When you and your beloved are shopping for wedding jewelry together but on a tight budget, you should consider rings made with moissanite gems. While a relative newcomer on the scene when it comes to jewels, moissanite closely resembles diamonds but are kinder to your budget.
If you are unfamiliar with moissanite, here are some interesting facts about the gem that you can use as conversation topics when you tell your friends and family about the type of rings you chose to celebrate your relationship.
Natural Moissanite Comes From the Remains of a Meteoroid
Approximately 50,000 years ago, a huge meteoroid entered the earth's atmosphere and landed in Arizona. The result of that impact is a huge crater called the Canyon Diablo Meteorite. Fragments of that meteorite include natural moissanite, a type of silicon carbide (SiC) with properties similar to diamonds.
Moissanite Is Named After a Nobel Prize-winning Scientist
Dr. Henri Moissan discovered natural moissanite while collecting specimens from Canyon Diablo in the early 1890s. The silicon carbide material was named his honor.
Moissan received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1906 for his life work which included researching ways to synthesize artificial diamonds from silicon carbide materials. Unfortunately, Moissan only lived for a short time after receiving the prestigious Nobel Prize and did not have the opportunity to continue his work. He died in February 1907.
Moissanite Is Almost as Hard as Diamonds
Because its chemical properties are a close match to diamonds, synthetic moissanitie is a very hard material. While a diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man, moissanite is the hardest man-made substance. It is slightly less hard than diamonds.
As a result, moissanite is also used in industrial tools that require extremely hard materials such as heavy duty drill tips and cutting blades.
Synthetic Moissanite for Gems Did Not Arrive on the Market Until the Late 1990s
It took nearly 90 years after Moissan's death for researchers to develop ways to create synthetic moissanite for the mass market. Large-scale manufacturing of the material began in 1995. The exquisite moissanite gemstones that you see in jewelry stores are all created in laboratories.
Some Experts Cannot Tell the Difference Between Moissanite and Diamonds
If you want to give the illusion of having jewelry set with diamonds, choosing moissanite as an alternative to expensive jewels is wise. Moissanite gemstones look so much like diamonds that even some experts cannot tell the difference between the two materials.
Furthermore, if you have jewelry with missing diamonds because the gemstones fell out of the setting, you can replace the precious stones with moissanite and no one will be the wiser.
For more information on this interesting and beautiful gem, check with companies like Vancouver Moissanite.
Share21 June 2016
Hi there, I’m Gillian Clancy. Welcome. I am here to talk to you about jewelry. I am enamored with all types of jewelry from plain gold rings to huge diamond pendants. I love to look at jewelry made from silver, gold or even bronze. I spend my free time looking over gems and rating their quality for fun. I want to help other people gain knowledge about jewelry and learn to love this amazing art form. I will talk about famous pieces of jewelry from history and discuss the way the art form will change in the future. Please come back again soon.
