What is a Simulated Diamond
The American Gem Trade Association defines a Diamond Simulant as “A man-made single crystal which can be manufactured with different materials and designed to simulate the appearance, but not duplicate the characteristic properties of a natural gemstone.”
There are several brand names of simulated diamonds in the market today, like Diamond Nexus, Russian Brilliant, ASHA etc. Each one having its own claims on how they simulate a real diamond. Regardless if you use Silicon Carbide, Zirconium Oxide, Aluminum Oxide or any other material as the basis to form the crystals, because they are not natural occurring stones, they are all considered “ Simulated Diamonds”.
The Agape Simulated Diamond
Natural diamonds attribute their colored hues to imperfections within the stone and their value is directly dependent upon the clarity of the stone.
Agape Simulated Diamonds are carefully crafted to be flawless and colorless in every way. They are cut to give them the same brilliance of a natural diamond without any imperfections; they reflect light the same, can cut glass the same and can be shaped into all the same styles as mined diamonds. The only difference in many experts’ opinions is price. For the same clarity, cut, color and carat of a natural diamond that would fetch thousands of dollars, our simulated diamond of VVS1 quality rating is just a mere fraction of the cost.
Regarded as the Premier Simulated Diamonds in the world, our products have the brilliance as a natural diamonds and they are the only ones guaranteed to last a lifetime without fading or ever loosing their sparkle.
Because of their superior quality, it is almost impossible to the naked eye to tell them apart from a real diamond just by looking at them. Their brilliance, fire and sparkle are virtually the same as an Ideal Flawless Diamond and only a professional jeweler using high magnification equipment could tell the difference.
How are they Made ?
Diamond simulants are manufactured with a process called the “skull melt” in which the materials heat up from the inside outwards. The outside remains relatively cool while the inside melts, forming its own outer crust or “skull”. Only with extreme heat is the “preferred cube form” obtained and a metal oxide stabilizer is added to the process to ensure isometric cubic crystals. When the heat is switched off, the product then cools under rigidly controlled conditions and hardens. As it hardens, the solid crystals are formed. Because they are made in a controlled environment, the crystals are also perfect in structure, without feathers or inclusions and since they are solid and not composed of layers, they are almost as hard as a natural diamond. Due to their hardness and clarity the crystals can be cut using the same proportions used in cutting fine diamonds. Faceting too, is intensive and precise, creating hundreds of facets and mimicking the brilliance of diamonds.
The brilliance and hardness of our finished crystals can vary slightly, so measurements for color, hardness and gravity are given in ranges.
Color: D – F: (on the diamond scale)
Hardness: 8.5 – 8.7 (Mohs hardness scale)
Specific Gravity: (5.8 – 6.0)
Crystal Form: (Isometric)
Refractive Index: (2.18)
Dispersion: (0.066)
In recent years, manufacturers have tried different ways to distinguish their products. The Amorphous Diamond is one such innovation, coating a cubic zirconia with a film of diamond-like carbon (DLC). Another technique is “Vacuum Sputtering” in which an extremely thin layer of metal oxide (usually gold) is coated onto the stones to create iridescence. Marketed as “Mystic” the material is unlike DLC, in that it isn’t permanent. The metal oxide layer is easily removed by abrasion.
All of these simulated diamonds start with the same manufacturing process and none of them are made from pure carbon and therefore do not have the same chemical composition as a natural diamond. If they did – they would sell for thousands – just the same as natural stones.
Regardless of these innovations and processes which are all aimed to improve their refractive index and to achieve a diamond like signature under Raman Spectroscopy – a device that identifies an object’s crystal structure; the most important step in the manufacturing process is the final step – the cutting and polishing – this is what makes the difference between them.
The Agape Difference
The faceting and polishing is the most crucial aspect. Here is where you get the different qualities. The amount and precision of facets is what determines the different qualities of diamond simulants. The fire and sparkle can only be achieve by the amount of light that refracts from within, and this can only be achieved by the faceting and polishing. That’s why the Agape Simulated Diamond is the only one in the market that come a written Lifetime Warranty that will never fade and loose their brilliance.
Please view our Testimonials to see the Agape Diamond Reviews provided by our clients.