Definition of Moissanite
Moissanite is a rare transparent to opaque mineral that comes in shades of blue green, yellow or can be colorless. It is the second hardest natural mineral known and was officially discovered in 1904 by a man who later won the Nobel Peace Prize for other important discoveries. Moissanite also exists in a synthetic form, which is used for gem and industrial purposes.
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Chemical Composition
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Moissanite is comprised of silicon carbide (chemical formula SiC), in a ratio of approximately 70 percent silicon and 30 percent carbon.
Features
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To differentiate minerals, certain tests are applied to mineral samples to determine indentifying features. The features examined and tested for include, but are not limited to, color, hardness, fracture and fluorescence.
To determine mineral hardness, scientists use the Moh's scale of hardness, a relative scale. On this scale a diamond rates 10. Moissanite rates 9.5.
Mineralogists have identified and labeled the different ways minerals break. Moissanite breaks in choncoidal fashion. This means that it breaks to form round, smooth, shell-like grooves the way glass does.
Ultra-violet (UV) radiation is used to cause minerals to fluoresce. Shine a UV lamp on a moissanite and it glows green or yellow.
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Considerations
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The synthetic mineral is the only commercially available source of moissanite, as natural moissanite is too rare to be a regular resource. Commercially, synthetic moissanite is used as an abrasive in the industrial business and a gem and diamond replacement in the gem business. The process for making synthetic moissanite was developed by Cree, who then contacted Charles & Colvard with the proposal of moissanite as a gem. The resulting partnership worked to create larger moissanites. Now, Cree, Charles & Colvard is the producer and marketer of synthetic moissanite gems.
Sources
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Moissanite is currently found only in the upper mantle of the earth and in extraterrestrial bodies. Its upper mantle sources include the Green River Formation (Wyoming) and the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic in Russia. Moissanite can be found as an inclusion in other minerals, such as kimberlite, diamonds, lamproite and xenoliths.
Time Frame
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A French chemist named Henry Moissan (1852 to 1907) discovered moissanite in 1893. During his examination of an Arizonan meteorite, Moissan discovered a previously unknown mineral. At first Moissan concluded that the mineral was diamond, but 11 years later he discovered its true composition, silicon carbide. The next year, in 1905, the mineral Moissan discovered was named after him, and thus the name moissanite was created.
Until the 1950s, moissanite was only found in meteorites. However in 1958, the Wyoming deposit was discovered. One year later in 1959, the Russian moissanite deposit was discovered.
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