There’s one gemstone we continue to receive an increasing number of requests for every year. And that gemstone would be… moissanite. With an appearance and sparkle comparable to that of a diamond, moissanite appeals to those looking for the diamond look without the diamond price tag. Here’s everything you need to know about the brilliant gem.

• Also known as silicon carbide, moissanite is a naturally occurring mineral that was initially discovered at a meteorite site in Arizona by French chemist Dr. Henri Moissan.
• Naturally occurring moissanite is extremely rare. In fact, the majority of moissanite found in jewelry is lab-created. The process used to create these gems is complicated and lengthy, typically taking anywhere from two to three months to form a single moissanite.
• Like most gemstones, moissanite can be created in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
• With a rating of 9.25 on the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness, moissanite is a relatively scratch resistant and durable gemstone that can be worn everyday given proper care.
• Moissanite exhibits more fire and brilliance than any other gemstone, including diamonds. This means moissanite’s sparkle and colorful flashes of color cannot be beat.
• The gemstone is relatively new to the jewelry world. The process used to manufacture lab-created moissanite wasn’t developed until the late 1990s.
• The color grade of a particular moissanite is based upon the GIA’s diamond color grading scale. A moissanite is assigned one of three color grades: colorless (D-E-F range), near-colorless (G-H-I range), and faint hues of color (J-K range).
• Like diamonds, moissanite gemstones often contain inclusions. These inclusions can only be seen under 10x magnification and not by the naked eye. Most gemstone professionals agree that the clarity of a moissanite is equivalent to a rating of VS on a natural diamond.
• Charles & Colvard is the original creator of lab-grown moissanite and is one of the leading sources and distributors of moissanite. The company offers three brands of its moissanite: Forever One, Forever Brilliant, and Forever Classic. The original brand, Forever Classic offers subtle color shades in the J-K range with faint undertones of green, yellow, or grey. Forever Brilliant moissanite falls within the G-H-I near colorless range. Forever One moissanite can fall either in the colorless or near-colorless range and emits a faint, icy hue compared to the Forever Brilliant’s warm hue.
• Moissanite weighs about 10% less than diamonds. So a 6.5mm diamond would weigh around 1 carat and a 6.5mm moissanite would weigh about 0.88 carat. That’s why moissanite is often sold by millimeter size instead of carat weight.
• A fraction of the cost of a diamond, moissanite offers individuals who aren’t able to afford a diamond the opportunity to obtain a gemstone similar in appearance but at a much lower cost.

Have more questions about moissanite or interested in looking at some moissanite gemstones in-person? Contact us at 414-276-2457 or info@kloiberjewelers.com.