All You Need to Know About Rocking a Moissanite Gemstone
Looking for a perfect alternative for the highly-priced jewel- diamond can be a daunting task. Due to the spectacular attributes accustomed to this precious stone, it is almost impossible to find another mineral that fits and stands out like a diamond. As they say, everything is impossible until it is done. Yes, a gemstone exists which comes close and in some way surpasses a diamond in its properties. Moissanite is a rare mineral that occurs naturally on earth. Although it has slight differences from the well-known jewel; diamond, the similarities between these two precious stones makes it difficult to tell one from the other. However, it should be of note that moissanite is an independent mineral in its own right, and should not be mistaken for another cheap diamond replica.
Moissanite – Understanding its History
Although the history of diamonds being used by humans for different engagements stretches as far back as the beginning of civilization, the history of moissanite started recently, in the late 20th century. Mineral moissanite was first discovered by a French scientist Dr. Henri Moissan, which he wrongly identified as diamonds. After some years, he made the necessary correction and affirmed that the crystals were in fact silicon carbide and not an allotrope of carbon. Moissanite can be found naturally, although due to its rare natural occurrence, a large percentage of its supply is created synthetically in laboratories using specific scientific methods. Mineral moissanite occurs as silicon carbide which needs to be processed using different scientifical means to create a final commercialized product that has a striking resemblance to diamonds. This similarity between the final product and diamond stretches beyond physical appearance alone, other qualities like, refractive index, hardness, and thermal properties are a few of the many features these precious stones have in common.
What Makes Moissanites So Shiny?
Moissanite and diamonds are not completely the same, although their differences are somewhat negligible. One of the unique features that distinguish silicon carbide jewel from diamonds is the special way it uses to refracts light. It has double-refractive properties which means that it refracts light twice as much as diamonds which means, in layman's terms, it is twice as shiny as diamond. Its different molecular structure makes it interact differently with it, when exposed to light it gives a rainbow-colored glow, unlike a diamond that glows white.
Are Moissanites Fake Diamonds?
As stated earlier, moissanite is a unique naturally occurring mineral and in no case should it be referred to as a diamond replica. Although it has a lot of qualities similar to that of diamond that makes it a perfect alternative to diamond plus it is considerably cheaper, that doesn't necessarily mean moissanite is a low-grade diamond copy. They are to be seen as two distinct independent minerals that can be used interchangeably due to their similarities. Apart from diamonds having the ability to break the bank of the intended buyer, due to the dark history that accompanied the precious stone can also cast a dark shadow on the buyer. The term "blood diamond" has been used multiple times to describe the stones due to the evil deeds people influenced by the greed to acquire the precious mineral commits. So, it may sometimes seem as a buyer, you are sponsoring this callous chain of events buying a diamond product. Since moissanite is made in the lab, it removes the possibility of these unethical events from happening and buyers will not have to worry about indirectly sponsoring what is ethically wrong to them.
