What Is a Moissanite Stone?

Moissanite is a form of silicon carbon that appears similar to a diamond.

History

Discovered in 1893 by Henri Moissan but not identified as a new form of carbon until 1904, moissanite was originally thought to be diamond. In the 1950s, sources other than meteorites were found as inclusions in minerals similar to diamonds.

Occurrence

Moissanite is extremely rare in nature; most naturally occurring forms are too small for practical use in jewelry. It's easy to synthetically reproduce.

Uses

In jewelry, moissanite is marketed as a diamond substitute. It has a higher refractive index than a diamond, and generally falls in the I-J-K area of the Diamond Grading Scale.

As an industrial material, moissanite is a superconductor of both heat and electricity, making it valuable for electronics manufacturing.

Considerations

Although similar in appearance to diamonds, moissanite is double refractive, making it more brilliant than a diamond in appearance. In jewelry, moissanite can be identified by viewing the number of facets.

Price

As compared to other diamond alternatives such as cubic zirconia, moissanite is considerably more expensive yet still less expensive than true diamond.