It is extremely rare in nature; known as moissanite, it was first discovered in 1893 by the French chemist Henri Moissan in fragments of the Canyon Diablo meteorite (Arizona, USA) and was later also identified in kimberlite xenoliths and ultra-high-pressure metamorphic rocks. The material widely available on the market today is almost entirely synthetic, having been produced industrially since 1891 (using the Acheson process) by heating silica sand and carbon to temperatures exceeding 2000°C in an electric furnace. It features extremely strong covalent bonds between silicon and carbon, which give it extreme hardness (9–9.5 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamond), high thermal conductivity, and semiconducting properties. Density: 3.2 g/cm³; luster is submetallic or vitreous, depending on purity.

Widely used as an industrial abrasive, refractory material, and semiconductor in power electronics; the synthetic gem-quality variety (moissanite) is widely used in jewelry as an affordable alternative to diamond, from which it differs in its greater light dispersion; natural specimens of moissanite are extremely rare and highly sought after by specialized collectors.