Is a lab-grown diamond really cubic zircona? If not, what's the difference?

I admit it. When I first attended the Jewellery and Gem show in Singapore in September 2022 and saw the words Lab Grown Diamond, I thought it was a fancy marketing ploy to make cubic zircona sound more attractive. If I had had the courage to ask the stand staff, I would have found out immediately that there is a huge difference. A lab grown diamond, like a mined diamond, has a carbon base. A cubic zircona does not. 

Cost-wise, as the Lab Grown Diamond suppliers say in their leaflets and banners, they are cheaper than mined diamonds.

The simplest thing to do is to approach sellers of all three products, and ask each person how their  product differs from the others. Ask about price, use, advantage and disadvantage. In short, who would be buying each product and why?

Are you buying a loose diamond, or several, or a finished product, as an investment, to look glamorous, to outshine others, to feel good about yourself and the product? Or seeking a bargain, to save money? Or as a spare, or a copy or cheap version for travelling, so as not to risk losing an expensive item? Or for industrial use?

Lab grown small diamonds are used in industry.

Sellers have various selling points to make and buyers have various considerations. The first is often price. 

Then colour. Then striations (streaks) and visible polishing marks. Also the sharp or rounded edges of cuts. 

Ethics

At first sight, as a buyer of pretty and expensive jewellery, whether a grand royal tiara or a small engagement ring, you might think that real diamonds are real mined diamonds and anything else is a fake.

However, on the other hand, one could talk to the buyer about affordability, durability, using diamonds instead of steel in medicine, in surgery.

Safety

Then, about saving workers from unsafe mining or from diamonds being used to fund wars, so that one product is more ethical than another. 

Learning More

We have a lot to ask about when buying, to answer succinctly when selling, and to learn before the next trade show. For more information see

Useful Websites

https://www.adadiamonds.com/synthetic-diamond-facts-and-misconceptions/is-a-lab-diamond-the-same-as-cz

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_diamond

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_zirconia

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