Moissanite

Moissanite is a stone that is unique in so many ways. Moissanite is both an ancient, prehistoric stone and a babe of a new gem. But at least here on earth, moissanite is a gemstone beyond compare.

Moissanite Origin And History

Moissanite does not occur naturally on earth. There are no moissanite mines. The only natural moissanite on earth fell from the skies fifty thousand years ago. Moissanite came to earth when a meteor crashed into what is now the Arizona desert. Tiny fragments of moissanite crystal were scattered about the desert, lying in wait of their discovery in 1893.

Scientist Henri Moissan began studying these mysterious crystals in 1893. What he discovered were tiny fragments of a previously unidentified silicon carbide mineral that had more fire and brilliance than a diamond.

The tiny fragments discovered by Moissan were too small for any practical purposes such as jewelry making. It was not until a century later that a source of moissanite was found. In the 1980’s a company in North Carolina invented a process to produce the extraterrestrial mineral which had come to be known as Moissanite, and once those man-made moissanite crystals fell into the hands of a diamond master cutter, the jewelry company Charles & Colvard worked to find uses for this most mysterious and lustrous gem in jewelry settings.

Moissanite is a stone that is unique in so many ways. Moissanite is both an ancient, prehistoric stone and a babe of a new gem. But at least here on earth, moissanite is a gemstone beyond compare.

Moissanite Origin And History

Moissanite does not occur naturally on earth. There are no moissanite mines. The only natural moissanite on earth fell from the skies fifty thousand years ago. Moissanite came to earth when a meteor crashed into what is now the Arizona desert. Tiny fragments of moissanite crystal were scattered about the desert, lying in wait of their discovery in 1893.

Scientist Henri Moissan began studying these mysterious crystals in 1893. What he discovered were tiny fragments of a previously unidentified silicon carbide mineral that had more fire and brilliance than a diamond.

The tiny fragments discovered by Moissan were too small for any practical purposes such as jewelry making. It was not until a century later that a source of moissanite was found. In the 1980’s a company in North Carolina invented a process to produce the extraterrestrial mineral which had come to be known as Moissanite, and once those man-made moissanite crystals fell into the hands of a diamond master cutter, the jewelry company Charles & Colvard worked to find uses for this most mysterious and lustrous gem in jewelry settings.