CHARACTERISTICS OF MOISSANITE

Physical Properties:  Moissanite is most often referred to as having uncommon brilliance, luster, and fire. Here you’ll find information about what these words mean relative to moissanite, as well as a brief discussion about color, clarity, cut, and carat – also known as the 4 Cs.

More in-depth descriptions of the physical properties of moissanite can be found at www.moissanite.com, Charles & Colvard’s website.

Brilliance:  Considered to be the most important physical property of a jewel, brilliance is determined by the Refractive Index (RI) that measures how much light is returned to the eye by the jewel. Moissanite has a higher RI than diamond, thus it is more brilliant. Luster:  Another word for luster is shine. Luster is the measurement of the surface reflection, which indicates the shininess of the jewel. Tests show that moissanite has more luster than a diamond, ruby, sapphire, or emerald.

Fire:  When light travels through a jewel, white light is spread, separating into the colors of the rainbow. This separation is referred to as dispersion, or fire. Moissanite’s brilliant colors are easily visible even in low-light conditions, such as in a candle lit room.

******

A special note about Durability. Words like hardness, toughness, and durability refer to a jewel’s resistance to being scratched. The jewelry industry uses the Mohs scale to rate a mineral’s hardness. Moissanite has a hardness rating of 9.25, making it the second hardest jewel in the world. While the hardest is diamond, both can easily cut glass.