Hello, I am posting here to get some more information about Lab Created VS Natural Diamonds in general as I know very little. A little back story is that I wanted to buy my wife a birthday gift of a 1ct total weight diamond stud earrings. So I went to the mall jewelry stores to see what they had, and the prices seemed a little steep compared to online retailers. So I came across Brilliant Earth website and noticed they sold lab created diamonds. From what the websites all say, is that lab created and natural are indistinguishable to the eye, and they are 100% real diamond and will test as such. So I went back to the mall to a Zales store and asked the sales guy if they sold lab created, and he promptly said. "No, all the diamonds we sell are real" I was confused and told him I was under the impression that lab created are real diamonds. He replied that they were synthetic, they just closely replicated real diamond. Just like if you were to buy a fake Rolex, its not the real deal. So I asked him if they are indistinguishable and he said no but they just are really hard to tell apart. However someone like him with a good eye who knows what to look for and he can tell because he has the experience. He said most of the time they test as moisennite on the tester. He was definitely discouraging and seemed to scoff as he said "If you want to buy a nice piece of jewelry, why would you buy a fake?" I explained to him I was concerned with the environmental impact mined stones carry, which he seemed clueless about. This is discouraging as I was contemplating the lightbox earrings as well. Does any of the information he gave me sound true? I am on the fence as my wife was all for the concept of lab created diamonds, especially if they were cheaper and identical. We are also both concerned with the environmental impact we cause on our planet.