Shining Light on Lab-Grown Diamonds vs. Diamond Simulants

Lab-Grown Diamonds vs. Diamond Simulants

To help sort through any confusion you may have about lab diamonds and diamond simulants, and to help you become more informed when you buy diamond jewelry, let’s analyze and compare the two types of stones.

What is a Lab Diamond?

A lab diamond is created in a laboratory setting. They have the same physical appearance, chemical properties, and visual optics as diamonds grown in nature. 

Each laboratory-grown diamond has a laboratory-grown diamond report. This report includes information related to its clarity, cut, color, and carat weight.

These diamond attributes, otherwise known as the four Cs of diamonds, are criteria that make up a universal grading scale for diamonds. Consumers can use the four Cs to understand the quality of the lab diamond they want. At Brian Gavin Diamonds, we focus on a fifth C which we’ll tell you more about at the end of this article.

Lab-grown diamond production methods include high pressure, high temperature (HPHT), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). 

Our lab diamonds are grown in-house in Texas using our patent-pending, single-cycle CVD method that gives the lab diamond the ultimate transparency, brightness, and sparkle. We have high standards when it comes to the quality of the lab-created diamonds we offer, and inspect each diamond closely so they adhere to our, and your, expectations.

What are Simulated Diamonds?

Diamond simulants are gemstones manufactured to imitate natural diamonds. 

At first glance, they might appear to have similar brilliance and fire. However, they have different chemical compositions and visual characteristics than natural diamonds. 

You can find several kinds of diamond simulants, including:

• Moissanite
• Cubic zirconia simulant
• Diamond hybrid simulant

These are not real diamonds and you can distinguish the visual differences using the naked eye based on the fiery sparkle.

Some diamond simulants can pass the diamond test in which a diamond tester measures the gemstone’s thermal conductivity. 

Moissanite gemstones may pass the diamond test because, similar to real diamonds, it also has very high thermal conductivity. However, cubic zirconia will not pass the test.

Differences Between Lab Diamonds vs. Simulated Diamonds

Even though simulated means to imitate something, diamond stimulants are not the same thing as lab-grown diamonds. 

Let’s explore the differences between the two gemstones.

Lab-Grown Diamonds are Made From Different Materials Than Diamond Simulants

Lab-grown diamonds have the same chemical composition as diamonds formed in nature. You grow a diamond crystal seed through the HPHT or CVD lab-grown diamond production methods. 

HPHT Diamond Process

In the HPHT method, the crystal seed is placed into a containment tube that is surrounded by heating mechanisms. The extreme heat and pressure replicated the natural conditions where diamonds form deep within the earth.

CVD Diamond Process

The CVD method places the diamond crystal seed in a sealed chamber at a very high temperature. The chamber is completely sealed and flooded with carbon-rich gas. The gas forms multiple layers on the crystal seed to grow into the diamond.

Making Diamond Simulants

Each diamond simulant is made using its own process:

• Cubic zirconia is made by melting powdered zirconium with zirconium dioxide and heated to extreme temperatures
• Moissanite is created with silicon carbide as a single crystal 
• The diamond hybrid simulant is created by infusing lab-created diamonds or bonding them at a molecular level to the outer layers of a crystal core or substrate

Lab Diamonds are More Durable Than Simulated Diamonds

Lab diamonds measure a ten on the Mohs scale. They are the most durable gemstone you can find—this makes them ideal for jewelry because they can withstand surface scratches and regular wear and tear over time. 

Moissanite and other simulated diamonds are not as durable. This means you’ll sometimes find scratches on the surface.

Lab Diamonds are More Expensive Than Diamond Simulants

Lab-grown diamonds have the same brilliance, sparkle, and fire as diamonds grown in nature. Lab diamonds are also the most durable gemstone and are excellent at keeping the brightness and sparkle over time. 

These benefits mean lab diamond jewelry pieces can be more expensive depending on the color, clarity, carat weight, and cut you want.

Diamond simulants are not as durable as lab diamonds. They are also more susceptible to wear over time and surface scratches. They also have a rainbow sparkle that’s noticeably different from lab diamonds. You can tell from looking at larger diamond simulants that they aren’t real diamonds. Hence, they cost less.

Diamond Simulants Have a Higher Refractive Index Than Lab Diamonds

You can differentiate diamond simulants from lab-grown diamonds from their optical properties. 

For example, moissanite has a higher refractive index than diamonds. The refractive rate measures the sparkle and brilliance. 

However, moissanite is double refractive, which means light that enters is split into two rays that go in separate directions. It causes moissanite to emit a fiery rainbow sparkle rather than bright, white brilliance.

Lab Diamonds Have a Whiter Sparkle Than Simulated Diamonds

The inside of a real diamond sparkles gray and white and the outside reflects a rainbow of colors onto different surfaces. 

Lab diamonds with higher cut performance will have more white and brightness. Simulated diamonds will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond. They emit a more colorful brilliance instead of a white sparkle.

Shop the Highest Quality Lab Diamonds at Brian Gavin Diamonds

Now that you’ve read our guide comparing lab-grown diamonds with diamond simulants, you’re one step closer to finding the diamond of your dreams. Lab diamonds and diamond simulants are grown using different processes and have many differences that make them both unique. 

While lab diamonds are more durable and have a whiter sparkle than simulated diamonds, they can also be more expensive. It’s vital to weigh your options and find a stone that works for your preferences and budget.

At Brian Gavin Diamonds, we use a standard diamond grading scale to grade the quality of each lab diamond based on the four Cs: 

• cut/shape
• carat weight
• color
• clarity

But as previously mentioned, we don’t stop there—we also use an additional C when examining your potential lab diamond: we carefully consider cut/performance in addition to cut/shape.

Using this fifth C is just one of the ways we uphold our high standards for ensuring each customer gets a brilliant lab-grown diamond that sparkles and shines under all lights.