History of Moissanite

History of Moissanite

The Moissanite was first discovered more than 120 years back. While searching for a crystalline chemical composition for cost effective electrical conductivity, Dr. Henri Moisann instead found silicon carbide, an exceptionally rare mineral. He found the mineral in a meteorite crater located in Arizona. Soon after, the mineral was named Moissanite to honor the founder, Dr. Henri Moisann.

Dr. Moissan spent the remainder of his life trying to recreate his extraordinary finding but never succeeded.

In the late 1990s, scientists from the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina came up with a process of creating pure silicon carbide (SiC). Soon it was recognized and patented. The process had been used in the creation and development of various products which includes semiconductors, LED lighting and exceptionally hard drilling abrasives and tools.

It was then that the vision and innovation of Charles & Colvard (the inventors of Moissanite reproduction) came to realization. The method of producing moissanite takes a long time which may take two to three months to come up with just a single gem.

Our succeeding post will cover the physical properties of Moissanite which makes it a great alternative to diamonds.