What is the difference between mined diamonds, lab-created diamonds, synthetic diamonds, and cubic zirconia?

Question

I'm interested in the differences in terms of cost, durability, looks, and value. Also if you have any information about "green" (environmentally friendly) diamonds, it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

durability should be pretty high for all types, since diamond is the hardest material that you can get.

Industrial diamonds are used on cutting edges to cut through marble etc

Industrial diamonds can also be used as a lapping paste for grinding hard materials.

Industrial diamonds can be very small forming a fine powder (grey colour).

The main differences will probably be down to purity.  Low purity will mean: cheaper and off colour.  Also crystalline defects will reduce value.

Industry will generally use the cheapest diamond available - probably artificially synthesized and very small and not pretty.

Answer 2

The differences... the price...  industrial diamonds (synthetic or lab created) are relatively cheap and are used in all sorts of abrasive applications.  Mined diamonds are expensive because the world market for jewelry diamonds is manipulated by Debeers. "Green" diamonds (vs blood diamonds) are mined in parts of the world where the mines are not controlled by warlords or rulers who place much more value on the diamonds than on the lives of the people who may be forced (slave labor) to dig the diamonds.  Some companies, likeTiffany, go to significant length to be sure their diamonds (at least the big ones) are green and can't be mixed up with blood diamonds (the big ones are microscopically laser engraved with a unique ID number).  If the diamond does not have something like the Tiffany system, there is no way to know that it is not a blood diamond.

Cubic zirconia is a synthetic (man-made) crystal that is almost as hard as diamond and visually indistiquishable from a diamond.  Jewelers have to use an instrument that measures thermal conductivity to tell the difference.

If you really like diamond jewelry, I suggest you go with cubic zirconia.  Very few people carry around equipment that can tell the difference.  If you feel it "isn't the same cause it doesn't cost as much", take the money a real diamond would have cost and send it to a charity that provides for orphans in Africa.

Answer 3

Lab created or synthetic diamonds are real diamond crystals, grown by an industrial process. Some of them are produced in colors not generally found in nature, but in theory a synthetic diamond could be indistinguishable from a natural stone. Synthetic stones are generally marked to distinguish them.

Cubic zirconia is a totally different, synthetic material. Chemically it is zirconium oxide, whereas diamond is carbon. Cubic zirconia has a great deal of fire and makes a very attractive gem. It is generally cut slightly differently from diamond because of its different optical properties.

"Green " diamonds are certified not to be involved in financing conflict, as opposed to "blood" diamonds.