Natural, Lab-Grown, or Cubic Zirconia?

Natural Diamond, Lab-Grown Diamond, Cubic Zirconia? What are these things and what makes them so different from each other?

With the technology these days, we are lucky to be offered multiple options when it comes to selecting the stones for our jewelry pieces. All of these options though can lead to some confusion, and when it comes to a jewelry purchase, you really want to make sure you are getting what you paid for. Michael J has 40 years of experience as a jeweler and is here to share some of that knowledge with you.

What is a Natural Diamond?

This is the classic stone that has ruled the World of Jewelry for many years. A Natural Diamond is created over a very long period of time at least 85 miles below the Earth’s mantle under natural conditions in high temperatures. Once it has been created it then travels via molten rock to the Earth’s surface where it is then mined, refined, and turned into the stunning shiny stone that you see in jewelry stores around the World. This will be the most costly stone of the three that we are discussing in this article owing to the fact that the process of creating, retrieving, and turning it into something beautiful is incredibly extensive.

What is a Cubic Zirconia or CZ?

This is the “look-alike” stone that you see in many pieces of fashion and costume jewelry. Cubic Zirconia is a colorless synthetic gemstone made in a lab from crystalline zirconium. It has none of the same properties as a natural diamond. While still a fun stone for fast fashion pieces that don’t need to last, this stone is not recommended as a replacement for a diamond.

What is a Lab-Grown Diamond?

This is the New Age Diamond. Lab-Grown Diamonds are identical in structure and physical properties to Natural Diamonds except they are grown in a lab. Scientists have found a way to recreate the environment that creates Natural Diamonds inside a lab. The scientists take material of the same physical property and anatomical structure of a Natural Diamond, expose it to the created environment and Lab-Grown Diamonds are then created.

Think of it this way: A Natural Diamond is ice that is created outside, naturally by rain and freezing temperatures, and a Lab Grown Diamond is an Ice Cube that you created in your home with tap water and your freezer. Both are ice, both are frozen water, they are just created in different conditions.

Lab-Grown Diamonds have quite a few benefits, the first being cost. Lab-Grown Diamonds are typically 40-50% less in cost than Natural Diamonds. They are anatomically the same as Natural Diamonds and have the same grading scale for quality and clarity. Lab-Grown Diamonds are also just as durable as Natural. If you are not set on having a stone that is created by the Earth’s natural cycles, Lab-Grown Diamonds truly are an excellent alternative.

We hope this article was able to provide a little more clarity when it comes to different stone options. If you have any further questions or would like to see some of these stones in person, please call or stop in today!