Are synthetic diamonds as strong as natural diamonds?

Question

do they have the same characteristics; composition, tensile strength, crystal arrangement

Answer 1

G'day Zingowner,

Thank you for your question.

It is important to distinguish that a synthetic diamond is a true diamond created by a technological process, whereas a diamond simulant is defined as a non-diamond material that is used to simulate the appearance of a true diamond.

The gemological and industrial uses of diamond have created a large demand for raw stones. A portion of this demand is now being met by synthetic diamonds, artificially-made diamonds which have similar properties to natural diamonds. This process has historically produced industrial-grade diamonds, but synthetic diamond producers have recently begun to produce diamonds with high enough quality to penetrate the gem diamond market. Diamonds have been manufactured synthetically for over fifty years.

A diamond's gem quality, which is not as dependent on material properties as industrial applications, has invited both imitation and the invention of procedures to enhance the gemological properties of natural diamonds. Materials which have similar gemological characteristics to diamond but are not real mined or synthetic diamond are known as diamond simulants. The most familiar diamond simulant to most consumers is cubic zirconia (commonly abbreviated as CZ); recently moissanite has also gained cachet as a popular diamond simulant. Both CZ and moissanite are synthetically produced for use as a diamond simulant. Diamond enhancements are specific treatments, performed on natural diamonds (usually those already cut and polished into a gem), which are designed to better the gemological characteristics of the stone in one or more ways. These include laser drilling to remove inclusions, application of sealants to fill cracks, treatments to improve a white diamond's color grade, and treatments to give fancy color to a white diamond.

Currently, trained gemologists with appropriate equipment are able to distinguish natural diamonds from all synthetic and simulant diamonds, and identify all enhanced natural diamonds. The established natural diamond industry has a vested interest in maintaining the distinction between natural diamonds and other diamonds, and has made significant investments toward that end. However, as manufacturing technology improves, synthetic diamonds may become indistinguishable from natural diamonds, and new techniques for creating and treating simulants (such as coating them with a very thin diamond-like layer of carbon) are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish simulants from real diamonds.

I have attached sources for your reference.

Regards

Answer 2

I'd agree with DiamondDiana's assertion that the inclusions can lower the hardness scale from a 10 to a 9 However, it would take a pretty big inclusion to have a meaningful affect on the hardness scale. so as a general rule I'd say NO, there isn't a difference.

A new process, I forget the name of it, has been developed which makes a molecularly identical synthetic diamond. They are as hard as natural diamonds because on the atomic scale they ARE natural diamonds. When the process was unveiled it created quite a problem for diamond experts because they are unable to tell the difference. The makers put a mark on the diamonds so that they are not mistaken for natural ones.
Luckily They are very small and therefore meant to be used for industrial applications.

So, using this NEW process.. the answer is NO, as in, there is NO difference between man-made (synthetic) and natural diamonds.

Answer 3

From the viewpoint of a woman who has been proposed to, and the fiancee made the mistake of letting her help pick out the ring... (hee hee) I've been looking at lab diamonds myself. There seems to be a lot of discrepancy in what the term actually refers to. I do not want cubic zirconia, moissanite (sp?), or any other "simulants". (That would be a no-no in an engagement ring) However, I would love to find a colorless actual lab DIAMOND. The chemical composition is the exact same, and it is an actual diamond, but the color and clarity are much better than a natural diamond's price. As a matter of fact, a gemologist can only tell the difference between a lab diamond and a natural diamond because there are NO FLAWS in a lab diamond. The jeweler was quoting way too much for a 1 carat J VS1 natural diamond. And I don't want a J! I'd like a colorless diamond in the D-F range. I'm in the process of searching for a loose lab-created diamond - but I'm starting to realize that they're hard to find. However, one more issue that I prefer lab-created diamonds is that I don't have to worry about "conflict" diamonds, or "blood" diamonds. And the color and clarity are better! So, yes, lab created diamonds, as long as they are diamonds, and not hybrids, or modified sapphires, or polycrystalline, are good. They have not been out on the market long enough to know whether they hold their value, but I imagine that they would, at least, hold the price that you paid for it. Will they ever be worth as much as a mined diamond? I don't know. But, heck, if I get to wear a rock that is basically perfect, it's worth it to me.

Answer 4

real diamonds are full of flaws and brittle, they even have flaw planes that reduce their strength in unusual ways. They are not usually used for strength or hardness. Those requirements are met by diamond dust or bort, carbonados which are dark with lots of carbon and graphites in them or synthetics which are still pretty expensive for using as grinding powder or saw blade grit.
The hard synthetics (not diamonds but a quasicrystal material)are new and I can't remember the names but they are used almost exclusively for cutting diamonds which they are about ten times as hard as. The Moh scale messes up at dimond by the way, the step up to diamond is about 100 times, lower steps are about 10 times.
And common sense is right about CZ not being diamond and its scale hardness of nine leaves it only one one hundredth as strong as diamond.
And for john if you need to tell the difference the synthetics are magnetic, but you need to use a rare earth magnet with a fairly strong field to draw them out of the pile or pick them up. Both the naturals and synthetics refract the same and stick to grease through water the same.

After I wrote this I realized your people are refering to cubic zirconium as a synthetic diamond, I should have realized from Diamond Dianas answer and your question. They are not. They refract different and have totally different hardness and spectra.
Synthetic diamonds are diamonds just like synthetic rubies are rubies and synthetic saphires are saphires. Only distinguishable by certain artfacts related to how they are made and some changes in the bifringence indexes. Johns answer after me clued me in.

Answer 5

Fayem is not completely right - diamonds have imperfections that can make them less "Stable;" synthetic stones are less hard (Moh's scale for CZ is 9, diamond is 10), but most synthetics have no inclusions whatsoever.

Answer 6

Yes. They are made for industrial use. It is in the area of aesthetics that they are inferior to natural diamonds. Strength is not a problem, beauty is.

Answer 7

Yes, they are...
Cubic Zirconium is not Diamond...
Diamond is Diamond...

Answer 8

Yes, diamonds are diamonds.

Answer 9

No real is the strongest

Answer 10

pretty close.....