What is Moissanite?

What is MoissaniteTrue Moissanite is a very rare form of silicon carbide first discovered in a meteorite crater, in 1893 by French scientist Henri Moissan, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. 

After many decades of attempts, it was successfully synthesized in a laboratory and is now the modern-day lower cost alternative to diamonds, even exceeding diamonds in light reflectance!

Moissanite color ratings:
Colorless: D, E, F.
Near-colorless: G, H, I. J.
It continues from K to X, but those grades are rarely used in jewelry.
There are no A, B, C nor Y, Z grades.

Zuringa Moissanite Grade Chart

It also has a clarity (flaw) grade...

Mosissanite clarity chart

 

Moissanite is rated 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamond being 10.

It only became available to the jewelry trade in 1998, so is still a relatively unknown gem. 

Due to the high complexity in growing Moissanite, less than a handful of companies produce it.