Fake diamonds are actually just stones that have a different sort of composition than what a real diamond would have. They are called imitations because of it and some can be synthetic or natural. The synthetic one actually have similar compositions though so they really aren’t considered fake.
An example of a fake diamond would be:
Cubic Zirconia
This one is a popular substitute for the diamond. The cubic zirconia is made of zirconium dioxide and is a little hard. However, as hard as it can be, it isn’t as hard as a real diamond. It isn’t really much of a surprise if it’s cheaper than a diamond. It scratches quite easily and loses its brilliance over time.
Moissanite
This is simply silicon carbide and it is a rare mineral in nature. It often is created in a lab synthetically and looks very similar to a real diamond. The thing is, it tends to bring out more of a colourful sparkle once it gets exposed into light. This makes the stone the best substitute for a diamond because of its hardness and colourlessness.
Zircon
This comes in different colours since it comes from nature. Don’t confuse this with cubic zirconia because the substances between the two are different. The colourless pieces of zirconia sometimes get polished, cut and used as imitations of diamonds. Aside from the fact that it’s softer than a real diamond, it could pass as an imitation.
White Sapphire
White sapphires are probably the closest it can get to any diamond imitation there is out there, if we only look at the hardness. White sapphires are hard enough to pass as a diamond due to the fact that it is a 9 on the Mohs scale to begin with. Its colourless style also adds to the imitation value.
Synthetic Garnet
Examples of synthetic garnet that would be good for diamond imitations are Gadolinium Gallium Garnet, or GGG, and Yttrium Aluminium Garnet, or YAG. It all really depends on how they’re made because if done right, then it could pass as decent imitation.
Spinel
This is a natural mineral that comes in different colours, of which are white, black, blue, brown, green and red. The colourless ones, which are the white ones in this, are sometimes used as diamond imitations.
Rutile
This one is usually a mineral and can naturally be found as brown or red. However, the synthetic ones can also be created as completely colourless, therefore making it possible for it become another imitation. Yes, it seems that all you need to get a diamond is find one random gemstone that doesn’t have colour and pretend that it was a diamond.
Glass
It’s colourless to a fault, unless you colour one. A lot of the imitations out there are actually just made of glass, which makes things easier for us who want to buy fake ones. The only downside is it that they scratch way too easily.
