5 Stones That Look Like Diamonds

Whether you’re looking for your next diamond-alternative jewelry piece, or you’re more interested in the geology of precious stones and gems, you may have found yourself wondering about stones that look like diamonds. As it turns OUT, several stones fall into this category. Below, explore what makes a diamond a diamond. Then, learn more about the five stones that look like diamonds.

Ready to learn more? Let’s dive right in!

What is a Diamond?

Although you may be familiar with diamonds when it comes to jewelry and accessories, you may not know much about this precious stone in a more natural context.

A diamond is a solid form of carbon, one of the elements you will find in the periodic table. There are other forms of carbon, like graphite, that form under different conditions than diamonds. Of all natural materials, diamonds have the highest hardness and thermal conductivity. Because of this, not only are they used in jewelry, but they also make exceptional tools used in cutting and polishing. On the Mohs hardness scale, diamonds receive the highest rating of 10.

Typically, diamonds are mined from the ground. However, because this is hazardous, expensive work, alternatives have been created. This includes the invention of lab-grown diamonds. These diamonds are made using a similar method to natural diamonds, except the process is done in a controlled environment. Scientists will take pure carbon and expose it to intense pressure and heat, which results in the crystallization that forms the beloved diamond.

Natural diamonds can come in a variety of different colors depending on how they are formed. However, colorless diamonds are the most well-known.

5 Stones That Look Like Diamonds

Although diamonds have a unique process and chemical makeup, several stones look like diamonds. Below, explore five of these stones and learn more about their appearance, how they are formed, and how their hardness compares to that of the diamond.

Moissanite

When considering jewelry, there are often two stones considered to be the most similar to diamonds in appearance. From a scientific perspective, only one is made in a similar way as the diamond, while the other, though made differently, is also considered to be one of few precious stones. These two diamond look-alikes are moissanite and white sapphire.

Like diamonds, moissanite is a naturally occurring material. This stone occurs when both carbon and silicon are exposed to high pressure and heat. While it doesn’t come in as many colors as the diamond, it does sport a similar colorless appearance, as well as rarer shades of yellow and green. It ranks 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale. Because large-sized moissanite is extremely rare in nature, much of the moissanite you see used in jewelry is lab-grown.

While colorless moissanite and colorless diamonds are extremely similar, they also have some differences. One of the biggest differences is seen in the reflection when used in jewelry. Due to the way that stones are cut for rings and other forms of jewelry, they reflect light. This is what gives them their glittery, beguiling appearance. Colorless diamonds will give off a white reflection. Moissanite, however, has a rainbow-like reflection.

White Sapphire

When you think of a sapphire, you likely think of brilliant, blue stones. As it turns out, however, sapphire is a type of gem-quality corundum. Corundum that is red is considered a ruby; all non-red corundum is considered to be sapphire. As a result, while white sapphire may not hold that familiar blue hue, because it is not red, it is considered to be a sapphire.

Sapphires, like diamonds, are one of very few true precious stones. White sapphires in particular are famed for their overall pure nature. Because of their colorless appearance, you can know that nothing has been introduced to alter their appearance, such as glass.

Compared to diamonds, white sapphires have less of a prominent sparkle. This is known as the Refractive Index (RI) in jewelry. As a result, whereas a diamond may still appear brilliant under grim, a white sapphire will need to be cleaned more often for its beautiful shine. In terms of the Mohs hardness scale, however, these stones are fairly equal. White sapphire often ranges from a 9 to a 10.

Cubic Zirconia

It is important not to mistake cubic zirconia (CZ) with white zircon. Both of these are stones that look like diamonds, but they differ vastly. Cubic zirconia is the crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO²). Whereas sapphires and diamonds are known as precious stones, cubic zirconia is an oxide mineral.

Like moissanite, much of the cubic zirconia that you find in jewelry is synthetic. Its production began in 1976. Since this time, it has been considered an essential, budget-friendly alternative to diamonds in jewelry. However, while its colorless appearance is similar to that of a diamond, it does have the lowest Mohs scale score thus far on this list. The hardness of a cubic zirconia sits at 8.0 to 8.5. While this is lower than the diamond, moissanite, or white sapphire, though, a hardness of this score is still good for day-to-day wear in jewelry.

In its natural form, zirconia is a powder that is used for a wide variety of purposes, including ceramics. In order to form these crystals, zirconium oxide, an oxide of zirconia, is mixed with other materials. This often includes those such as magnesium and calcium. This mixture is then heated. Once removed from the heat, the crystals that later become cubic zirconia are formed.

White Zircon

As learned above, cubic zirconia is a man-made or synthetic material. Because it needs to be stabilized with magnesium and calcium under extreme heat, it does not occur in nature. This is not true for white zircon, which is why it is important not to confuse the two.

White zircon is mined, much like diamonds and white sapphire are. Areas abundant in this stone that looks like a diamond include East Africa and Cambodia. Naturally, white zircon may not be purely colorless or white. However, when heated, the stone gains its diamond-like appearance. Like cubic zirconia, it has been used for several decades as a budget-friendly diamond alternative.

Despite being a natural material rather than synthetic, white zircon actually has a lower Mohs hardness than cubic zirconia. This makes it one of the weaker stones that look like diamonds on this list. However, despite not being as strong as diamonds or moissanite, white zircon has a Mohs hardness score of around 7 to 7.5. For reference, a steel nail has a Mohs hardness score of around 6.5.

White Topaz

White topaz is also known as clear or silver topaz. While it ranks 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, it can be difficult to clean. This is because the stone is easily discolored, especially by cleansers. However, in terms of day-to-day durability against scratches and fractures, white topaz is on par with cubic zirconia.

This stone is found naturally throughout different regions of the world. Some areas include the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, and China. It is found most commonly in the fractures of cavities of igneous rocks. Topaz grows during the later stages as magma cools. This is because there is enough fluorine present to help stabilize the chemicals and form white topaz crystals. Because topaz requires cooling magma and volatile elements like fluorine, it is one of the last crystals to form at the site of magma.

White topaz in particular is a colorless variety of topaz. It is the most common of topaz stones.

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