💎 The Truth About Lab Diamonds, Natural Diamonds & Moissanite

Because sparkle isn’t just about light - it’s about meaning.

When it comes to choosing a gemstone, things can get confusing.
Moissanite, lab-grown diamond, natural diamond, zircon… they all shine, but not in the same way.

At Eterling, we believe in transparency - both in our gems and in our words.
So let’s lift the sparkle curtain and explore what truly makes each stone unique.

1. Natural Diamonds - The Earth’s Timeless Creation

A natural diamond is formed deep within the Earth over billions of years, under extreme pressure and heat.
It’s a rare geological miracle - symbolic, enduring, and full of history.

Each diamond is unique, with tiny inclusions that whisper its natural journey.
That’s why diamonds are graded using the “4Cs” : Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat.
These characteristics determine not only their beauty and sparkle, but also their rarity and value.
(We’ll explore this in more detail in our upcoming post on how to understand diamond quality.)

Discover the Vie Ring  A modern ode to timeless elegance, crafted with a natural diamond that embodies heritage, grace, and quiet strength.	Explore the Carrie Ring Sculptural yet delicate, this natural diamond ring reflects balance, confidence, and the beauty of enduring design.

2. Lab-Grown Diamonds - Real Sparkle, Modern Ethics

A lab diamond is not an imitation, it’s a real diamond, identical in composition, hardness, and brilliance to one formed in nature.
The only difference lies in its origin: instead of being mined, it’s created in state-of-the-art laboratories that replicate the Earth’s natural growth conditions, the same heat, the same pressure, the same carbon crystallization process.

In other words: Same sparkle. Same durability. Same authenticity.
The beauty, composition, and hardness (10/10 on the Mohs scale) are exactly the same. Even professional gemologists need specialized tools to tell them apart.

Where they do differ, however, is in their footprint and philosophy.
Because they’re cultivated in controlled environments, lab-grown diamonds avoid the environmental damage and ethical concerns often associated with large-scale mining.
They use significantly less energy and water, generate minimal waste, and come with full traceability, so you always know where your diamond comes from.

And while they shine just as brightly, they’re also more budget-friendly, typically costing 30–40% less than their natural counterparts.
That means you can choose a larger or higher-quality stone without compromising your values, or your sparkle.

For us at Eterling, lab-grown diamonds represent the future of fine jewelry: a blend of innovation, consciousness, and timeless beauty.
The same eternal light, simply created with a modern conscience.

Discover the Aurelia Seven Ring Seven lab-grown diamonds symbolizing intuition, balance, and connection. A piece that redefines luxury with meaning and consciousness.	Explore the Sienna Ring Luminous, and full of confidence. Crafted with a lab-grown diamond for those who seek timeless sparkle with a modern conscience.

✨ And if you love light that’s a little more cosmic… moissanite might be your match.

3. Moissanite - Born from the Stars

Moissanite has its own poetry.
Originally discovered in 1893 by French chemist Henri Moissan inside a meteor crater in Arizona, this gemstone quite literally came from the stars. 
Its cosmic origin makes it one of the rarest minerals found in nature, though the moissanite used in jewelry today is lab-created, making it both sustainable and ethically sourced.

Scientifically speaking, moissanite is made of silicon carbide, not carbon like a diamond, but its optical properties are extraordinary.
It reflects light with more fire and rainbow dispersion than a diamond, producing mesmerizing flashes of color that seem to dance with every movement.

Today, moissanite is lab-created, eco-friendly and incredibly brilliant.
In fact, it has more fire and rainbow dispersion than a diamond, giving off mesmerizing flashes of light.

It’s not a diamond, and doesn’t need to be.
Moissanite is its own kind of beauty, durable, sustainable, and full of cosmic charm.

Brighter, bolder, and more luminous, moissanite doesn’t try to imitate diamonds.
It celebrates its own kind of beauty: vibrant, modern, and full of personality.
With a hardness of 9.25/10 on the Mohs scale, it’s extremely durable, perfect for everyday wear, and its eco-friendly origin makes it a favorite for those who want brilliance with a conscience.

At Eterling, we love moissanite for what it represents: freedom, individuality, and cosmic energy.
It’s for those who follow their own orbit, who shine their light in their own way.

✨ A star-born gem for a soul that dares to stand out.

4. A Note on Cubic Zirconia - The Illusion That Fades

Let’s clarify one of the most common confusions in jewelry.
Cubic zirconia (CZ), is not the same as moissanite or diamond. It is a synthetic crystal made of zirconium oxide, created to imitate the appearance of a diamond, without sharing its composition, durability, or lasting brilliance.

At first glance, it can look bright and luminous. But unlike moissanite or diamond, its sparkle does not last. Over time, it tends to lose its shine, becoming dull or scratched, especially when worn daily. This is due to its lower hardness (around 8 on the Mohs scale), which makes it more sensitive to dust and contact with harder materials.

Many people are not aware of this difference and, unfortunately, some stores or websites maintain the confusion, sometimes presenting cubic zirconia as a “diamond-like” stone or even as moissanite.

It is therefore always worth checking the details. If a description mentions CZ or zirconium oxide, it is neither a diamond nor a moissanite.

Compared to moissanite and diamonds, cubic zirconia is:
- Softer (around 8 on the Mohs scale), meaning it scratches more easily
- Less vibrant in terms of brilliance and fire
- Prone to becoming cloudy over time

5. So, Which One Should You Choose?

In the end, it’s not about which stone is “better.”
It’s about which one feels right for you, your story, your values, and your style.

Each gemstone carries its own kind of beauty:

To make it simple:

✨ Choose a natural diamond if you love love tradition and the timeless symbolism of something born from the Earth itself. A piece of nature’s history, chosen for its rarity and emotional depth.

💠 Choose a lab diamond if you seek modern luxury with a clear conscience, choosing innovation, transparency, and ethics without giving up an ounce of beauty or brilliance, and prefer to keep the price difference to organise a lovely trip with 😉

🌟 Choose moissanite if you want radiance with personality: a cosmic sparkle that’s sustainable, bold, and full of character, the freedom to shine brightly, without limits or compromise.

Whatever your choice, what truly matters is connection, that small spark between you and your jewel.
Because the most beautiful stone isn’t necessarily the rarest or the most expensive.
It’s the one that speaks to you, reminds you of who you are, or carries a memory you’ll never want to forget.

At Eterling, we believe that’s what true sparkle is about: meaning, emotion, and the story you wear every day.

✨ Ready to find the one that speaks to you?
Explore our lab-grown diamond and moissanite creations crafted with care, designed to shine for years, and made to remind you that sparkle and meaning can beautifully coexist.

Eterling – eternal sparkling.