Important Questions to Ask Before Buying

1.          Is this a real diamond? 

No. It is a lab created gemstone material that initially came to fruition in Russia.  While not chemically identical to a natural diamond, these stones were created to mimic the visual properties of a natural stone. 

Please don’t be fooled into believing any eBay or other seller is offering you something that it is not.  Far too many sellers prey on the fact that consumers are unaware that there are differences between a SYNTHETIC diamond, and a SIMULANT diamond.  Both are commonly termed “lab diamond” so it can create quite a confusion.

 You'll find thousands of gemstone merchants out there that state about their product:

 “They're so hard you can even scratch glass !!!” 

Of course they can!  Glass rates under a 6 on the Mohs Hardness scale, so ANYTHING harder than a 6 will scratch glass.  That encompasses every kind of diamond simulant there is including (but not limited to):  YAG, GGG, Moissanite, CZ, Asha, Russian Jewels, Russian Brilliants, Russian Radiance, Diamonique, Diamonelle, etc.

The Mohs Scale of Relative Mineral Hardness

The Mohs scale is strictly a relative scale, but that's all that anyone needs. In terms of absolute hardness, diamond (hardness 10) actually is 4 times harder than corundum (hardness 9) and 6 times harder than topaz or CZ (hardness 8).

There are a few handy objects that also fit in the Mohs scale. A fingernail is 2½, a penny is just under 3, a knife blade is 5½, glass is 5½, and a good steel file is 6½.

As you can see, even a steel file can “scratch glass”.  So the fact that a gemstone is harder than glass should never be used as a gauge to select your diamond alternative.  Of course, the harder, the better if you are driving towards something with similar physical properties to a diamond.  

2.       What is the difference between SIMULANT, SIMULATE, SYNTHETIC 
 and HYBRID?

Recently, the term simulate became another name for a simulant.  They are one and the same.  The basic definition is as follows:     

A synthetic ANYTHING, will have the exact same composition as its natural counterpart.  A simulant will not.  A simulant may have many of the same physical or visual characteristics, but is not the same chemically speaking.  

Please do not be fooled into thinking any SIMULANT gemstone is a SYNTHETIC gemstone!  Synthetic diamonds ARE available, however, Synthetic Diamonds are not readily available to the general public in large quantities.

A HYBRID stone, though they may contain traces of SYNTHETIC, are still considered a simulant.  For example, Russian Jewels are created as a simulant, mimicking virtually ALL of the physical properties of a natural diamond, however, their chemical composition is different.  What makes these stones, along with a few select others, a hybrid, is that they are coated with a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating, assisting in the prevention of abrasions and the relatively quick clouding over of most low end simulants.  (A common CZ will cloud within 5-6 months with regular wear.  The “clouding” is actually tiny abrasions on the surface of the stone.)  What the DLC coating does, because it IS so durable, is extends the life of the stone.