It seems nearly impossible to watch TV or open a newspaper

without seeing something about man-made diamonds. For hundreds

of years science has tried to create a perfect synthetic diamond.

Finally, 21st-century technology has made that prospect a

reality.

There are many reasons to purchase synthetic diamonds instead of

the mined variety. The prices charged for mined diamonds are, in

the very best verbiage, an illusion. To put it more bluntly,

Cecil Adams, in his award-winning newspaper column “The Straight

Dope” says: “Diamonds are a con, pure and simple.” Diamond prices

are largely controlled by the DeBeers diamond cartel, and they

are not a fair reflection of diamond scarcity. Additionally,

studies show that one out of three diamonds sold in the US today

has been altered to artificially increase its value. Further

studies have shown that on average a couple pays 40% too much

for their diamond engagement ring.

Beyond deceptive pricing, there are the issues of “blood

diamonds”, forced child labor, and a myriad of other disturbing

diamond facts.

Recently, socially conscious celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow,

Minnie Driver, and Angelina Jolie have made a vocal issue of

wearing only synthetic diamonds to the many gala events they

attend.

Good synthetic diamonds are virtually indistinguishable from the

mined variety, but without the baggage, and additionally, they

cost thousands of dollars less. But, which synthetic diamond is

the best choice?

There are many types of man-made or synthetic diamonds available.

The choices are numerous, but unbiased information is scarce.

Here is an overview and comparison of the synthetic diamonds

currently unavailable on the market:

Cubic Zirconia

The grandfather of simulated diamonds, Zircons are available

widely. In their best examples, CZ’s are actually a fairly

decent diamond replica. Unfortunately, the commodity-like

availability and vast differences in quality have made the stone

synonymous with low-cost fashion jewelry. Perhaps a good choice

for cheap bling, but not for fine jewelry. Many sources are

available, a decent one is: http://www.czfantasy.com

Russian Diamonds

Including Russian Brilliants, Russian Stars and others, they are

in fact nothing but high quality cubic zirconias. This is not

mentioned prominently on their web sites and they will only cop

to it when pressed, but that is the fact. Russian diamond

simulates are priced around $280 per carat.

Russian Diamonds are a fine jewelry selection and are usually

mounted in quality precious metal settings.

Russian Brilliants are one of the best and oldest sellers of

“Russian Diamonds” available at: http://www.russianbrilliants.net

Moissanite

Moissanite is a lab-created mineral that is a very good diamond

stimulant. Moissanite has been on the market as a fine jewelry

choice since the early 90s and has picked up quite a few fans.

Moissanite is a hard mineral that, like diamond, will cut glass.

There are a couple of minor downsides to moissanite however.

First, it is quite expensive, (though still cheap compared to

diamonds) usually priced about $500 per carat for good samples.

Secondly, moissanite does not have the same optical qualities as

diamond and there are several indicators that make them easy to

spot with the naked eye for an experienced practitioner. It is

difficult to produce a pure white moissanite and they often

appear slightly green when viewed in natural light. Also,

moissanite has significantly higher radiance and brilliance

factors then natural diamond, causing them to appear “too

sparkly” to some. Overall though, moissanite is a beautiful

synthetic diamond choice.

“Moissanite From the Sky” at http://www.fromthesky.com is a good

source of fine moissanite jewelry.

Diamond Nexus

Diamond Nexus gemstones are the result of a fairly new scientific

advancement in processing technique, and have only recently been

available in the United States.

Diamond Nexus gemstones are excellent diamond stimulants and come

very close to matching the properties of mined diamonds at many

different comparison points. They cut glass, being virtually

identical to diamond on the Mohs (hardness) scale. They refract

perfect “hearts and arrows” and have radiance and brilliance

readings extremely close to flawless diamond.

Best of all, they are currently introductory priced for the

U.S. market, and are a steal at $79 per caret. Diamond Nexus

gemstones are only available in precious metal, solid-gold

settings.

Diamond Nexus is only available from Diamond Nexus Labs at:

http://www.DiamondNexusLabs.com

White Sapphire

Sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral on the Mohs scale,

surpassed only by diamond. They are, unlike the others in this

review, a natural stone. Their radiance and brilliance are not up

to the standards of diamond however. Nevertheless, quality white

sapphires priced at around $220 per carat are a good diamond

alternative.

A quality source is: http://www.TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com

Gemisis Cultured Diamond

Gemisis diamonds are beautiful and almost perfect diamond

replicas. Unfortunately, they are not available in a clear, white

color, so they are not a good choice for traditional diamond

settings. However, if a yellow, orange or pink diamond is what

you crave, Gemisis offers stunning choices in beautiful precious

metal, fine-jewelry settings.

Gemisis Cultured Diamonds are only available at:

http://www.gemisis.com

Recap:

Synthetic diamonds offer many advantages over the mined variety.

You can buy with confidence, knowing that you are getting exactly

what you paid for, and have not been the victim of diamond

pricing chicanery. If you are concerned with the world around

you, you can have a clear conscience, knowing that your money

has not contributed to the support of an unethical and abusive

industry.

However, there are many choices of synthetic diamonds, with

varying degrees of quality. Take a little time to review the

seller’s information to get a clear idea of what the science is

behind the gemstones you are buying.

For my money, I believe the best choices are quality Moissanite

stones or the new diamond stimulant gemstones available from

Diamond Nexus Labs.