Final answer:
Lab diamonds and cubic zirconia are not the same. Lab diamonds are real diamonds with identical properties to natural diamonds, while cubic zirconia is a diamond simulant with different chemical and optical properties.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, lab diamonds and cubic zirconia are not the same. Lab diamonds, also known as synthetic or cultured diamonds, are man-made diamonds that have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural diamonds. They are created in a laboratory setting but are real diamonds. On the other hand, cubic zirconia is a diamond simulant, meaning it looks somewhat like a diamond but does not have the same properties.
Cubic zirconia is made of zirconium dioxide and is much less hard than diamonds. It also has a different index of refraction and dispersion, which affects how light passes through the material and, therefore, how it sparkles. While cubic zirconia has a high index of refraction (around 2.17), it is still lower than that of diamonds. This explains why diamonds, even lab-created ones, sparkle more due to total internal reflection and a larger index of refraction, creating bright sparkles as the light is concentrated before it exits the diamond after many internal reflections.