Archive for December, 2009
As the largest fraternal organization in the world that admits both men and women, the Order of the Eastern Star is recognized the world over. Founded in 1850, the society has its foundations in the Bible and possesses roughly 10,000 chapters in twenty countries. Due to its close affiliation with the Free Masons, in order to become a member, men must be Master Masons and women must have a distinct relationship with Masons.
The logo for the Order is a five pointed star that features five different colors. Each of the points represents part of the core beliefs of the Order that are derived from the Bible. In the Chapter room, the white point of the star always points to the west. The Eastern Star is utilized in a variety of the fraternity’s paraphernalia, including Eastern Star rings.
Originally founded by Henri Moissan at the turn of the 20th century, moissanite is a rare mineral with the chemical formula SiC. The mineral is extremely scarce and is only found in the remnants of meteorites. Once the compound was researched, scientists were able to reconstruct the mineral synthetically, as it is simply silicon carbide. Since the mineral is incredibly rare, virtually all of the moissanite used today is synthesized.
Today the mineral is most commonly utilized in its crystal form for jewelry. Ranking in with a 9.5 on the Mohs scale, moissanite jewelry is extremely hard and resembles diamonds. The mineral is often used as a substitute for diamonds in moissanite rings and pendants.