Diamond Simulants

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.

 

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.

 

STRONG DOUBLING IN SYN. MOISSANITE

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.

 

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.

 

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).

YAG

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.