Lab-Created vs. Cubic Zirconia vs. RZ® Simulant Diamond

So what is the difference between lab-created diamonds, Cubic Zirconia, and the RZ® Simulant Diamond? To put it simply, lab-created diamonds are pure crystallized carbon diamonds grown in a controlled laboratory environment. They have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as an earth-mined diamond. They are graded on the same scale as earth-mined diamonds with the ONLY difference being their point of origin (where it came from).

Terms used to describe lab-created diamonds include, but are not limited to, laboratory-grown diamonds, man-made diamonds, cultured diamonds, and pure grown diamonds. You may have also heard the term ‘Synthetic Diamonds’ to describe diamonds that are grown. However, this is a misleading term set forth by the earth mined diamond industry to imply that these grown diamonds are fake. This could not be further from the truth, and we will start seeing less and less of this term.

Cubic Zirconia, on the other hand, are created to mimic the look of natural diamonds, but contain zero diamond and are non-precious. Great examples of Cubic Zirconia are Cubic Zirconia (CZ), Moissanite and White Topaz. These simulant stones are very inexpensive and contain no diamond.

The RZ® Simulant Diamond is a rare blend of both technologies. It is comprised of both lab-created diamond and diamond simulate technology. We start with a porous crystal core that is not diamond, and then infuse a form of lab-created diamond (carbon) on the outer layer. Because it’s not pure crystallized carbon and not 100% chemically identical to the earth-mined diamond it is still classified a simulant. We call it a "RZ® Simulant" because it is using a blend of lab-created diamond and diamond simulate technology.

Below is a picture of a round cut lab created diamond (left) compared to the RZ® Simulant Diamond (right).

PROPERTIES	EARTH-MINED DIAMONDS	RZ® Simulant Diamond	LAB-CREATED DIAMONDS	CUBIC ZIRCONIA	MOISSANITE
% of Diamond Bonds	100% solid	85% in infused outer layer	100% solid	0%	0%
MOHS Hardness Scale	10	Avg9.5	10	8.0-8.5	9.25
Разрез	Varies on cost	Excellent, Hearts and Arrows	Varies on cost	Varies on cost	Cut to correct its doubly refractive index
Цвет	D to F (colorless) to S to Z (yellow)	D to E - Colorless	Anywhere from D to F (colorless) to S to Z (yellow)	D - shows yellows and greens under UV light	I to J - Tinges of yellows, grays and greens
Ясность	Variable - Nearly always a birthmark	Internally flawless to VS2	VS to SI	I to F	VS1 to VS2
Carat Cost	Avg HK$40,000.00	HK$688.00	Avg HK$25,000.00	HK$10.00	HK$1,500.00

　

RZ® Simulant Diamond vs. Cubic Zirconia

Cubic Zirconia (CZ) has been the most popular diamond alternative for years. Before the advent of superior and more durable man-made diamond coatings and cultured diamonds, cubic zirconia was the most common consumer choice for a more affordable diamond alternative.

Roselle Jewelry has taken diamond alternative technology to a whole new level. The RZ® Simulant Diamond consists of a non-precious core that is infused with an enhanced form of lab-created diamond giving our RZ® Simulant stone a hardness that is nearly two times greater than CZ, a brilliance and light play that is undecipherable from a natural diamond and a non-stick, non-porous surface that repels dirt and grime superbly. The end result is a diamond simulant that is far more brilliant, durable and diamond like than cubic zirconia could ever be.

Click here to see an Instagram post comparing the RZ® Simulant to a CZ.

PROPERTIES	RZ® Simulant Diamond	CUBIC ZIRCONIA	SUMMARY
Цвет	Averaging D to E (colorless)	D - shows yellows and greens under UV light	The RZ® Simulant Diamond throws out the same color patterns as very fine earth-mined diamonds, both under short and long wave UV lights, indoors and outdoors.
Разрез	Excellent, hearts and arrows, cut by hand	CZ (varies on cost)	The RZ® Simulant Diamond throws out the same color patterns as very fine earth-mined diamonds, both under short and long wave UV lights, indoors and outdoors.
Index of Refraction	Analysis shows excellent averaging 2.24	Avg. 2.15 - Gives off a glassy appearance	Analysis shows our RZ® Simulant Diamond averages a refractive index nearly identical to a natural diamond giving our RZ® Simulant stones an incredibly realistic brilliance that is incomparable to any other simulant being produced in the diamond alternative industry.
SP3 Carbon Diamond Bonds (%)	10%	0%
Ясность	FL	IF
MOHS Hardness Scale	Avg9.5	8.0 - 8.5	This means our RZ® Simulant stone is as hard or even slightly harder than a natural Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald.
Cuts Glass	Yes	Yes	Glass has a hardness of 5.5 on the MOHS scale. CZ is 8.5 and cuts glass. Cutting glass is not a good qualifier to identify quality products.
Polish/Symmetry	By diamond powder / Excellent	By diamond powder / Varies	The RZ® Simulant Diamond has perfect symmetry and polish.

　

RZ® Simulant Diamond vs. Moissanite

Moissanite made its way onto the jewelry scene as a diamond alternative in the late 1990s. Synthetic Moissanite has some similarities to natural diamonds and is very hard on the Mohs Scale but has always been considered inferior with its I grade color and doubly refractive index. Moissanite failed to surpass its predecessor, cubic zirconia, in popularity before other superior man-made diamond technologies entered the market.

Roselle Jewelry has taken diamond alternative technology to a whole new level. The RZ® Simulant Diamond consist of a non-precious core that is infused with an enhanced form of lab-created diamond giving our RZ® Simulant stone superb hardness, a brilliance and light play that is undecipherable from a natural diamond and a non-stick, non-porous surface that repels dirt and grime superbly. The end result is a diamond simulant that is far more brilliant, affordable and realistically diamond like than Moissanite could ever be.

Below is a picture of a princess cut Moissanite stone (left) compared to the RZ® Simulant Diamond (right).

PROPERTIES	RZ® Simulant Diamond	MOISSANITE	SUMMARY
Цвет	D to E Colorless	I to J Tinges of yellows, grays and greens	The RZ® Simulant Diamond is far superior to Moissanite in color and it holds it superiority in larger carats as well as smaller carats. The larger you go with Moissanite the greener it will be.
Разрез	Excellent, hearts and arrows cut to the highest standards	Cut to correct its doubly refractive index	The RZ® Simulant Diamond will grade excellent to very good on the AGS cutting scale and are cut by hand, just like earth-mined diamonds. Moissanite needs to be cut differently than a natural diamond in an attempt to correct some of its blurred or duplicated appearance.
Index of Refraction	Analysis shows excellent averaging 2.24	Avg, 2.67	Analysis shows the RZ® Simulant Diamond averages a refractive index nearly identical to a natural diamond giving our RZ® Simulant stones an incredibly realistic brilliance. Moissanite is significantly shinier when viewed next to a fine earth-mined diamond giving it an unnatural appearance.
Internal Crystal Structure	Face-Centered- Cubic/Singly refractive. Same as a diamond	Hexagonal/Doubly refractive	The crystal structure of the RZ® Simulant Diamond is identical to an earth-mined diamond, giving it the same light play as a natural diamond. Moissanite's hexagonal structure creates bi-refringence a problem that splits light within the crystal giving it its doubly refractive blurry or fuzzy appearance.
Ясность	Internally FLawless	VS1 to VS2
Percentage of SP3 Carbon Diamond Bonds	10%	0%
MOHS Hardness Scale	Avg 9.5	9.25	While the infused lab-created diamond layer by itself has a hardness of 9.6, once infused with the core, the overall hardness of the entire stone is 8.8. This means our RZ® Simulant stone is as hard or even slightly harder than a natural Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald.
Cuts Glass	Yes	Yes	Glass has a hardness of 5.5 on the MOHS scale. CZ is 8.5 and cuts glass. Cutting glass is not a good qualifier to identify quality products.
Polish/Symmetry	By diamond powder. Excellent	By diamond powder. Varies	The RZ® Simulant Diamond has perfect symmetry and polish.

　

RZ® Simulant Diamond vs. Earth Mined Diamonds

Earth-mined diamonds are undoubtedly the most beloved gemstone of all time. The breathtaking beauty and rare physical qualities of the diamond have inspired substantial advancements in the science of simulant and lab-created gem technologies. These technologies paved the way for successors to fulfill consumer demand for a superior man-made diamond alternative that is not only more affordable, but can be produced under ethical, eco-friendly conditions and guaranteed conflict-free.

Our RZ® Simulant Diamond consists of a non precious core that is infused with an enhanced form of lab-created diamond, giving our RZ® Simulant stone increased hardness, a brilliance and light play that is undecipherable from a natural diamond and a non-stick, non-porous surface that repels dirt and grime just like a natural diamond. Our RZ® Simulant stone is more affordable, diamond like and natural looking than any other diamond alternative in the industry next to grown diamonds which are also available at Roselle Jewelry.com.

PROPERTIES	RZ® Simulant Diamond	EARTH-MINED DIAMONDS	SUMMARY
Цвет	D to E Colorless	Average in today’s market is H to J	D to F colors are very rare in earth-mined diamonds and would be near $10,000.00 per carat which makes the RZ® Simulant Diamond incredibly affordable at only 3% to 5% the cost of a natural diamond when comparing like colored stones.
Разрез	Excellent, hearts and arrows cut by hand	Varies on cost	The RZ® Simulant Diamond will grade excellent to very good on the AGS cutting scale and are cut just like earth-mined diamonds. In fact only 1 in every 1,000 natural diamonds that go to market will ever get to the same level of cut as every single RZ® Simulant stone.
Index of Refraction	Analysis shows excellent averaging 2.24	2.42	Analysis shows the RZ® Simulant Diamond averages a refractive index nearly identical to a natural diamond giving our RZ® Simulant stones an incredibly realistic, natural diamond brilliance.
Internal Crystal Structure	Face-Centered- Cubic/Singly refractive	Face-Centered-Cubic/Singly refractive	The RZ® Simulant Diamond has the identical crystal structure of a mined diamond. Both the RZ® Simulant and a natural diamond handle light in the same way, singly refractive, which is why the RZ® Simulant possesses a natural, realistic appearance.
Ясность	Internally FLawless	Varies - nearly always a birth mark
Percentage of SP3 Carbon DIamond Bonds	10%	100%	Only natural diamonds and our lab-created, grown diamonds are 100% solid diamond bonds.
MOHS Hardness Scale	Avg,9.5	10	While the infused man-made diamond layer by itself has a hardness of 9.6, once infused with the core the overall hardness of the entire stone is 8.8. This means our RZ® Simulant stone is as hard or even slightly harder than a natural Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald. Only our lab created, grown diamonds achieve the same hardness as a natural diamond's 10.
Cuts Glass	Yes	Yes	Glass has a hardness of 5.5 on the MOHS scale. CZ is 8.5 and cuts glass. Cutting glass is not a good qualifier to identify quality products.
Polish/Symmetry	By diamond powder - Excellent	By diamond powder - Varies	The RZ® Simulant Diamond has perfect symmetry and polish.

　

Lab-Created Diamonds vs. Mined Diamonds

Roselle Jewelry has always been at the forefront of diamond science and innovation, continually pushing boundaries by working with groundbreaking labs and scientists to improve lab-created diamond technology. Our lab-created diamonds (also referred to as man-made diamonds, grown diamonds, cultivated diamonds, and synthetic diamonds) are chemically, physically and optically identical to earth-mined diamonds. Lab-created diamonds are an eco-friendly, conflict-free and an affordable alternative to earth-mined diamonds.

PROPERTIES	Roselle Jewelry LAB-CREATED DIAMONDS	EARTH-MINED DIAMONDS	SUMMARY
Chemical Composition	( C ) Pure Carbon	( C ) Pure Carbon	Both lab-created diamonds and earth-mined diamonds are made from 100% pure crystallized carbon.
Crystalline Structure	Face-Centered-Cubic / Singly Refractive	Face-Centered-Cubic / Singly Refractive	Both Roselle Jewelry lab-created diamonds and earth-mined diamonds share an identical internal crystalline structure resulting in perfectly matched brilliance, fire and scintillation
Refractive Index	2.42	2.42	Both lab-created diamonds and earth-mined diamonds have the same density and will refract, or bend, light in the same manner, because of their identical chemical composition.
Fire (Light DIspersion)	0.044	0.044	When light enters a lab-created diamond the dispersion or separation of colored light that comes back out of the diamond is identical to earth-mined diamonds.
MOHS Hardness Rating	10	10	Lab-created diamond are pure carbon, just like earth-mined diamonds. As a result their hardness is identical.
Electron Density	3.52	3.52	The bulk density or electron density of both lab-created diamonds and earth-mined diamonds is identical and subsequently allow them to share the same specific gravity.
Polish	Diamond powder	Diamond powder	Both Roselle Jewelry lab-created diamonds and earth-mined diamonds are polished with natural diamond powder to finish the outer surface of the diamond.
Production	Created in a laboratory with no toxic or harmful by-products	Open-pit strip mines and underground mines create large amounts of toxic waste	Earth-mined diamonds are produced in nature, but are limited by corrupt supply lines in order to inflate the price of the diamond. Roselle Jewelry lab-created diamonds are produced in a modern day lab environment and, at a this point, are only limited by the technology used to grow them.
Price per carat for identical Cut, Clarity and Color	Lab-created diamonds cost up to 40% less than an earth-mined diamond equivalent.	Earth mined diamonds pricing is dependant on cut, clarity and carat. Anywhere from HK$160,000 to HK$2,000,000	Fancy colored diamonds are incredibly expensive, because they are so rare in nature. This allows for a significant price break when you purchase a fancy colored lab-created diamond.
Eco-Friendly	Yes	No	Roselle Jewelry lab-created diamonds are 100% eco-friendly - produced with no environmental toxins or damage. Earth-mined diamonds are incredibly destructive to the earth's outer crust and create toxic by-products from the use of mercury and cyanide that infiltrate surrounding watersheds and ecosystems.
Conflict-Free	Guaranteed conflict-free	Almost never produced ethically; Most hide behind the Kimberley process certification scheme	Roselle Jewelry lab-created diamonds are 100% conflict-free and contribute to the rebuilding of damaged lives in Africa through The Greener Diamond Foundation. Earth-mined diamonds, regardless of African or Canadian origin, are conflict and are nearly all harvested under some sort of human rights violation.

　

Lab-Created Gemstones vs. Mined Gemstones

Roselle Jewelry offers the most awe inspiring, precision cut, rarest colored lab-created gemstones available. Scientifically cloned to mimic their natural cousins the Burmese “Pigeons Blood” Ruby, Columbian Emerald and the Ceylon Blue Sri Lankan Sapphire, Roselle Jewelry lab-created gems are the finest on the planet. Optically, physically and chemically identical in every way to earth-mined gems, these precious gemstones are born in the most technologically advanced natural environment ever produced by man. The only difference between our lab-created gems and natural gems is the fact that these lab-created gems are considerably more affordable, eco friendly, produced ethically and require no mining or questionable labor practices.

RUBY	Roselle Jewelry LAB-CREATED (GROWN) RUBIES	EARTH-MINED RUBIES
Mohs hardness	9	9
Dispersion	0.018	0.018
Refractive Index	1.766	1.766
Quality/Grade	Finest Gem Grade	Varies on price
Conflict Free	Yes, Always	No
Price	$$	$$$$$

EMERALD	Roselle Jewelry LAB-CREATED (GROWN) EMERALDS	EARTH-MINED EMERALDS
Mohs hardness	8	8
Dispersion	0.4	0.4
Refractive Index	1.576	1.576
Quality/Grade	Finest Gem Grade	Varies on price
Conflict Free	Yes, Always	No
Price	$$	$$$$$

SAPPHIRE	Roselle Jewelry LAB-CREATED (GROWN) SAPPHIRES	EARTH-MINED SAPPHIRES
Mohs hardness	9	9
Dispersion	0.018	0.018
Refractive Index	1.766	1.766
Quality/Grade	Finest Gem Grade	Varies on price
Conflict Free	Yes, Always	No
Price	$$	$$$$$