So, contemplating on the centerstone for your next jewelry piece has you vacillating between white sapphire and lab diamond. Are you in two minds regarding the two gemstones? If yes, let me tell you that you’re not the only one who has been caught up in the conundrum. The white sapphire vs lab diamond debate is a protracted one.
The primary reason supporting this inclination has to be the colorless appearance of the two stones. It certainly makes choosing between them a herculean task. Let’s learn about the stones with a comparison so that you can choose the one that goes with your style.
What Is White Sapphire & Lab Diamond?
Sapphires are the most popular color gemstones used in jewelry in the present times. They are precious gemstones belonging to the corundum mineral family. Sapphire is typically known for its alluring blue color. However, the gem occurs in various other fancy colors such as purple, green, orange and yellow to name a few.
White sapphire is one of the fancy color sapphires that’s emerged as an alternative to diamond for engagement ring stones. White sapphire makes a great contender in the battle of white sapphire vs lab diamond.
On the other hand, a lab diamond is a sheer diamond created in a controlled environment in a laboratory. It’s created by mimicking the set of conditions necessary for the formation of a natural diamond. A lab diamond is identical to a natural diamond in terms of appearance, chemical composition, and hardness and durability. Only gemologists can discern a lab-created diamond from a bunch of diamonds with the help of certain professional gemological equipment.
Let’s not go off the track any further and focus on the white sapphire vs lab diamond discourse. So, let’s compare the two based on their colorless appearance.
Beauty
The beauty and appeal of a gemstone are attributed to its brilliance, fire and scintillation. Therefore, let’s understand the three terms. The brilliance of a gemstone can be referred to as its ability to reflect light. Just like that, a gemstone’s ability to disperse white light into a spectrum of colors is known as fire.
On the other hand, scintillation refers to the flashes of light you see when you move a gemstone. Understanding these terminologies is significant if you want to reach a conclusion in the white sapphire vs lab diamond debate.
The brilliance and fire of a gemstone are measured in terms of Refractive Index (RI) and Dispersion Value (DV), respectively. A lab diamond has a RI of 2.41 which is way more than white diamond’s 1.77. So, lab diamond is ahead of white sapphire in terms of brilliance.
A lab diamond reflects more light but breaks less into a spectrum of colors as compared to white sapphire. This is due to white sapphire’s greater DV of 0.018 as against lab diamond’s respective value of 0.044.
In short, you should go for a lab diamond if you’re eyeing a sparkler that shines like nothing else does. On the contrary, you should pick white sapphire if you want a subtle sparkle. Let’s move on to the next criteria of lab created diamond vs white sapphire.
Hardness
The hardness of a gemstone implies its ability to resist scratches and abrasion and is measured on the Mohs scale. Diamond scores 10 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness because it’s the hardest substance on earth. Such a terrific score on the Mohs scale means diamonds can easily stand up to the rigors of daily wear.
Sapphire is also known for its impressive hardness and durability. It scores 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Now, this is a great score as well. You can pick both the stones in terms of hardness because of their high scores on the Mohs scale. So, both the stones are winners in terms of hardness in the white sapphire vs lab created diamond discussion.
Price
Last but not least, let’s differentiate between the two gemstones on the basis of their price. Price is an important basis of comparison in the white sapphire vs lab diamond face off. Diamonds command an exorbitant price in the market compared to white sapphires. The unreasonably high prices of diamonds are an upshot of not only their unparalleled sparkle but also their rarity.
However, diamonds aren’t as rare as they are projected. On the contrary, white sapphires are exceptionally rare but still they cost way less than diamonds. So, we can say that white sapphire is the winner in this aspect of white sapphire vs lab diamond.
The Bottom Line
So, the white sapphire vs lab diamond discussion has finally come to an end. The two gemstones are beautiful, appealing, and sturdy enough to last a lifetime. Choosing between the two gemstones should be a walk in the park for you now. We recommend going for the one that satiates your budget, preference and liking. The winner between white sapphire and lab diamond is the one that fulfills your prerequisites while exciting your curiosities.
Explore our gigantic collection of natural and lab diamonds as well as natural and lab sapphires for your engagement ring, earrings and more.
