Using the natural duality between linear functionals on tensor products of $C^*$-algebras with the trace class operators on a Hilbert space $H$ and linear maps of the $C^*$-algebra into $B(H)$, we give two characterizations of separability, one relating it to abelianness of the definite set of the map, and one on tensor products of nuclear and UHF $C^*$-algebras.