History of Moissanite
Henry Moissan originally gave the impression to have discovered diamonds in a crater left by a meteorite in Arizona, but on close examination they turned out to be a new type of mineral altogether - not having any properties in common with diamonds. Named in honor of him is the new white mineral isolated, moissanite.
In the early 1900s, researchers created synthetic moissanite, a rare, natural gemstone that eventually resulted in advances in and applications in industrial materials including cutting tools and abrasives; it was not until the late 1990s that scientists managed to grow transparent, jeweler-quality moissanite gems for use in fine jewelry.