What Is Moissanite?

Moissanite is an exceptionally beautiful and extremely rare mineral, which occurs naturally in the form of silicon carbide. Almost 2.5 times more brilliant than a diamond, this near-colorless gem has its own distinctive properties and splendor that make it truly one-of-a-kind. They really make the best custom rings South Africa.

Moissanite was named after French chemist Henri Moissan, who discovered it in the year 1893. During the examination of rock samples from a meteor crater located in Canyon Diablo, Arizona, he spotted this crystal and mistook it for a diamond. It was only after 11 years that he was able to identify it as silicon carbide.

The rarity of this gem also led scientists to find a way to synthetically create it using particles of naturally occurring moissanites.

Moissanite has a refractive index that is higher than that of a diamond and other popular gems such as sapphire and ruby. This particular property determines the brilliance of a gem, and with a refractive index of 2.65 to 2.69, a moissanite certainly outshines every other stone.

The same can be said about its dispersion (fire), which refers to the spectral (rainbow) colors that reflect back when light enters a non-opaque object. Moissanite has a dispersion of 0.104, which exceeds all other gemstones. With us you can get quality custom engagement rings South Africa.