Though the two are almost impossible to differentiate by laypersons, moissanite and diamonds can be told apart even without the patented Model 590 Charles & Colvard, Ltd. tester. Viewed at a certain distance from the naked eye under the illumination of a penlight, a moissanite is distinguished by its typical double refraction of light. This will show up in a rainbow pattern that is absent in diamonds.
Another point of reference for distinguishing the two is the presence of miniscule pipe-like inclusions under magnification, which would indicate that the stone under examination is a moissanite.
Probably the most significant difference between diamonds and moissanite is that of industrial applications. Diamond has a legendary value as ‘anvil material’ that moissanite apparently does not share owing to its inherent elasticity under extreme heat conditions.
The strength of moissanite is apparently unstable at temperatures exceeding 400 degrees and is quite unreliable at temperatures reaching 1000 degrees. Moissanite also has so-called \"shear stress\" properties.
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