Profile

Charles & Colvard, Ltd., is a Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based publicly traded company that distributes and manufactures jewelry. It was founded in 1995 by Charles Eric Hunter under the name C3 Inc., and then run by his brother Jeff Hunter until 2000. The company changed its name to Charles & Colvard in 1999. The company employs 63 people full-time, and generated $32.4 million in revenue during the year ending June 30, 2019, up from $27.91 million in the previous year. Charles & Covard was the first company to produce and sell synthetic moissanite, under U.S. patent US5723391 A, first filed by C3 Inc., North Carolina. The gemstones are made from silicon carbide crystals, supplied under an exclusive agreement from fellow North Carolina company Cree Inc. since 2014.