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Moissanite's brilliance, hardness, weight and scratch resistance rival all other gemstones. This jewel possesses all the romance and passion of rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Moissanite is found only in meteorites and in limited areas beneath the earth's surface. |
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In the past year, the quality of Moissanite has gotten very consistent.
We hand-pick only the finest stones !!!
While diamond grading scale does not technically apply to moissanite, for the purpose of comparison most experts compare moissanite to diamonds in the I-J Color range & VS1-VVS Clarity.
(Round stones seem to be more consistent & generally appear whiter than fancy cuts)
| Since lab-created Moissanite has the closest physical properties to that of a diamond, it tests as a "diamond" on conventional diamond testers. Many jewelers cannot tell the difference from a diamond!!! |
Moissanite actually has a higher "refractive index" than diamond, which gives it MORE sparkle & "fire" than diamonds !!!
| Gemstone | Mohs Hardness | Refractive Index |
Dispersion | Specific Gravity | Toughness |
| Diamond | 10 | 2.42 | 0.044 | 3.52 | Good-Excellent |
| Moissanite | 9 1/4 | 2.65 | 0.104 | 3.21 | Excellent |
| Ruby & Sapphire | 9 | 1.77 | 0.018 | 4.00 | Excellent |
| Cubic Zirconia | 8 1/2 | 2.23 | 0.066 | 5.80 | Good |
| Emerald | 7 1/5 | 1.58 | 0.014 | 2.72 | Good -Poor |
Unlike CZs which are totally flawless & colorless, Moissanite does have a slightly darker (I-J) color & some very slight flaws (VS1-VVS) visible only under magnification... All of our stones are hand-picked to meet these specifications !! Beware of "bargains" on lower quality stones (especially stones released over a year ago).
Moissanite's very high refractive index ("fire") also allows Moissanite to better retain it's fire if it gets dirty, oily, or smudged, (unlike CZs that look very dull when dirty).
These color/clarity characteristics are another reason that Moissanite looks like a diamond & not like a Cubic Zirconia (CZ). Average diamonds in these grading ranges cost 10 times more than Moissanite!! Many jewelers can easily tell identify a CZ, although most cannot distinguish between a Moissanite and a diamond, without careful, magnified inspection and/or formal training in stone identification. Colorless & flawless diamonds are VERY rare (virtually non-existent to consumers). You might ask, "How rare?".... The current market value of a colorless/ flawless 1 carat diamond is about $175,000.00
CLICK HERE for a pictorial on Moissanite stone cutting
HISTORY OF
MOISSANITE....
The history of natural Moissanite can be traced back to the late 1800's, and a man
who later became a Nobel Prize winner. Dr. Henri Moissan discovered natural silicon
carbide in Arizona, while analyzing part of the Diablo Canyon
meteorite, in 1893. The mineral name for silicon carbide, Moissanite, was given in Dr.
Moissan's honor in 1905.
Moissanite's essence was the potential for an absolutely shimmering brilliance, fire, luster, and incredible hardness. Unfortunately, the supply of natural moissanite wasn't large enough even to create a pair of earrings.
Naturally occurring moissanite is extremely rare and found only in microscopic crystals that are too small to use in jewelry. Only after years of research a breakthrough discovery enabled the production of moissanite crystals large enough to produce an uncommon combination of science and art.Natural sources of silicon carbide are rare, and only certain atomic arrangements are useful for gemological applications. Recently, single-crystalline silicon carbide, in certain forms, has been used for the fabrication of high-performance semiconductor devices. North Carolina-based Cree Research, Inc., founded in 1987, has developed a commercial process for producing large single crystals of silicon carbide. Cree is the world leader in the growth of single crystal silicon carbide, mostly for electronics use. Gem quality Moissanite is created, exclusively by Charles & Colvard, inc.
CLICK HERE for a pictorial on Moissanite stone cutting
We have been
carrying Moissanite since 1998 & are one of the first & oldest Moissanite dealers
in the world !
We have two "Charles & Colvard Certified Moissanite Jewelers"
on staff.
We carry only the top-quality Charles & Colvard stones, no seconds, imperfect
stones, etc... We do not carry any of the older stones that were prone to color
inconsistency. Since all the gem quality Moissanite is lab-created, by Charles &
Colvard, the stones currently being released are all almost identical in quality. While the diamond grading scale does not technically apply to Moissanite, for
the purpose of comparison most experts compare Moissanite to diamonds in the I-J Color
range & VS1-VVS Clarity. Round stones seem to be more
consistent & generally appear slightly whiter than fancy cuts. Similar quality diamonds would cost ten times
this!!! To further insure only the finest stones, ours are hand-picked
from a large "parcel" selection. We particularly avoid any "greenish"
tinted stones. Moissanite is virtually undetectable as a simulant by standard diamond
testers & even by most jewelers.
All stones come with a Certificate of Authenticity & Guarantee
from Charles & Colvard
®
Moissanite Testers, Click Here
More
information about moissanite can be found at the manufacturers website,
Charles & Colvard ® www.moissanite.com
