What is Moissanite and is it a Fake Diamond?
Moissanite, is a gemstone made from silicon carbide and also known as carborundum, was first sold in jewelry in 1997 after advances in technology improved the quality of synthetic versions, which were originally lower in color and clarity, with natural moissanite being extremely rare and found only in meteor craters.
Moissanite, was first discovered in a meteorite by French scientist Henri Moissan and is now popular as a diamond alternative due to its strong sparkle, durability, and much lower price, though it can be hard to distinguish from diamonds with standard testers.
Moissanite is not a fake diamond; it is a natural gemstone made of silicon carbide, discovered in meteorites, and has distinct chemical properties compared to diamonds, which are made of carbon. It is important to note that almost all moissanite jewelry on the market is made from lab-grown moissanite grown in a laboratory.
Diamonds still hold greater historical and societal value, and as technology advances, lab diamonds, which have the same look and composition as natural diamonds but are much more affordable, have become more popular and are expected to eventually replace moissanite.
Topics:
So, what is Moissanite?
The Origin of Moissanite
The Difference Between Moissanite and Diamond
The Future of Moissanite in the Jewelry Market
So, what is Moissanite?
Moissanite (a type of silicon carbide) is also called carborundum. Most of the moissanite are artificially synthesized, while natural moissanite are very rare and can only be found in meteor craters. The color rating of synthetic moissanite in the early days are mostly below I. Some of them had light green color, and their clarity and size simply cannot meet the requirements of being gemstones. However, with technological advancement, the quality of synthetic moissanite was improved and could finally be deemed as gems. Moissanite have been brought to jewelry market since 1997.
The Origin of Moissanite
Generally speaking, moissanite is a type of silicon carbide. It has an appealing nickname, “the stone of enchanted star”. The first natural moissanite found on Earth was discovered by the French doctor Henri Moissan. He found this particularly bright granule in a meteorite that fell into the United States, and its shape was similar to diamonds. Since moissanite came from meteorites, there is no natural moissanite on Earth. In the hope of doing further research, scientists decided to develop artificial moissanite themselves. Because of its extreme-sturdiness and diamond-like appearance, it is often used as a diamond substitute and has become popular globally.
Moissanite do not just reflect light in one direction, but on both sides, so they can shine beautifully like rainbow. The sparkle of moissanite is stronger than that of ordinary natural diamonds, and the sparkle will never fade. It is worth noting that since moissanite is a kind of silicon carbide, it has good thermal conductivity, and thus normal diamond testers cannot distinguish it from real diamonds. Most importantly, as moissanite is artificially synthesized, its price is usually less than 1% of that of diamonds.
The Difference Between Moissanite and Diamond
One significant distinction between moissanite and diamond is that moissanite exhibits birefringence, leading to double refraction when light is shone through it, whereas diamond displays single refraction. As a result, moissanite has a slight visual difference compared to diamonds. Moreover, with a cost just 1% of diamonds, moissanite is considerably more affordable.
The Future of Moissanite in the Jewelry Market
With the continuous development and innovation of science and technology, beauty has gradually become more accessible and affordable. Coupled with people's diverse aesthetic and fashion needs, the concept of jewelry is also constantly expanding and changing.
Moissanite used to appear with brilliant and vibrant sparkling, until around 2020 when higher-level technological products, such as lab grown diamonds (also known as synthetic diamonds or future diamonds), became popularized. Lab grown diamonds have the same appearance and composition as natural diamonds, but their price is only about one-tenth of natural diamonds. This successful penetration into the vast jewelry market has gradually overshadowed the market space for moissanites.
Looking ahead, lab grown diamonds with even higher quality are expected to comprehensively replace moissanites. In hindsight, Moissanites might be seen as an intermediate product between natural diamonds and lab grown diamonds in the future but when comparing diamonds and moissanite it is clear that a diamond holds greater historical and societal value in society, and it has proven that through its long history which is something that moissanite, despite its appeal, simply does not offer.
