Moissanite, composted of silicon carbide and also nicknamed the gemstone from the stars, was discovered in 1893 inside a meteorite in Canyon Diablo, AZ by Henri Moissan a Nobel-prize winning chemist. First thought of as diamonds, it wasn't till 11 years later in 1904 that Moissan was able to figure out that the gemstones he found were silicon carbide and not carbon based like diamonds. Similar to diamonds, Moissanite in its natural form is rare and that's why most of the moissanite you find today is exclusively grown in laboratories and is considered a sustainable alternative to diamonds.

While moissanite is not a diamond the stones are visually very similar but there are a few major differences. Compositionally, moissanites are composed of silicon carbide vs. diamonds which are carbon based. Additionally, moissanite has a higher refractive index that produces more rainbow "fire" than a diamond when light hits the stone. Diamonds are also physically harder with a Moh rating of 10 vs. mossianites Moh rating of 9.25. Moissanite is also considered to have slightly more brilliance than diamonds, can be grown as colorless or near colorless like diamonds, is grown in a lab vs. mined avoiding significant ecological impact and are lower in price than diamonds.

As with any type of shopping venture, to determine if moissanite is the right choice for you depends on a number of things like:

• Asethetics: What's the look I'm going for?
• Quality: Is it well made and does it have durability?
• Budget: Will it break the bank?
• Impact: Do I care about sustainability?

Whatever you decide - you won't go wrong.