones with a soft baby toothbrush.
- Rinse and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
- Skip abrasive polishes, harsh chemicals and anything that heats the stone. Store each piece in its own pouch so harder stones do not scratch softer ones.
Full details are on our jewelry care page and in our article on why moissanite looks cloudy.
Find your shade
Green, blue, pink, red, yellow, black and rainbow moissanite in the Prisme collection.
Shop PrismeFrequently asked questions
Is colored moissanite natural?
No. Natural moissanite exists but is extremely rare and forms as tiny crystals, usually green or black, far too small to cut into jewelry. All colored moissanite sold in jewelry is lab-grown silicon carbide, colored during growth or with a thin surface coating.
Does colored moissanite fade?
Color grown into the stone does not fade. A surface coating is different: it is only nanometers thick, so abrasives, harsh chemicals or heat can wear or damage it over time. Clean colored pieces with warm soapy water and a soft brush, and ask the seller how the color was made.
Is green moissanite the same as emerald?
No. Green moissanite is silicon carbide; emerald is a green variety of the mineral beryl. They can look alike in a setting, but moissanite is harder (9.25 on the Mohs scale versus 7.5 to 8 for emerald) and shows more fire, while a natural emerald holds far more value.
What is black moissanite?
Black moissanite is lab-grown silicon carbide in a deep, opaque black. Instead of rainbow sparkle, it has a glossy, mirror-like shine on its facets. It is as hard as white moissanite (9.25 on the Mohs scale) and is often chosen for unisex or all-black styling.
What colors does moissanite come in?
Lab-grown moissanite is made in white plus a wide range of colors: green, blue, pink, red, yellow, black, gray and purple shades like lavender and violet, as well as rainbow mixes. At Daellia, the Opaline halo studs alone come in 13 colors, and the Prisme tennis bracelets cover green, blue, pink, red, yellow, black and rainbow.
Does colored moissanite pass a diamond tester?
Standard thermal diamond testers read moissanite as diamond, colored or not, because both conduct heat well. A multi-tester that also measures electrical conductivity tells them apart. Daellia's colored pieces are listed as passing diamond testers, but we always describe them as moissanite, never as diamond.
Keep reading
Written by the Daellia Journal team, Paris. We write about moissanite, metals and the stories behind fine jewelry so you can buy with confidence. Read our moissanite guide or our story.
