When we think of precious gems, we usually spare little thought to the hard work that it takes to bring them to us in the beautiful jewelry that we love to wear, but diamond mining is, in fact, an expensive and dangerous procedure, reflected to the consumer in the price that must be paid to own one. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were some way to recreate that same brilliance and beauty in a less dangerous, and hence less expensive way? Today's technological innovations mean that this does not have to be a pipe dream any longer - with lab created diamonds, we can wear beautiful gemstones produced by the intelligence of mankind, rather than the trials and tribulations of nature, and without the expense that mining brings. Lab created diamonds are now very good and becoming as popular as the real thing.

The popularity of diamonds have urged experts to try to find more cost effective ways of providing the brilliance of the stone in our jewelry, and over the years there have been many alternatives to diamonds put forward, including cut glass, rhinestones and cubic zirconium. While these have proved satisfactory for some purposes, these lab created diamonds have consistently lacked the brilliance and beauty of a genuine diamond. This was until the discovery of moissanite in meteor fragments, and the realisation that moissanite could be reproduced in controlled circumstances, leading to the dawn of lab made diamonds.

It was discovered in 1995 that moissanite could be reproduced under laboratory conditions, and the unique beauty of the stone made scientists realize that there would be a huge market for these lab created diamonds. While the difficulty involved in growing these lab made diamonds remains quite high, the price for moissanite jewelry is higher than you might expect in a diamond substitute, but today, many gemmologists consider the moissanite stone to be a gem in and of its own right. Unlike previous substitutes, moissanite is in many ways superior to diamonds, with more sparkle and brightness that the mined gem.

Previously, choosing a gem that looked like a diamond but wasn't one was seen as a step down, a compromise, but with the quality of today's lab created diamonds, this is no longer the case. So take advantage of today's great moissanite prices while they last, because someday soon, the brilliant sparkle of this stone will make lab made diamonds even more sought after than the 'real thing'.

Lab created diamonds, and Moissanite in particular, are now as good as the real thing.