Last quarter, a wholesale account bought 200 loose moissanites across eight cuts. Sixty were round brilliant, forty were oval, thirty cushion, twenty princess, and the rest split among pear, radiant, emerald, and marquise. After eleven weeks, the rounds and ovals were reordered twice, the cushion was reordered once, and the fancy shapes above 7 mm had not moved at all. The buyer stocked every cut evenly and the market punished her for it. Moissanite shape demand is not equal, and a wholesaler who treats it that way builds a museum instead of a business.
This guide ranks the eight main moissanite cuts by turnover, explains why each cut sells at the speed it does, and tells you which shapes to hold in depth versus which to keep as samples.
The turnover ranking, fastest to slowest
Across hundreds of wholesale orders in 2025-2026, the demand order looks like this:
- Round brilliant — 45-55% of loose-stone sales. Default engagement and default stud.
- Oval — 15-20%. The growth shape of the last three years, driven by finger-elongation marketing.
- Cushion — 8-12%. The vintage bridal choice, especially in 6x6 and 7x7 mm.
- Princess — 5-8%. Steady but slower; corner chips scare some buyers.
- Pear — 4-6%. Brides buy it for engagement; pairs sell for earrings.
- Radiant — 3-5%. Quiet demand; square radiant outsells rectangular.
- Emerald — 2-4%. Step-cut clarity demands matter, so it is a smaller audience.
- Marquise and heart — 1-3% combined. Cut-to-order shapes; hold samples, not depth.
The Wikipedia entry on moissanite notes that round brilliant is the standard because the cut maximizes the material's high dispersion. Wholesale buyers should treat the ranking above as a budget allocation, not a curiosity.
Why round and oval win
Round brilliant wins because it is the only cut that reads as a "diamond" to a customer walking in off the street. No explanation needed. Oval wins because it looks larger than a round of the same carat equivalent and photographs longer on the finger. Both cuts hide inclusions well, so a VS stone reads clean, and both pair with every setting style. We go deep on the millimeter brackets in round brilliant stock sizes and on face-up comparison in oval finger-length ratios.
Cushion is the third rider because vintage bridal is a permanent sub-niche. It moves slower than oval but at a healthier margin because fewer suppliers stock it. Cushion clarity choices are covered in cushion clarity selection.
The slow shapes: sample, don't stock depth
Marquise, heart, and emerald above 7 mm are almost always cut-to-order. Holding five marquise 9x5 stones on the shelf ties up working capital for six months. The right move is one display sample per shape and a lead time of seven to ten days for anything above that. Pear is the borderline: pairs for earrings sell steadily, singles for engagement sell in bursts around wedding season.
If you are allocating shelf space, the rule is depth on the top three cuts and samples on the bottom five. Our reorder strategy piece shows how to set reorder points by shape, and SKU turnover planning gives the formula for dead-stock review.
Seasonality by shape
Demand is not flat across the year. Engagement shapes (round, oval, pear) peak in April-June and October-December when proposal season hits. Fashion shapes (cushion, heart, emerald) peak in February and May for gift windows. Plan buys six to eight weeks ahead of each peak so the parcel arrives before the demand spike, not after. A round-shaped buy in March sells out by May; the same buy in May sits through summer.
Mix it across cuts, not across size
A common mistake is buying one stone of every cut at every size. That spreads cash too thin. Instead, buy depth in round and oval at the 6.0-7.0 mm bracket, medium depth in cushion and princess at 6.5 mm, and one sample each of the slow cuts at their most popular size. This gives a boutique a full-looking case without dead stock.
Which moissanite cut has the fastest reorder cycle?
Round brilliant at 6.5 mm. A busy bridal shop reorders this bracket every two to four weeks. Oval at 8x6 mm is the second fastest, typically reordered every six to eight weeks.
Do oval moissanites have a bow-tie?
Some do, depending on cut depth and table percentage. Reputable suppliers cut ovals to minimize bow-tie; ask for actual photos of the parcel before buying. We cover this in the cut catalog linked above.
Is heart shape ever worth stocking?
Only for Valentine's and Mother's Day windows. Hold 6-8 mm hearts in two to four stones from December through February and zero the rest of the year.
Which cut has the best wholesale margin?
Emerald and radiant at 7x5-8x6 mm carry the best margin because demand is lower and customers comparing them to step-cut diamonds are already price-insensitive. The trade-off is slower turnover.
Order from HOLYCOME. We stock round, oval, cushion, and princess moissanite in depth, with pear, radiant, emerald, marquise, and heart available on a seven-day cut-to-order. Tell us your top three sellers and we will build a parcel weighted to your turnover numbers. Apply for a wholesale account and request the current shape-by-shape price list — minimum order 20 stones, mixed cuts allowed.
