Well, Hello, Moissanite
Not a diamond, a completely different stone found in a meteorite
Moissanite was first discovered by Henri Moissan in 1893 inside the Canyon Diablo meteorite crater in Arizona. Unlike diamonds, which are carbon created far beneath the Earth’s surface under tremendous pressure and temperature, scientists believe that moissanite, silicon carbide, is formed during the formation of asteroids under extreme pressure and temperature.
As natural moissanite is only found in meteorites and a few terrestrial rocks, it is even rarer than diamond. In the 1998, Charles & Colvard patented a thermal growing process able to create the first gem-quality moissanite suitable for jewellery.
A comparison with diamonds
As a near colourless gem with a hardness of 9¼ on the Mohs scale and refractive indices of 2.648 and 2.691, their properties are so close to that of laboratory-grown diamonds that current thermal probes used by gemologists, identify the stones as diamonds. The main differences between moissanite and diamonds, are that moissanite disperses more than twice as much white light as a diamond, producing flashes of rainbow colour as it catches the light. Moissanite’s higher refractive index means that more white light is returned to the eye, giving it even more brilliance than a diamond.
Coloured moissanite for bold and unique designs
Advances in laboratory growing techniques have made moissanite available in a range of beautiful colours, from rich greens and blues to vibrant pinks and reds. These vibrant stones are used to create bold, distinctive jewellery for those seeking something unique.
