A diamond is one of the most sought after gem material. Its rarity
and the process which brings it from mine to market usually makes it
unaffordable for the masses. This particular reason has given a boost to the
diamond simulants industry. Apart from this, with the introduction of fashion
jewelry in the market the demand for simulants has only increased.
But, what is a simulant? A simulant can be described as a look-alike
or imitation of any gem material and their physical properties, chemical
properties and composition differ from the natural gemstone. Usually, synthetic
gemstones are also termed as simulants but, it is incorrect to do so as
synthetics are lab grown gem materials with identical physical and chemical
properties along with the chemical composition of their natural counterpart.
This post takes up the most commonly used diamond simulants in the
market.
Synthetic Cubic
Zirconia – commonly known as american
diamonds or cz, are used very
frequently to replace diamonds. This is by far the most profitable simulant
with a visual appeal that is closest to a diamond. Coming down to the technical
details, cz is a relatively hard material, scoring an eight on Moh’s scale of
hardness. Specific gravity of cz is
higher than that of a diamond – 5.5.
High dispersion and specific gravity is a give away when it comes to
differentiating between a diamond and synthetic cubic zirconia.
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| SYNTHETIC CUBIC ZIRCONIA |
Synthetic
Moissanite – this simulant has been a matter of concern for the
gemologists because its properties are very close to that of a diamond. The
biggest challenged posed by synthetic moissanite is that its thermal properties
are very close to that of a diamond and when it is tested in a thermal
conductivity tester the instrument recognises the simulant as diamond. The
other pysical properties are also very close
to a diamond. The specific gravity of synthetic moissanite is 3.21 and
it displays little more fire than diamond. The key factor that helps in
separating it from a diamond is that synthetic moissanite is a doubly refractive
gem, whereas diamond is singly refractive. When one observes the gem under a
microscope doubling effect of the facet junctions can be noticed.
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| STRONG DOUBLING IN SYN. MOISSANITE |
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| DIAMOND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY TESTER |
Synthetic Rutile – this synthetic
gem material usually has a yellowish tint. It is a doubly refractive gem
material with very strong doubling. Along with this synthetic rutile has high
dispersion, or in other words it displays a strong fire. These two factors help
in easily separating it from diamond. Synthetic rutile is also a more dense
material than diamond with specific gravity of 4.26.
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| SYNTHETIC RUTILE |
Strontium
Titanate – this is another popular diamond simulant which is a singly
refractive gem. With a poor hardness of 5 on the Moh’s scale of hardness it
takes a poor polish and has high dispersion value.
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| STRONTIUM TITANATE |
Others – there are many
others simulants in the market like glass,
synthetic colorless sapphire and natural zircon. Besides these there are
certain lab developed crystals like yittrium aluminium garnet (YAG) and
gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG).
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| YAG |
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| GGG |
It is a fair practice to trade simulants if they are not sold with an
intention to deceive the consumer. It is incomprehensible for a consumer with
limited knowledge of gems and jewelry. Once mounted, it is even more strenuous
to find out what the gem material exactly is. It needs an expert eye to
identify these look-alikes. Therefore, it is always advised to buy certified
diamonds for end consumers and for diamond dealers and retailers to be alert
and have thorough knowledge which can prevent them from being swindled.
