Hardness is not the same as toughness
Moissanite ranks 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale — second only to diamond and well above sapphire. Customers hear that and assume the stone is indestructible. It is not. Hardness measures scratch resistance. Toughness measures resistance to chipping and breaking, and that depends on shape as much as material. The marquise cut is the classic case: the material is tough, but its two pointed tips are the most vulnerable points on any moissanite shape, and they are where repair work starts.
Where each cut is vulnerable
Pointed shapes carry the risk. The marquise's two ends are sharp, thin, and exposed. A sideways knock against a counter edge can chip a tip if the prong is loose or missing. The pear cut has a single pointed end — similar risk profile, slightly less exposure. The princess cut has sharp square corners that can chip if the setting's corner prongs wear down. The heart cut has a pointed bottom and two soft lobes; the point is the vulnerable spot.
Rounded shapes — round brilliant, oval, cushion, radiant — are far more forgiving. Their curved girdles spread impact across the setting, and there are no exposed points to catch. Emerald and asscher sit in between: the step-cut corners are exposed, but they are usually protected by corner prongs or a bezel, so chipping is rare when the setting is built correctly.
A second factor buyers forget is girdle thickness. A thick girdle absorbs knocks; a thin, knife-edge girdle chips at the slightest bump. When comparing two marquise quotes at the same mm size, ask for girdle thickness. The slightly thicker stone costs a few dollars more and is the one that will still be on the customer's hand in five years. Moissanite is tough material, but it is not indestructible at a paper-thin edge.
What the bench actually sees
Repair frequency tracks shape, not customer care. Marquise solitaires come back most often for a bent or worn tip prong. Pear solitaires come back for the same reason, but half as often. Princess settings come back for loose corner stones in halo versions. Rounds come back for routine prong retipping — they are never sent in for a chipped center stone. If your customer works with their hands, defaults to a round, cushion, or oval, and frame the marquise as a statement piece for evenings and weekends rather than a daily driver.
Set the marquise for the job
Selling a marquise is not a problem if the setting is built for it. Three rules. First, use V-prongs or bead settings on both tips, not bare claw prongs that catch on fabric. Second, seat the stone slightly below the girdle so the tips are recessed rather than proud. Third, recommend a six-month prong check for any customer wearing a marquise daily. The stone itself will outlast the setting; the setting is what wears.
Care instructions that actually prevent returns
Give every customer wearing a pointed shape the same short speech. Take the ring off before heavy lifting, gardening, or contact sports. Do not wear it in a gym bag. Clean it with warm water, mild soap, and a soft brush — moissanite does not need ultrasonic cleaners, and the heat cycle can loosen prongs over time. These instructions take thirty seconds and dramatically reduce the "I banged it on the doorframe" service call. Print them on a small care card and hand it over with the ring; customers keep the card, and they remember you told them.
Repair economics to price into the ticket
Pointed shapes cost more to service over their lifetime, and that cost should be priced into the ring, not absorbed later. A marquise solitaire typically needs its tip prongs checked every six months and retipped every two to three years on an active wearer. A round solitaire on the same wearer might go five years without a bench visit. When you quote the marquise, build in a small annual service buffer — or offer a paid prong-check plan — so the customer does not experience the first repair as a surprise bill. Stores that do this retain their marquise customers; stores that do not see them back once with a bent tip and never again.
Bottom line for the buyer
Stock the marquise — it is a beautiful, high-fashion shape that customers specifically request. But price the setting to include reinforced tips, and set expectations up front. A well-set marquise wears beautifully for years; a cheaply set one comes back in six months. When a customer asks outright whether a marquise is "too fragile" for daily wear, the honest answer is that it depends on the setting, not the stone. That answer, paired with a reinforced-tip setting, converts more fence-sitters than downplaying the risk. See marquise moissanite rings for the settings we build with reinforced tip protection.