Diamond simulants / imitation diamonds (or some self-proclaimed "synthetic diamonds") are generally low-cost mass-produced stones (not even regarded as semi-precious stones), while lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. The two may look similar at first glance, but the chemical and physical properties of a simulant are completely different from a diamond. Simulants do not have the scintillation and optical properties of real diamonds. Also, they will show signs of wear and tarnish from daily wear because they do not have the hardness like diamonds do.
If consumers understand clearly the difference between simulants and real diamonds, there is no problem buying a simulant and it is totally a personal choice. However, there are certain merchants with bad sales practices who abuse the word "diamond" to package or name their low-cost simulants in order to mislead consumers. These merchants claim that their simulants have the same sparkles and brilliance as natural diamonds and are indistinguishable in appearance. In fact, people with basic
knowledge of diamonds should be able to differentiate the two with just naked eyes.
