People often choose fake diamond rings when they want to enjoy the look of a stone that looks like a real diamond, but at a more affordable price. Let’s see what kinds of diamond imitations are available and what you should consider when shopping for a ring with a fake diamond.
Fake Diamonds: What They Are Made Of
Fake diamonds are created from materials that resemble the appearance of real diamonds. Unlike synthetic diamonds, which are identical to real ones in terms of makeup, fake diamonds differ from natural diamonds when it comes to chemical and physical properties.

Fake diamonds are created from materials that resemble the appearance of real diamonds.
There are a lot of different materials that can be used to produce a faux diamond, and they vary in hardness, durability, color, and clarity.
Choosing a Fake Diamond for Your Ring
While comparing prices of fake diamond rings is pretty straightforward, deciding on a particular stone is not.
There are diamond imitations that look more colorless than others, and there are also some that scratch more easily than stones made of harder materials.
Here are some of the most common options you can choose for your fake diamond ring:
Cubic Zirconia: This is one of the most popular diamond imitations. One of the reasons for its popularity is its low price. Cubic zirconia also looks pretty similar to real diamond.
However, this material is definitely less durable than the real thing. While diamond is rated 10 (the highest) on the Mohs scale of hardness, cubic zirconia is an 8.0-8.5.
For this reason, you can expect a cubic zirconia stone to accumulate a number of visible scratches after you have worn it for a certain amount of time.
White Sapphire: This stone is another popular substitute for real diamond. The good thing about white sapphire is that it is cheaper and reasonably colorless.
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Although it is not as hard as diamond (white sapphire is 9 on the Mohs scale), this stone is harder than cubic zirconia.
Moissanite: This is a very rare mineral, and the diamond imitations made of it are usually created in a lab.
Moissanite looks very similar to diamond, and many people who do not have experience looking closely at gemstones cannot tell the difference.
(One of the ways to recognize moissanite by looking at it is to notice its sparkle, which tends to have more colors than that of a real diamond.)
With its high hardness (9.5 on the Mohs scale), moissanite is perhaps the diamond imitation that comes closest to the real thing in terms of durability.
Glass: Because of its abundance, this material is widely used to make fake diamonds. The good thing about glass is that it is very cheap.
However, it is much softer than diamond, and if you choose glass for a faux-diamond ring, it won’t be long before you see scratches on your fake stone.
Fake Diamonds and Size
When choosing a fake diamond, you should also consider its size. While most people think that bigger is better when it comes to real diamonds, wearing an imitation that is too large is not recommended.
For one thing, the bigger the stone, the more easily people will be able to notice that it is fake.
This, of course, depends on the material the fake is made of, but in general, most imitations differ from diamonds in terms of brilliance and sparkle, and a bigger size can make such differences more obvious.
Also, don’t forget that fakes scratch more easily than real diamonds, and scratches tend to be more visible on bigger stones.
Choosing a Setting for Your Fake Diamond Ring
If you are looking to save money by buying a fake diamond, it doesn’t really make sense to set a faux stone in an expensive setting (such as one made of platinum, for example).
A more price-conscious choice for a white setting would be silver or white gold.
If you choose yellow gold, keep in mind that higher-karat rings are more expensive, but since they contain more gold, they are also softer and less durable than lower-karat pieces.
A 10K or 14K ring will be not only cheaper but also harder to scratch.
Where to Buy Diamond Imitations?
For cubic zirconia or other simulated diamonds, check out the great selection of diamond imitations at Amazon.