But with a brilliance rating of 2.65-2.69 and a luster index of 20.4 percent, moissanite packs a brighter punch.
32.
Moissanite actually has a higher refractive index than diamond and when presented beside an equivalently sized and cut diamond will have more " fire " than the diamond.
33.
Moissanite is superior to cubic zirconia in two ways : its hardness ( 8.5 9.25 ) and low SG ( 3.2 ).
34.
The inclusions seen in moissanite are also characteristic : most will have fine, white, subparallel growth tubes or needles oriented perpendicular to the stone's table.
35.
Natural moissanite ( pronounced MOY-san-ite ) was originally discovered in the late 1800s at the bottom of a meteorite crater in Arizona in very small quantities.
36.
They did and Cree patented the crystal-growing process as stonecutters got to work, designing cutting styles that would maximize the sparkle and turn moissanite into a usable gemstone.
37.
This was possible, as moissanite is one of the hardest substances known, with a hardness below that of diamond and comparable with those of cubic boron nitride and boron.
38.
Strontium titanate is both much denser ( specific gravity 4.88 for natural, 5.13 for synthetic ) and much softer ( GGG, Cubic Zirconia, and Moissanite.
39.
However, older probes will be fooled by moissanite, a crystalline mineral form of silicon carbide introduced in 1998 as an alternative to diamonds, which has a similar thermal conductivity.
40.
Because tension settings place such pressure on the stone, only four types of gemstone can be placed in a tension setting safely : diamonds, rubies, moissanite, and sapphires.
