[vickiem1957]

Real diamonds are to expensive so which simulated diamonds are the best brands to buy

[tickle]

Cubic Zirconia

[jillianleab]

Actually, CZ and lab created diamonds are two entirely different things.

CZ does not have a physical properties of a diamond. It does not have the same hardness, and if you touch a diamond tester to it, it will tell you it is a fake. Visually they are great replicas, but they are not actually diamonds. Here's a Wiki link: Cubic zirconia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Also, they are cheaper than diamonds, but high quality CZ, which is hard for the untrained eye to call out as a fake, can get pretty pricey too.

If by simulated diamonds you mean lab created, that's very different than CZ. Lab created diamonds have the same physical properties as natural diamonds. You can read about it on Wiki: Synthetic diamond - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and I found this company: Asha® Diamond Simulants: Stud Earrings, Diamond Simulant Earrings, Diamond Stud Earrings who claims to use lab created in their jewelry. You can find several sites if you do a Google search for "lab created diamonds".

I've never bought anything but natural stones, so I can't tell you if one brand is better/worse than another. But, when buying diamonds, brand doesn't really matter, what matters is the "4 C's"; color, cut, clarity, carat. A Cartier diamond is no better than a Walmart diamond if they have the same specs.

[tickle]

No one actually advertises cubic zirconia as diamonds, so you can't really say they are fake because they are their own quality in nature as described below. They are and will remain a pretty good replacement if one can't afford a real diamond.

Cubic zirconia (or CZ) is zirconium oxide (ZrO2), a mineral that is widely synthesized for use as a diamond simulant. The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4). Cubic zirconia is extremely rare in nature.

Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important diamond simulant since 1976. Its main competition as a synthetic gemstone is the more recently cultivated material, synthetic moissanite.

[jillianleab]

tickle, I only said they are fake when tested with a diamond tester. Say you have a pair of earrings that look like diamonds and you want to know if they are real of CZ. Take them into any jewelry store and they will have this little pen-shaped device which when touched to a real diamond will make a low buzz. When touched to something other than a diamond, it will make an annoying buzz, indicating it is a "fake". I didn't say they were marketed as "real diamonds". Only unscrupulous stores will sell CZ as diamonds, and it's important to know the difference. THAT is what I meant when I used the word, "fake". BUT, the point of selling CZ jewelry is to make it look like a diamond - but it isn't. It's a fake. Real CZ, fake diamond.

[happylady123]

Try moisanite, it is said to be very close to diamonds and looks real, some CZ's can look really fake.

[jennycarol]

Cubic zirconia is considered to be one form of simulated diamonds which is easily affordable in comparison to real diamonds.

Moissanite is another form diamond looking crystal which is almost 1/10th of a price a natural diamond.

White sapphires is a natural stone and not man-made, but is a good substitute for diamonds.Sapphire is next hardest natural stone on the Mohs scale after diamonds..

Some other synthetic diamonds include Russian Diamonds and Gemisis Cultured Diamond.

However none of the above can take a place of natural diamond, natural diamond could be affordable depending on the size and quality of the diamond one would like to settle with.