MOISSANITE GUIDE

Moissanite has been a source of intense interest ever since its discovery over a century ago. Also known as silicon carbide, moissanite dances with sparkles of bright light which exceed any rational expectation. Its unique internal beauty lends a riveting allure to jewelry, making a spectacular statement at a fraction of the cost of other gemstones. But only you know what you paid - envious passers-by see only a grand statement of opulence.

Born From the Stars

Natural silicon carbide is impossibly rare on Earth; in fact, it first gained fame when tiny particles were discovered by the Nobel Prize-winning French chemist Dr. Henri Moissan at the site of a massive meteorite strike in Arizona. This intriguing new stone was named Moissanite in his honor, and Moissan spent the rest of his life attempting to re-create this rare mineral, which is among the hardest materials on Earth.

Many years later in a research laboratory in central North Carolina, scientists perfected and patented the innovative process that creates silicon carbide crystals, for Charles & Colvard®, with such purity that it rivals any earthly gemstone for fire and brilliance. In these gems, which are more durable than diamond, sapphire, ruby, or emerald, this fire and brilliance will last forever.

In nature, silicon carbide is created over millennia by a combination of extreme heat and pressure. Our researchers recreate those conditions in a controlled, profoundly accelerated process which produces durable, super-hard crystals with a minimum of ecological impact…and absolutely no mining.

The World's Most Brilliant Gem®

With a refractive index of 2.65-2.69, moissanite exhibits more brilliance than diamond. And thanks to a dispersion that has 2.4 times the fire of diamond, moissanite bends light into mesmerizing rainbow flashes of fire… more than twice as much as diamond, ruby, emerald, or sapphire. By day and by night, moissanite conspicuous brilliance is spectacular.

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