To: sunny who wrote (11067 ) 12/28/1997 10:07:00 PM From: Glenn D. Rudolph Respond to
ABCNEWS.com
So far, it1s fooled almost everyone.
Pros swear they can tell a fake when they see one, but 28 out
of 30 gemologists consulted said they thought stones made of
silicon-carbide, also known as moissanite, were genuine
diamonds.
Moissanite is really a scientific miracle. It1s more brilliant
than a diamond, it1s as hard as a diamond, and if you place it
under a jeweler1s electronic diamond tester, it will pass for a
diamond. In fact, the president of the International Gemological
Institute, Jerry Ehrenwald, told ABCNEWS1 James Walker in a
recent interview that 3It1s almost scary to see something that
looks as good as this and yet not be a diamond.ý
How It Came to Be
Originally discovered in meteorites by Nobel Prize winner
Henri Moissan in the late 1800s, the mineral is extremely rare in
its naturally occurring form. But scientists realized the potential
of a compound surpassed in hardness only by diamonds and
determined how to create it chemically. They named it
silicon-carbide, and now use the synthetic material in everything
from sandpaper to semiconductors.
Cree Research, Inc. holds the patent on silicon-carbide, and
its former CEO, Eric Hunter, had a brainstorm a few years ago.
He and his brother Jeff saw how hard moissanite was, and that it
could hold a sharp edge, and thought it would make a great
surgical blade.
They employed a master diamond cutter, who was impressed
with its brilliance and thought the material looked just like a
diamond.
Within three days, brothers Eric, Jeff and Neal Hunter
formed the North Carolina Company C3, Inc., and began
making gem stones with silicon-carbide crystals supplied by
Cree for $12 million over five years.
A Substitute for the Next Century
But the new company isn1t out to get anyone. The Hunters see
their product as a legitimate new gem which they hope to sell
starting next spring.
So far, so good. Company stock went public in November
and has earned well over $45 million. Investors seem pleased
with the concept of a clear, synthetic version of moissanite for a
gemstone.
3We want to make our first impression a lasting one,ý Jeff
Hunter told the Wilmington Star-News of North Carolina.
3This product is not a fad. It1s a diamond substitute for the next
century.ý
C3, Inc. also plans to make some money off their moissanite
detector which, as opposed to electronic diamond sensors, can
tell the difference between the fake and the real thing.
Moissanite vs. Cubic Zirconium
There are other, lesser-known tests which distinguish a diamond
from moissanite. Moissanite is doubly refractive and a diamond
isn1t. So a person looking at the mineral might see a double
image of a single facet.
Also, when placed in 3diamond solution,ý a diamond will
sink, but moissanite will float.
Traditionally, the cubic zirconium has been the cheap
diamond substitute, but no jeweler is fooled by the superficial
glimmer of a c.z. 3rock.ý Comparatively, a moissanite gem
survives all thermal tests, just like a diamond. But a cubic
zirconium will melt under high temperatures.
Moissanite gems will cost a fraction of the price of a
diamond, but more than a cubic zirconium, and will be
marketed as an alternative to the real thing.
So is it or isn1t it? But that1s not the question. A diamond
will always be a diamond, but the moissanite gemstone will most
likely give the cubic zarconia a not-too-steep run for its m
