Meteorite from outer space; diamond-like gem
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 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.
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