Moissanite is a natural and man-made mineral composed of silicon carbide. Its occurrence in nature is rare, found only in upper mantle rock and meteorites. It is often found as inclusions in diamonds, xenoliths, kimberlite, and lamproite. Moissanite has come a long way since its discovery over 120 years ago and is now lab-grown with minimal environmental impact due to its rarity.
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Its durability makes it perfect for a variety of cuts, giving jewelry designers numerous options for engagement rings and other jewelry settings. When looking for moissanite, remember to consider its brilliance and variety, which sets it apart from other jewelry gems. Seeing this stunning gem in person is an experience that cannot be matched, no matter what shape catches your eye.
There are four characteristics of a moissanite: Brilliance, Colors & Clarity, Fire Dispersion, and Hardness & Toughness.
Brilliance: The Refractive Index or RI of moissanite ranges from 2.65 to 2.69, meaning it displays more brilliance than diamond (with an RI of 2.42) or any other popular gemstone.
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Color & Clarity: there are three grades of moissanite available today: colorless (D-E-F range), near-colorless (G-H-I range), and faint hues of color (J-K range). All of Olive Ave's moissanite stones are colorless and within the D-E-F range. There are no likely situations in which the color of moissanite will be permanently changed. Moissanite does undergo a temporary color change when exposed to extreme heat from a jeweler’s torch during jewelry repair, but with proper bench techniques there will be no lasting damage and the stone will return to its normal color once it cools. Moissanite can have needle-like inclusions that can be seen under 10x magnification. However, they are not visible to the naked eye and do not affect the clarity of the stone. It’s worth noting that nearly every gem has some sort of inclusion. They are unique characteristics, which occur in the formation of the crystalline structure.
Fire Dispersion: A gemstone’s fire is determined by a gemological property called dispersion. Dispersion refers to the prism effect that occurs when pure white light enters a non-opaque object, breaks into spectral (rainbow) colors, and reflects back to the viewer. Moissanite’s dispersion is 0.104, which exceeds that of any gemstone, including diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald.
Hardness & Toughness: Moissanite is durable, tough, and extremely resistant to scratching and abrasion. With a hardness of 9.25-9.50, moissanite is harder than all other gemstones except diamond. Moissanite exhibits more heat resistance than many other gemstones, including diamond. Tests prove that at 2,000ºF–higher than the equivalent intensity of a house fire–moissanite gems remain intact and as brilliant as the day they were created. This heat tolerance makes moissanite unlikely to suffer damage during jewelry repair.
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