Are lab grown diamonds the same as moissanite?

No, moissanite and cubic zirconia are diamond simulants, and not real diamonds. While lab grown or created diamonds are Real diamonds.

A closer look at the properties of diamond simulants and real diamonds will show they are different. A diamond simulant is not a diamond at all, because the chemical properties are completely different. They can be made out of anything from glass to cubic zirconia. While they may look similar at first, diamond simulants aren’t as hard as diamonds (lab-grown and mined diamonds) and don’t have the same optical properties as diamonds, so they’ll show signs of wear & tear very quickly.

A simple illustration of the properties of created diamonds, mined diamonds and diamond simulants below, will show how real diamonds are different from diamond simulants.

Cultivated diamonds are real diamonds with the same atomic structure as mined diamonds and are the same - physically, chemically & optically as mined diamonds.  They have the same dazzle, sparkle as mined diamonds and are as strong and hard too.

While moissanites tend to be more sparkly since they are doubly refractive and more dispersion, they do not have intrinsic value like real diamonds, whether mined or created. And since they are slightly softer than diamonds, they are susceptible to wear & tear quickly.

Your choice between diamonds and diamond simulants, depends on your budget and the occasion. But between the two, we would put our money on real diamonds (mined & lab-grown) as they have intrinsic value over time.