There is a great deal of confusion on the topic of diamonds, diamond simulants, that which is sometimes called a "created diamond" and outright fakes. This guide is to give a basic understanding of some of the differences between these things, and what to look for (and ask about) when you're considering buying jewellery with any kind of simulated diamonds.

Cultured Diamonds



Cultured diamonds (Synthetic diamonds, aka lab diamonds) are a laboratory-grown simulation of the natural stone, they have the identical carbon-based chemical properties of natural diamond. Synthetic diamonds are increasingly used in the jewelry trade under the "Apollo Diamond," "Chatham Created Gems," "Gemesis" or "Tairus" trade names.

Cubic Zirconia



The most familiar diamond simulant to most consumers is Cubic Zirconia (CZ) or (Zirconium Oxide ZrO2). Cubic zirconia has a hardness of 8.3 on the Mohs scale, while diamond has a hardness of 10. The Toughness of Cubic Zirconia is rated as good. The refractive index (RI) of Cubic Zirconia is 2.17.
CZs are optically flawless and can be made in colored or colorless (white) versions. CZs can be made in any "color grade, but D-colorless (white) versions are more expensive to produce. CZ color-grading sets are used to do a comparative color analysis of natural diamonds. CZ can take on a gray tone when exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods.


Moissanite



Gem-grade Moissanite (Silicon Carbide or Carborundum), manufactured by C3 and Cree Research, was introduced to the jewelry market in 1998.
Moissanite has a hardness of 9.25 on the Mohs scale, while diamond has a hardness of 10. Moissanite is doubly refractive and the refractive index of Moissanite is 2.65 to 2.69. The Toughness of Moissanite is Excellent. Colorless synthetic Moissanite has the appearance of colorless diamond and is more difficult to detect than CZ.

Amorphous diamond



Our diamond is a new hybrid diamond simulant that consists of an external amorphous diamond layer which has 90% of real diamond structure. It truly mimics the light-play luster and beauty of gem diamond.
The exterior layer of amorphous diamond is masterfully coated by experienced engineers in Nanofilm Technologies International (NTI) on perfact-cut CZ using NTI patented reward-winning Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (FCVA) technology.
The “diamond-plated” CZ stone can be handled and cleaned just like a solid diamond. However, like all hard natural stones, mechanical impact and direct excessive scratch against a hard surface should be avoided.
It has a hardness of 9.0(approx) on the Mohs scale,similar to sapphire, with proper care and caution, this beautiful hybrid stimulant will bring you joy and brilliance for life.


*reference from www.khulsey.com/jewelry/diamond_simulants.html