Section 8
Diamond Synthetics and Imitations
Imitation or Synthetic? (8.01)
Many people confuse the term “imitation” with “synthetic”. A synthetic or lab- grown diamond is a copy of nature down to the atomic structure of the substance. Lab-grown diamond has the same atomic structure as natural diamond and retains the same physical and optical properties, even though growth patterns or the shapes of the crystals are quite different. An imitation-diamond or a diamond-simulant is a stone that has been made to look like an authentic diamond (such as cubic zirconia).
The above image is courtesy of: https://www.chemguide.co.uk/atoms/
structures/giantcov.htm
The above image is courtesy of: www.researchgate.net/