Lab-Grown Diamonds and Cubic Zirconia… What’s the Deal?
There is a lot of controversy these days surrounding diamonds. High demand and high dollar have led to violent wars, enslaved peoples, and countless other human rights violations during the mining process. Phrases such as “conflict diamonds” or “blood diamonds” have been coined to describe the gemstones which have been unethically sourced. We do not do business in these stones and only deal with trusted and responsible distributors which have a mine-to-market blueprint that demonstrates a humanitary diamond source. While responsibly-mined stones are certainly an option, we are not limited to those alone. On this website, you may see options for lab-grown diamonds as well as cubic zirconia. Learn more below about how these options help put the squeeze on the conflict diamond market.
Lab-Grown Diamonds:
Modern technology has made it possible to reproduce what takes Mother Nature billions of years. Using tremendous amounts of heat and pressure, a controlled environment in a laboratory can transform carbon into a diamond that has a chemical makeup identical to those found in nature. Man-made diamonds perform as a natural stone would. Clarity is often better with man-made diamonds and they will not ever get cloudy. Mined diamonds are unique because of individual imperfections whereas diamonds from a lab are nearly perfect. Only under a high-power microscope can trained jewelers tell the difference between mined and manufactured diamonds. These are true carbon crystals. Without mining, these stones touch fewer hands and therefore can cost 40-60% less than their mined counterpart. Lab-grown diamonds are insurable just like natural diamonds and can also be created in different colors.
Cubic Zirconia (CZ):
Cubic Zirconia—often improperly called “cubic zirconium”—is one of a handful of diamond simulants. CZ is essentially a diamond imposter but a pretty darn good one. Unlike lab-grown diamonds, CZ is not a true carbon crystal. CZ has a similar look to diamonds but physical and chemical properties differ. Using the naked eye, it is incredibly easy to mistake cubic zirconia for a natural or manufactured diamond. Just like lab-grown diamonds, CZ is also manufactured and therefore free from imperfections. CZ is also very hard; between an 8 and 8.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Diamonds however rank at a 10 and only another diamond can scratch a diamond. CZ on the other hand has a potential to scratch or even turn cloudy if worn daily over a long period of time. The huge selling point for CZ though is the price point. Cubic zirconia costs roughly one one-thousandth the price of a mined diamond of the same cut and size. Consider CZ for daily wear, for young people, or if money is tight. It’s not unusual to have CZ set in an engagement ring until a diamond is more affordable.
