Moissanite

mois·san·ite | ˈmȯisᵊnˌīt

noun

A silicon carbide SiC found in the Diablo Canyon meteoric iron

Moissanite is a type of silicon carbide that is found naturally and was first discovered by Henri Moissan in 1893. The material is 9.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and is visually similar to diamond, so has become an affordable alternative to diamonds in the jewelry industry in the last twenty years. It was first used as a jewelry material in 1998 and has grown in popularity since then, occurring naturally in green, yellow and colorless. Due to the hardness, thermal conductivity, and general optical properties, it has been used for a number of practical applications as well. Synthetic moissanite is also produced by the US company Charles and Covard.

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