Just what is moissanite?  Some say it is a diamond look-alike, others say it is a man-made gemstone.  Well, it is both and yet it is more than either.  Naturally occurring Moissanite is a crystalline substance discovered in the fragments of a meteorite that crashed to earth thousands of years ago.  Over one hundred years ago tiny specs of it were found and revealed the amazing ability to reflect light with a fire and brilliance only possible by a star in the heavens.  Moissanite eclipsed every known substance in this brilliant way, but tiny specs of a rare wonder had little practical use.  A century later, what a wonderful practical purpose they proved to possess.

The supply of natural moissanite has never been large enough even to create a pair of earrings. It was only after years of research and  an uncommon combination of science and art that enabled Charles & Colvard to supply a limited production & distribution of moissanite with crystals large enough to be artfully crafted into some of the world’s most stunning jewelry.

Properly cut by master cutters, moissanite has incredible fire and brilliance exceeding that even of diamonds. These faceted jewels now offer you a variety of choices as they are near colorless to very slightly tinted and are available in round, oval, marquise, pear shape, radiant cut octagon, heart shape, triangle, trillion, brilliant cut squares, and antique squares.  Combining 21st century science and the age-old art of fine stone cutting, today moissanite is created in all its original wonder and available to the world in exquisite rings, pendants, earrings, brooches and bracelets.  The finest jewelry fashioned by old-world craftsmen is today adorned with and emblazoned by pure, drop-dead gorgeous moissanite jewels, so beautiful they make even seasoned jewelers gasp in wonder.

Moissanite - Superior to Any Other Gemstone

With incredible fire and brilliance exceeding that of any known gemstone or other man-made material, moissanite is truly in a class by itself, providing visual beauty and pride of ownership that needs no comparison.  But those who see and admire it are compelled to compare it to the only known thing that comes close to it in beauty, the diamond.  Seeing of course, is believing and each person draws his or her own conclusion but the simple fact is that even most jewelers, without use of special instruments, cannot distinguish it from a fine diamond.  But even knowing its identity cannot not decrease its visual beauty...moissanite simply is beautiful beyond comparison.

The following properties chart will show the facts.

* In cleavage direction, otherwise excellent
**Except twinned stones .

Source: Hodgkinson, Allan, F.G.A. D.G.A, Rapport Diamond Report, Laboratory Analysis of Moissanite, December 4, 1998,

Notable features of genuine Charles & Colvard created Moissanite:

• Greater dispersion ("fire") and refractive index ("brilliance") create more sparkle than any other known gemstone
• Harder than sapphire and second in hardness only to the diamond
• Extremely resistant to scratching, abrasion, breaking and chipping
• Extraordinarily heat resistant; tests prove that with the intensity equivalent to a house fire, Moissanite remains intact

Every Moissanite-Collection.com product comes with a Charles & Colvard Certificate of Authenticity and a Limited Lifetime Warranty.   

In the Final Analysis

In the gemstone industry, diamond is the gemstone by which all others are compared.  Diamonds are graded according to what is commonly known as the "Four Cs." which are:

• Cut, which affects a gemstone’s brilliance, since brilliance relies on light optics and the ideal angles to produce the maximum effect. A deeply cut stone will affect the way light reflects in the mass of the stone. A very shallow cut stone will seem dark because the light exits the back of the stone and the angles do not reflect the light back up through the top of the stone to your eye.
• Clarity, which is determined by the amount and severity of inclusions and flaws visible under 10-power magnification
• Color, which means the less color a diamond shows (i.e., the whiter it appears), the better quality stone it is. The exception includes extremely valuable "fancy colored diamonds" and less expensive enhanced "irradiated" stones
• Carat, which is the traditional measuring unit of a diamond's weight (1 carat = 200 milligrams). A carat is divided into 100 "points," so the same diamond can be represented as weighing a carat and a half, 150 points or 1.50 carats.

DISPERSION (FIRE)

• Highly refractive, near-colorless jewels rely on fire and brilliance for beauty.
• Diamond’s ideal cut has proportions that maximize the FIRE – therefore reducing the potential brilliance. This is desirable because of diamond's relatively low dispersion and provides the balance that results in the most beauty in diamond.
• Moissanite that is well cut has proportions that maximize BRILLIANCE - therefore reducing potential fire. However, moissanite's greater dispersion allows it to maintain dramatic fire effects that are greater than can be achieved in other materials, including diamond.

Moissanite jewels are inspected by trained graders and are scored on a scale specific to moissanite but with reference to the industry diamond standard.  All of the jewels sold are of "very good" quality, so unlike some other gemstones, you will never find moissanite that is off-color or visibly imperfect.  Every moissanite stone sold is of good color and is "eye clean," meaning you cannot see imperfections with the naked eye.  See Important Note about Moissanite Carat Weight