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CharlesC October 9, 2010

What is the most popular synthetic diamond?

I know it used to be cubic zirconia. Is that still the case? I heard there were better materials today that are more similar to diamonds and it's almost impossible to detect that they are synthetic. What are the most popular synthetic diamonds out there?

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JermieC October 16, 2010

You're confusing synthetic diamonds and diamond simulants, or "fake diamonds." These terms are not interchangeable. You're thinking of diamond simulants. These are materials that share some properties with diamonds but are in fact a very different substance and are not composed of carbon atoms at all. These are fake diamonds. Numerous materials are used to make fake diamond jewelry. You mentioned cubic zirconia. This is indeed a very common diamond simulant. One must be ware of these when buying a diaomnd. Another popular material is moissanite. This material is even more similar to a diamond than cubic zirconia is, and it jewelry made with moissanite and sold as diamond jewelry is becoming more and more abundant. There are other materials used too, such as glass and other diamond look-alike materials.
Then there are synthetic diamonds. These are diamonds. They have the same chemical structure as naturally occurring diamonds do. That is they are made of carbon atoms, arranged the same exact way that these atoms are arranged in natural diamonds. The are not considered fake. They are cheaper than naturally occurring diamonds, but not significantly cheaper (roughly 15%). And since 2007, the GIA has begun to determine the gradings of cut, clarity, color and carat weight, for synthetic diamonds. In other words, these diamonds - synthetic diamonds - are regarded as valuable diamonds by important gemological institutions. the only difference between naturally occurring and synthetic diamonds is that the synthetic diamonds undergo in a lab what natural diamonds have undergone in the Earth's crust over many years. The processes are identical, and so is the chemical result.