Diamonds, we’re told, are a girl’s best friend. They’re rare, they’re valuable, they’re unique. So what happens now that we can make artificial ones that are just as good as the real thing?

The Verge science team goes inside the artificial diamonds industry: how they’re made, how the artificial diamonds compare to the real thing, and what it means for the jewelry industry now that man-made diamonds are flooding the market. We talk to experts Wuyi Wang and Tom Moses at the Gemological Institute of America, and visit the showroom at Brilliant Earth, a jeweler that sells both natural and synthetic gems.

There are billions of dollars backing both kinds of diamonds, but the stones are pretty much the same. How will companies (and consumers) adapt as the technology gets better and better?