Currently, lab-made cubic zirconia (CZ) is the most popular diamond lookalike. At a fraction of the price, it can rival diamond in brilliance (the light it reflects) and dispersion or fire (the colorful flashes that seem to come from within the stone).
Moissanite Arguably the best faux diamond in existence, moissanite comprises silicon carbide, which means it is almost of the same hardness as a natural diamond. It also has reasonable colorlessness, although the glow is far more colorful than what you would see in a real diamond.
Simulated diamonds are also known as diamond simulants and include things like cubic zirconia (CZ), moissanite, and YAG. They can also include some natural clear gemstones like white sapphire, white zircon or even clear quartz.
What Is Moissanite? Moissanite is an interesting gemstone, because it is both synthetic, and a diamond simulant. It is not, however, a synthetic diamond. It is a diamond simulant because it is made to look like a diamond.
Are Russian Brilliants Really a Diamond? Russian Brilliants® is a laboratory-grown stone that is classified as a diamond simulant. A simulated diamond simulates or imitates the appearance of a mined diamond, but does not duplicate the characteristic chemical and physical properties of the natural gemstone.
At the same time, the Russian rough diamond is considered to be the best diamond in terms of quality, structure, and material. This is exactly why two diamonds can have ideal cut and proportions, but a Russian cut diamond will have a better polish and shine than the other Ideal Cut Diamond.
The average diamond price per carat in Russia reached nearly 67.6 U.S. dollars in 2021.
Moissanite looks so similar to diamonds that most people actually struggle to tell the difference between the two, even when placed side by side! The one telling difference is that moissanite will display slightly more rainbow sparkles than a diamond, as it has a higher refractive index.
The Diamond of the future
A Swarovski Created Diamond is identical to a mined diamond in every way but origin. Crafted to last a lifetime, each piece harnesses 127 years of cutting experience to transform our lab grown diamonds into works of impeccable wonder.
Moissanite, referred to as a diamond simulant, is engineered to give the illusion of similarity to diamonds, but is compositionally and visually quite different from a real diamond. The durability, brilliance, and color of the two gems are quite distinct.
This means that diamond jewelry is often imitated and sold as a real diamond. If you have been sold a fake diamond it is most likely to be CZ (Cubic Zirconia), an imitation created in a lab. While some choose to knowingly buy and sell CZ gems, others attempt to exploit the industry and sell them as real diamonds.
Is it unethical to wear fake diamonds? No, it most definitely is not. It's harmless.
So what really is an Illusion Diamond? Just like a puzzle, the Illusion diamond setting uses a selection of stone shapes which are assembled and set in an invisible setting to create the illusion of a single, much larger stone.
The truth is that moissanite is not a synthetic diamond or the often dreaded cubic zirconia, it's a totally separate gemstone that is naturally occurring, though extremely rare and found in meteorites. Because of its beauty and durability, it's one of the few gemstones that's incredibly well suited to fine jewelry.
Moissanite is harder and more durable than cubic zirconia, so it is less likely to chip and crack when in a ring setting. Choose cubic zirconia if you are shopping for earrings or a pendant, as this type of jewelry is less likely to be damaged. People are less likely to get a close-up look at earrings or pendants.
Cubic Zirconia
Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, CZ is widely considered as one of the best faux diamonds. Since its market entry in 1976 CZ quickly dominated the diamond simulant market and it remains the most gemologically and economically important simulant.
Yes. GIA has been grading laboratory-grown diamonds since 2007.
The diamonds in the Diamonds by Pandora collection are grown in a lab. They are optically, chemically, thermally, and physically identical to mined diamonds but created above ground. And we know the origin of every single one. They are a remarkable example of how innovation can replicate nature's process.
Lab-grown diamonds look the same as natural diamonds. The only difference is their origin. Since lab-grown diamonds are essentially the same as natural diamonds, they have the same properties, such as hardness. Both lab-grown and natural diamonds rank as a 10 on Mohs scale.
A real diamond appears gray and white inside (brilliance) when held to the light and can reflect rainbow colors (fire) onto other surfaces. A fake diamond will display rainbow colors within the stone when held up to light.
Because diamonds reflect white light, colorless diamonds produce the best sparkle and fire. In fact, the more color a diamond has, the less likely it is to reflect white light. And as a result, will produce less sparkle. A D-color diamond is the highest quality, and will offer the greatest sparkle.
Alrosa is Russia's leading diamond mining and distribution company, accounting for 95% of Russian diamond production and 27% of global diamond extraction. The company's headquarters are located in Mirny (Sakha Republic) and Moscow.
Russia. Russia is said to have the world's largest and richest diamond reserves. By volume, they are the greatest producer and exporter of rough diamonds in the world.
The Spectacle gave its name to the collection of gems dedicated to the Russian ballet. (Image courtesy of Christie's.) The largest diamond ever cut in Russia – a 100.94 carat stone called the Alrosa Spectacle – has sold for 12.84-million Swiss francs ($14.1-million) at Christie's in Geneva.
Russian diamond buying concerns
The diamond market is still largely unregulated, with a pricing system all of its own. As a result of that, the price is very high, compared to other diamonds.