Moissanite is simply a
man-made Diamond Look-A-Like! The first time I ever encountered Moissanite was about 5 years ago. A customer brought in their "
Diamond" Engagement Ring to sell. I remember the Jeweler louping the Ring carefully and testing the stone with a Diamond Tester.
It tested as Diamond, but the Jeweler was confused and not so convinced.
He kept looking at it from all different angles, even upside down. The stone just didn't look right. The optical properties were different, the color was off, the way the stone handled light was odd. He showed the stone to the other Jewelers and that was followed by more confusion, discussions and opinions.
The outcome: "This is NOT a Diamond!" Even though the tester says it is, they didn't buy it. (I Don't even know if the customers knew what it really was.) Shocking!
Later, we determined that the stone in question was in fact, a Moissanite! The "New" Diamond! Fake? Yes! Fooling? Yes! (Think CZ, Cubic Zirconia, but more durable)
So what is Moissanite? Moissanite is actually a Natural, Genuine Stone that is so rare in Nature, only a few small pieces exist. It was first discovered in Canyon Diablo in a Meteorite in 1893 by one Dr. Henri Moissan, who at the time mistook the stone for Diamond. It was found later to be a new mineral similar to Diamond, but at the same time, drastically different in many, many ways!
Let's get a couple of things straight about Moissanite...
Moissanite is NOT a Diamond. Moissanite is not even a Diamond Substitute! Nor a brand name for a Diamond! Moissanite is a Genuine Stone, but so rare that it can't even be used for Jewelry! (That's where Created Moissanite steps in) Moissanite is made of Silicon Carbide (SiC). (Diamond is made of 100% pure Carbon.) Moissanite on the Mohs Scale of Hardness is 9.25. (Diamond is a 10. Sapphire and Ruby is a 9)
So that's a very good thing. Moissanite (some say Moissonite) is a very tough and durable gem. It will hold up well and last you a lifetime. But...
What are the other differences between Moissanite and a Diamond?
Read on...
