Moissanite Gemstone
With over twice the fire seen in diamonds, moissanite will capture your heart.
Moissanite is a gemstone truly out of this world. Henri Moissan, a French chemist, discovered this stone, and it eventually came to bear his name. Originally found at the site of a meteor impact, it took years of testing to verify that moissanite was indeed a new variety of gemstone and not a diamond, as initially thought.
This stone is also known as silicon carbide. For many years, moissanite was exceedingly rare to encounter naturally. After lengthy testing and research, the majority of this gemstone used today is synthesized. Moissanite is primarily produced in colorless varieties. It is most frequently faceted in traditionally calibrated sizes for use in moissanite jewelry, including trendy modern fancy cuts.
First entering the jewelry scene in the late 1990's, moissanite has taken the market by storm. It stands out from other popular diamond simulants, such as cubic zirconia, due to its fire. This gem possesses over twice the fire of natural diamonds, easily putting it into a category of its own. Moissanite is also remarkably durable. Ranking as a 9.5 on the Mohs scale, it's right below diamond regarding hardness. As it is a lab grown gemstone, moissanite is also conflict free, so buyers can easily purchase with confidence. These qualities make it an ideal and popular alternative to diamonds.
• Moissanite was named for Henri Moissan, a renowned French chemist. Moissan also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating elemental fluorine.
• Analysis of this gemstone from the site of meteor impacts has confirmed that it is of extraterrestrial origin, and not the result of an impact as occasionally suggested.
• Synthetic moissanite first entered the jewelry market in 1998.
• As a diamond simulant, this stone can be used as an April birthstone.
GemGPS
Location: Arizona
Moissanite was first discovered in Arizona, at the site of a meteor impact in Canyon Diablo in 1893. It took years to determine that it was a distinct and separate gem, and today the stone is still rarely found in natural settings. Today, gem-quality moissanite is synthesized and has been available since 1998.
- Moissanite is classified as 9.5 hardness on the Mohs scale, placing it just beneath diamond.
- This gem possesses fire 2.4 times greater than that of a diamond.
- Gem-quality specimens are entirely synthesized. Despite rarely occurring naturally, this stone should always be considered lab created.