What Is a Moissanite Gemstone?

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but moissanite might be able to take a close second. This hard and brilliant gemstone has several qualities that make it superior to diamonds to some people, while others say it is cheap-looking and tacky. Regardless of individual opinions of the gemstone, it does have its uses and its brilliance.

Identification

Moissanite gemstones can appear similar to diamonds at first glance, but they do have their differences. Rather than being clear or whitish, moissanite gems have a gray or green tint to them, which is often not apparent until they are viewed in natural light. They also have the ability to doubly refract light, which makes it look as if the back of the stone is appearing in double. This also leads to a "disco ball effect" of having dozens of shards of light refract off its surface. This is why some people find the gem tacky.

History

Moissanite was discovered in 1905, but didn't make it onto the gemstone scene until nearly 100 years later. Nobel Prize-winning scientist Henry Moisson first came across the mineral, which was later named in his honor, in a meteor crater. Heat and pressure from the meteor impact caused trees in the area to form into an extremely hard mineral that resembled petrified wood.

Time Frame

Naturally forming moissanite is in very short supply, but the gemstone, known as silicon carbide, was being made in laboratories even before it was discovered in the natural environment. Eugene Acheson was the first to produce silicon carbide, which he called carborundum, in 1895.

Significance

Moissanite is made in the laboratories by heat blasting wood chips. The chips are blasted with steam to create long fibers and then pounded with rocks. The reforming and pounding of the wood fibers transforms them into very hard crystals that can be used in jewelry and other applications.

Function

Because moissanite is nearly as hard as diamond, and shiny and brilliant, it is used in jewelry, either standing alone as a single gemstone or arranged in settings with other adornments. Because of its durability, resistance to stains and wood-like appearance, moissanite has also been used as a floor covering, especially in scientific laboratories, where such features are a plus.

Benefits

Moissanite has several properties that make it superior to diamonds when it comes to picking gemstones. Although moissanite is nearly as hard as the diamond, it is much lighter in weight and less expensive. Moissanite is also more brilliant than a diamond, producing more sparkles and shininess. The only substances that can scratch a moissanite gemstone, and thus mar its surface, are another piece of moissanite or a diamond.