In case you didn’t know, science absolutely slaps. And in this particular instance, we’re talking about the sparkle city snatched variety of slapage.

We know and love lab diamonds for providing an affordable alternative to natural diamonds. But boujee on a budget moissanite has been bursting onto the scene, making it hard to look away from all that sparkle–and who would want to? But if you’re shopping shiny, which one wins? It’s a close call, but before we yeet our answer at you, let us give you a geeked-out guide to the differences between the two.

What In The Name Of Science?

Lab-grown alternatives to diamonds are gaining massive popularity. And while you’ve probably heard of these two lab-created gems before, depending on where you heard about them, you might be wondering if they’re any good.

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TBH, science has come a long way since the 90s, and so have lab-created gemstones. As far as younger and more conscious couples are concerned, lab diamonds are often the preferred choice over mined diamonds these days.

And moissanite? It’s gaining serious traction on its way to becoming a frontrunner in the engagement game. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, what the heck are these snatched little shinies, and which one should we pick for our forever ring?

What’s The Deal With Lab Diamonds?

Here’s the tea. You have two choices when you go diamond shopping. You can go lab-grown or earth minded, aka natural. Lab diamonds are identical to mined diamonds down to an atomic level. Really, a jeweler can’t even tell them apart.

People often ask if lab diamonds are any good, to which we have to say, are diamonds any good? Obviously, they are fabulous, and they just so happen to be the same thing. The answer is yes, lab diamonds are awesome.

The only difference between lab diamonds and natural diamonds is that they were grown in a lab instead of underground. And since that also means they didn’t have to be mined out of the ground, it makes them much more eco-friendly. Also, lab diamonds are so much more affordable simply because they are created in a timely fashion to keep up with demand. So let’s recap, they’re gorge, half the price of natural mined diamonds, and sustainable to boot. What’s not to love?

Moiss-A-What?

Ok, so moissanite is what’s called a diamond simulant. It’s a gorge little gemstone all its own that can be cut to mimic a diamond or show off its own unique flavor of rainbow realness.

This rock has a majorly romantic origin story since it was first discovered in the wake of a shooting star. Technically, it was found when a meteor smashed into Arizona, but shooting star sounds so much cooler.

Anywho, it’s made up of silicon carbide, a super rare natural element, so all the moissanite we see in jewelry is lab-created. It's got twice the sparkle of a diamond which is just wild.

The science of this snatched shiny is down to a science, meaning moissanite is almost always completely flawless. We live. It also means the color scheme is on lock. All of the moissanite we sell at Keyzar is entirely colorless and totally gorge. Moissanite is also epicly affordable. We love that it's making stunning engagement rings available on any budget and giving serious glow up energy to anyone who wants to take home a giant rock without a giant bill. No wonder it’s gaining oodles of popularity.

The Shine Factor

Ok, they’re both gorgeous, but what is the difference? To start with, one is a diamond, and one is not. Beyond that, they both have unique features that make them special.

Moissanite is sparkly. We know this, like twice as sparkly as a diamond. It also gives off a ton of rainbow fire that adds a fun, playful energy. Lab diamonds have a ton of brilliance and sparkle all their own. In the case of both stones, brilliant cuts give off a lot more sparkle as they reflect more light. Cuts like the round brilliant and princess cut give off oodles of glittery sparkle and colorful fire.

Moissanite wins the “who sparkles more” contest, but it also gives itself away with all that rainbow fire. In terms of that crispy cool sparkle goodness, though, the diamond will win every day. Because diamonds are slightly harder than moissanite, they can be just that much more sharp, giving them the edge. The cut of crushed ice moissanite will tone down its natural rainbow shine, causing it to sparkle more like a diamond.

While there’s nothing wrong with the sparkle of moissanite, it will always seem a bit dull compared to a diamond, even with twice the sparkle power.

Crystal Clarity

When we said lab diamonds were identical to natural diamonds, we meant down to the inclusions. That means you’re still going to want to find an eye-clean diamond or one that is free of visible inclusions.

Here’s the tea on diamond clarity tho. Buying a diamond that is anything more than eye-clean is a total waste of money. Literally, you don’t need to go higher than a VS diamond. And sometimes, you can even find an eye-clean diamond in the SI1 range.

See, nearly flawless diamonds are super expensive. That’s because flawless diamonds, both natural and lab-grown, practically don’t exist.

Flawless moissanite, on the other hand… Moissanite is nearly flawless, nearly always. And since it's so affordable to produce, we don’t even bother selling moissanite that isn’t flawless. Really, when it comes to clarity (at least at Keyzar), it’s not even something you need to think about when you’re shopping for moissanite. But now that you know how to finesse the diamond clarity, you can save yourself a grip by snatching an eye-clean diamond anywhere below the VVS range.

How Hue Doin?

Moissanite often gets dragged in the color department. There was this old-school thought that moissanite has what is touted as an icky greenish or brown tint to it. But here’s the tea, diamonds have a yellow or brown hue. So why is everyone bagging on moissanite?!

The world may never know. But we know that science is constantly advancing, and moissanite has only become more gorge with age. In other words, it’s colorless. All moissanite is colorless (at least at Keyzar) unless it’s colored moissanite, periodt.

Lab-grown diamonds, being diamonds on the other hand, do have a tint to them. All diamonds are graded on a scale of colorless (D) to light color (Z). While you definitely want to buy a diamond that appears colorless, you don’t have to drop a crazy grip on a D-color diamond. A diamond in the G-H range will appear colorless. For real, even some I-color diamonds get a pass if you’re setting them in yellow gold. When it comes to diamonds, finesse is the name of the game.

Which One Lasts?

They both do! Diamonds are the hardest thing on earth, at a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Moissanite comes in at 9.25. Meaning the only thing that can scratch moissanite is a diamond.

Will moissanite last? Is a really common question, and yes. It will last just as long as a diamond. And whether it came out of the earth or a lab, diamonds don’t expire. These rocks will outlive us all. Similarly, people ask if moissanite gets cloudy. It doesn't. If your diamond or moissanite ring looks cloudy, you probably need to take it in for a cleaning.

Boujee or Budget?

Why not both? Lab diamonds are about half the cost of natural diamonds. As we know, there are many ways to finesse the 4Cs and get the lab diamond of your dreams into your price range.

Moissanite is majorly affordable out the gate. In fact, the reason most diamond companies don’t push lab diamonds or moissanite is that they are so cheap. They’d rather make a bigger profit selling you a natural diamond than see you go home with the rock you want.

3 carat F-VS1 Pear Cut Diamond

Here’s the tea, moissanite is low budge, high glam. And we absolutely love it. If you’re looking for a large rock on a small budget, you can't beat moissanite. And since lab diamonds are half the price of natural ones, you can score quite a bit more for your budget. This 4ct Pear Moissanite will probably save you a little over a grand compared to a 2ct pear lab diamond. But that lab diamond is still going to save you around 10k over the price of a similar natural stone.

Take Several Seats for Sustainability

Moissanite and lab diamonds are both super sustainable and much more eco-friendly than diamond mining. If we had to name a winner in this category, it would be the earth. Because both gems are lab produced, they’re not tearing holes in the ground or using up oodles of natural resources. And don’t we love to hear it?

So, Apples or Oranges?

So which stone is actually better? Both stones are shiny, gorge will last a literal lifetime or twelve, and save you a grip over a natural diamond. Now, moissanite is a gorge sparklicious alternative to diamonds, and we absolutely love it on a budget. At the end of the day tho, it is just that, an alternative. Lab diamonds, on the other hand, are, well, diamonds. And you just can’t beat the real thing.

There’s something about the way a diamond sparkles that just hits different. Diamonds have certain crispiness to them that, in the end, make them the superior stone. Moissanite is amazing, but it’ll always be just a little duller than a diamond.

Are Lab-Made Stones Any Good? Moissanite Vs. Lab Diamonds

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