I would say it's not. But I bet you if you came up with a replacement alloy that had the same exact texture and color as gold, people would not knowingly pay th

I would say it's not. But I bet you if you came up with a replacement alloy that had the same exact texture and color as gold, people would not knowingly pay the same money for it. Just like lab diamonds can be grown to look even better than mined diamonds, the fact that they're from a lab still (sadly) diminishes their value.