Difference Between Moissanite and Morganite

The key difference between moissanite and morganite is that the moissanite is colourless, whereas the morganite has a peachy pink colour.

Moissanite and morganite are important in making different jewellery. These are gemstones and are good alternatives for diamonds.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Moissanite
3. What is Morganite
4. Side by Side Comparison – Moissanite vs Morganite in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Moissanite?

Moissanite is silicon carbide, which is a naturally occurring mineral. It can occur in different polymorphic structures of silicon carbide. Therefore, its chemical formula is SiC. Also, this is a rare mineral on earth. The most important properties of this mineral are hardness, optical properties and thermal conductivity, which are useful in industries. It has strong covalent bonds between atoms similar to diamond.

Figure 01: Moissanite

The crystal system of this mineral is hexagonal. It appears as a colourless stone. But, there can be green or yellow colours due to impurities. Generally, we can find this substance as an inclusion in other minerals. The cleavage of this stone is indistinct, but the fracture is conchoidal. Its Mohs scale hardness is 9.5 while the hardness of diamond, which is the hardest naturally occurring material on earth, is 10. Moissanite has a metallic lustre as well. Moreover, the mineral streak of moissanite is greenish-grey. Further, this substance is transparent. Its melting point is at 2730 °C, and it decomposes upon further heating.

Since the naturally occurring stones of moissanite are very rare, we use the synthetic form of silicon carbide instead. Also, this material is important in making jewellery, especially as a good alternative for diamond. We can produce it in pure form by thermal decomposition of preceramic polymer material,  poly(methylsilyne).

What is Morganite?

Morganite is a naturally occurring mineral that has the chemical formula Be₃Al₂SiO₆. It has a peachy pink appearance, and it is very important in jewellery making because of its vitreous lustre. Its crystal system is hexagonal, and the Mohs scale hardness is about 7.5. We can describe its transparency as transparent or translucent.

Figure 02: Morganite

Moreover, morganite is considered a healing stone as well. This gemstone belongs to the same group as emerald. The pink colour of this stone is due to the presence of a little percentage of manganese.

What is the Difference Between Moissanite and Morganite?

The key difference between moissanite and morganite is that moissanite is colourless, whereas morganite has a peachy pink colour. Another major difference between moissanite and morganite is that moissanite is harder than morganite; the Mohs scale gives 9.5 for moissanite while for morganite it is 7.5-8.

Below infographic provides more details on the difference between moissanite and morganite.

Summary – Moissanite vs Morganite

Both moissanite and morganite are important as gemstones for making jewellery. The key difference between moissanite and morganite is that moissanite is colourless, whereas morganite has a peachy pink colour.

Reference:

1. “Morganite Stone – Meaning, Benefits and Properties.” My Stone Meaning, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Moissanite ring natural light” By Mujeresliebres at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Morganite, quartz, mica et tourmalines 3(Afghanistan)” By Parent Géry – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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