Whilst the terminology can seem a little confusing, man made, ‘synthetic diamonds’ are real diamonds - created in a lab. The term ‘synthetic diamond’ refers to the synthetic (i.e. human-made) environment in which a lab grown diamond is created. Synthetic diamonds are not to be confused with diamond simulants. Diamond simulants are not diamonds, but are stones that are somewhat similar in appearance and are generally used for cheaper, high street jewellery, such as cubic zirconia and moissanites. Our gemmological advice is to steer clear of diamond simulants: they do not retain value, and more importantly are less striking in appearance, particularly their sparkle, lustre and crisp structure.