Cubic zirconia is a synthesized (man-made) crystalline diamond simulant mineral that is colorless, hard, and flawless. These diamond simulants are not made of carbon crystals, and don't have the same brilliance as diamonds. For that reason, simulants sell at much lower prices than diamonds (lab created or organic).
Although both lab-grown diamonds and moissanite are man-made, they have a different chemical makeup and very specific features when viewed in person. Moissanites are nearly as hard as lab-grown diamonds, scoring a 9.25 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. This makes them very strong and suitable for daily wear.
They may look a lot alike and be produced in a very similar manner but lab created diamonds and cubic zirconia stones are not the same. While lab grown diamonds are considered to be real diamonds, simulant diamonds like cubic zirconia are not.
But will lab grown diamonds hold value? Many claim that these synthetic diamonds hold little to no value on the market, but that's not the case at all! Just like mined diamonds, lab created diamonds hold a similar resale value and sell for a portion of the original sale price.
Professional jewelers and gemologists cannot tell the difference between a lab created diamond and a natural one just by looking at it with the naked eye. They will have to use a microscope to look for the tiny differences in its inclusions that indicate how it was formed.
Natural diamonds often contain a small amount of nitrogen or other impurities, while lab-grown diamonds do not. Tiffany diamonds are responsibly sourced from known mines and suppliers, and the majority of our rough stones come from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada.
They are chemically identical to natural diamonds
Lab diamonds really do last forever, and there's nothing that will dull the shine or interfere with the brilliance of synthetic diamonds. It's not for nothing that they say it's impossible to tell the difference between a natural diamond and a man-made one.
Although some Lab-grown diamonds can fade, this happens only if the quality of the diamond is cheap. In such a case, they lose their shine due to overexposure to UV light. One reason why lab-created diamonds don't lose their shine or get faded and cloudy with time is that they are created by a process called HPHT.
The only thing that makes a lab-grown diamond different from a mined diamond is its origin. A lab-created diamond touches fewer hands than in the mining process so it's more cost-effective. Great Heights diamonds are priced by 40 to 60 percent less compared to mined diamonds.
Will Lab Diamonds Pass A Diamond Tester? Yes, lab diamonds have the same carbon composition as natural diamonds. Therefore, they have the same thermal conductivity. The test results are positive when exposed to the diamond tester, since the diamonds have the same physical and chemical properties as natural diamonds.
Man-made diamonds are substantially more durable than cubic zirconia. This is down to the difference in hardness between both stones. Synthetic diamonds are placed at 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, while cubic zirconia has a rating of 8.5.
Cubic zirconia is very inexpensive, since it's synthetic and mass-produced. A cut and polished one carat cubic zirconia stone will cost $20 and a similar two carat stone will cost about $30. This is far cheaper than diamonds, which start at $1800 for one carat and increase considerably as size goes up.
There is no definite way to differentiate these jewels from one another. They are difficult to differentiate to the naked eye, and even under a jeweller's loupe. Moissanite is a true alternative to diamond offering unrivalled beauty and incredible value.
The most effective way to tell moissanite apart from a diamond is to use a loupe to look through the top, or the crown, of the jewel at an angle. You will see two slightly blurred lines that indicates a double refraction, an inherent quality of moissanite. Double refraction is easier to see in some shapes than others.
Yes, some diamond simulants can pass a diamond tester.
For example, moissanite, a man made gem, may pass as a diamond on a standard tester pen. This is because moissanite also has very high thermal conductivity! Other diamond simulants, such as CZ, will not pass the tester.
Plus, lab-grown diamonds are not finite like their natural counterparts, so there is no guarantee that they will hold any value in the future because their supply will always be high.
Lab grown diamonds are as real as diamonds mined from the earth. Lab grown diamonds are identical to earth mined diamonds in every way, except that they are grown in a lab. They have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as mined diamonds and exhibit the same fire, scintillation, and sparkle.
Traditional jewelers of mined diamonds regularly lie to the public, claiming that there is no resale market for lab grown diamonds. This is false. Just as mined diamonds have some resale value, lab grown diamonds have a similar resale value as a portion of the original sale price.
Your lab diamond will stay as white as it is forever. Because it's a real diamond, you can trust that it's as durable as its mined counterparts. It will never turn yellow or change color over time.
To consumers, there is no visible difference between a mined or lab-grown stone in terms of quality. The only observable difference is in size and cost and lab-growns beat natural in that regard.
Diamonds are separated into five types: Type Ia, Type Ib, Type 1aB, Type IIa, and Type IIb. The impurities measured are at the atomic level within the crystal lattice of carbon atoms and so, unlike inclusions, require an infrared spectrometer to detect.
Moissanite disperses light very well and has higher light refraction than Diamond and will appear more brilliant. Additionally, Moissanite is less likely to attract grease or dirt over time than a Diamond due to its crystalline structure which should help keep the 'sparkle' longer between cleanings.
Market research firm The MVEye also monitors the lab-grown diamond sector. It currently estimates that the market accounts for 8-10 percent of diamond jewelry sales globally.