Simulants

While the appearance of diamond simulants is similar to that of natural diamonds, they are not diamonds. Common diamond simulants include glass, cubic zirconia (CZ), and moissanite, both of which are completely unrelated to diamond at the atomic level (aka, they are made of different substances).

Simulants are, of course, less expensive than the real thing. They allow consumers to enjoy the flash and dazzle of diamond-like jewelry and to inexpensively complement the latest fashion trend. But no matter how convincing the illusion, all diamond simulants have optical and physical characteristics that can be identified by a trained gemologist.