Moissanite - A Gem From Space

Diamonds are the girls best friend. Although that statement still holds true today, a competitor found its way into the heart of many women.Moissanite!

It was in the year 1893 when Ferdinand Frederick Henri Moissan was inspecting a piece of meteorite at Canyon Diablo in Arizona and he found something - something truly brilliant. What appeared to be diamond was later found to be crystalline silicon carbide. Later, this substance was named Moissanite after the name of its discoverer. Scientists achieved a breakthrough when they discovered that they could make Moissanite synthetically. Today,moissanite is used in all ways as a replacement to diamond, even in engagement rings. Moissanite engagement rings are as popular as diamond engagement rings today. Why not? Moissanite rings cost less usually, and look as good as diamond engagement rings, if not better!

Moissanite looks so similar to diamond that only a special testing device can give a definitive identification whether the gem in question is diamond or moissanite.There are certain advantages of buying moissanite rings. First and foremost is the price. Moissanite rings will cost a fraction of any diamond ring. Also it has more brilliance and fire compared to diamond. It is the only substance which comes closest to diamond in hardness.

Not all is good, though. When seen in bright light, moissanite may exhibit a green or grey hue rather than appearing absolutely colorless. Yet, you will find one peculiar thing. Excellent quality moissanite rings may actually turn out to be costlier than slightly inferior diamond rings.

There are certain grading factors about moissanite that should be kept in mind. The 4c's of diamond - i.e., color, cut, clarity and carat - apply to this gemstone as well. As mentioned earlier,moissanite may have a hint of green or grey. If moissanite pieces are specifically made with colored gems,the color consistency should be duly inspected in broad daylight. The cut of the gem lends the brilliance and adds the fire. A poorly cut gem will appear dark and dull. Make a note! Clarity comes next. Even though moissanite is synthetically produced,there is a fair chance of impurities getting trapped. A magnification lens (otherwise known as a loupe) will help you verify if inclusions are present. Moissanite engagement rings usually look good with a solitaire but that is an entirely personal choice.

Moissanite rings bring the dazzling sparkle of diamonds within your budget. Go ahead, pop the question. You can be sure that your pocket won't cry foul.

Moissanite

The mineral moissanite derives its name from Nobel Prize winner Dr. Ferdinand Henri Moissan, who discovered traces of it in a meteorite at Diablo Canyon it in 1893. What makes this substance so special is that it is almost as hard as diamond. On the Mohs Scale, which measures the hardness of minerals (www.amfed.org/t_mohs.htm) it scores a 9.25 compared to the "perfect 10" of diamond.

There was an initial furor on the jewelry market when moissanite first surfaced. Would it compete with diamond as the world's most treasured mineral? The fact was that even seasoned experts might be fooled into mistaking colorless maissonite for diamond without the proper equipment. In fact, moissanite even shares the thermal conductivity and much of the molecular structure of diamond.

Those misgivings have since been laid to rest. In the first place, natural maissonite (moissanite-6H) does not come in big enough sizes to be useful as jewelry, and the synthetic version(silicon carbide or carborundum) is not held in very high esteem among purists. Secondly, there exist foolproof testing protocols that can detect the difference between moissanite and diamond without difficulty.

However, moissanite has now emerged as a valid jewelry medium in its own right. Stones made from its synthetic version are being marketed as SiC gemstones, and they have quite a fan following. They are reputed to have twice the "fire" found in diamonds, and are certainly cheaper.

Natural moissanite is crystalline, green in color, with an adamantine luster. It is generally transparent or translucent and occurs in hexagonal or trigonal shapes. These are the main factors used for determining it. It belongs chiefly to the carbon group of compounds, which also includes diamond and graphite.