you are absolutely correct, simulants “simulate” gemstones… they are of a different chemical composition from both natural and lab created…as a result they don’t have the same physical and optical properties of either… Cubic zircornia comes in all colors and costs at whole sale $1.00 per ct… can be spotted by price and also higher “sparkle” than diamonds due to much greater dispersion… also wears poorly, will dull with scratching in a ring… moissanite is another higher cost simulant, in non gem form, it’s just carborundum…grindstone material…“lab created” or “synthetic” refers to the real mineral grown by several methods… diamonds, corundum gems (rubies, sapphires), emerald, almost every gemstone can be grown under artificially created environments that mimic the natural environment in which natural stones grow… they are more costly than simulants but afford attractive prices for those who cannot afford natural stone…the good quality ones can only be distinquished from natural by microscopic examination by an expert gemologist… characteristic includions are present specific to the method they are grown by… I don’t like “synthetic” and prefer “lab grown”… confusion arises as simulants are also synthetic…including high refractive index glass… trade name are even more confusing… if there’s a trade name, the seller is obligated to disclose whether it’s a simulant or lab grown.
The diamond market is in a slump with low prices for natural stones… as of today, the Chinese are buying gold rather than natural diamonds…lab grown diamonds are produced by the ton… 90% goes to industrial uses, as does 90% of natural diamonds that are not of gem quality…In the US, the poplularity of lab grown stones is high… an estimated 25% of diamonds sold are lab grown…the cost is less than 1/3 of natural… US consumers have become less picky about lab grown given the affordable price…East Asians still prize high quality jade and pearls more than diamonds.