top of page

Are Lab Grown Diamonds Diamond Simulants?

Writer: Bert LeviBert Levi
Round brilliant cut loose diamond.


This seems like a complicated question, and it is. The answer isn’t complicated at all. Lab grown diamonds are actual diamonds, real diamond not simulated diamonds. A simulant is a substance created to seem like a diamond. Lab diamonds are the exact same as natural diamond but created in a lab with technology that mimics how they are created in nature.






Famous simulants include moissanite and cubic zirconia.


  • Moissanite: Moissanite is a lab-created gem similar to a diamond that refracts light differently, creating a colored glint rather than the crystal-clear sparkle of a diamond. Thought Moissanite occurs naturally in meteorites, any you purchase are formed in a lab synthetically.

  • Cubic Zirconia: Cubic zirconia is a lab-created crystal often used as a placeholder in jewelry to show customers an approximation of how an item will look with the diamond. It is used extensively in costume jewelry.

Cubic zirconia and moissanite aren’t diamonds at all but just designed to look like them. You can tell the difference between a simulant and a diamond without any equipment. You can tell just by looking at them.


This isn’t to say that you might not enjoy a gem other than a diamond, and some people quite enjoy having a simulant. They just aren’t diamonds. Lab diamonds, on the other hand, are actual diamonds. Real. Diamonds.


Just very significantly less expensive and more ethically safe than mined diamonds.



 


You might find this blog helpful, too…

 


 

Comments


  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

©2025 by Bert Levi Family Jewelers.

Levi Family Jewelers Is a Third-Generation Jeweler Committed to Developing Relationships That Last a Lifetime. Part Of That Is Making Something Clear to You. We are not an official dealer for any of the watch brands we sell and have no affiliation with any of the manufacturers. All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. We are not affiliated with Rolex S.A., Rolex USA, or any of its subsidiaries, Rolex, www.rolex.com, is under no obligation to warranty-service watches sold by Levi Family Jewelers. Rolex Datejust, Rolex Day Date President, Submariner, Presidential, Explorer, Sea Dweller, Super President, GMT Master, GMT, YachtMaster, Prince, Milgaus, MasterPiece, Air King, Cosmograph Daytona, and PearlMaster are all registered trademarks of the Rolex Corporation ( Rolex USA, Rolex S.A.) To buy a new Rolex watch, please visit the Rolex website for a list of authorized Rolex dealers near you.

bottom of page