The term artificial diamond can refer to either one of two phenomena: either diamond stimulants, which are naturally occurring substances which share some but not all of a diamond’s properties; or synthetic diamonds, which are atomically identically to diamonds in every way, but they are not formed naturally but rather produced in a chemical laboratory.
Naturally produced true diamonds are very expensive to procure, especially rare large diamonds and fancy color diamonds. As a result, a number of cheaper alternatives have been developed that allow for fashioning costume jewelry that, at first appearance, seems to be made of real diamonds.
The development of these artificial diamonds also created a new class of criminal who commits fraud by selling stones to unsuspecting customers, who think they are buying the real deal. In response, the diamond industry developed certification services, to ensure that consumers were not being taken advantage of.
