Cubic zirconia is a synthetic gemstone that offers many benefits for those who are looking for an affordable and attractive alternative to diamonds. Whether you are looking for a piece of jewelry for everyday wear or a special occasion, cubic zirconia can provide you with the look and sparkle you’re after.Cubic Zirconia is a lab-created material widely used in jewelry and other products due to its hardness, durability, and affordability compared to diamonds. Its appearance and optical properties are nearly identical to diamonds; it is slightly more durable but less dense than diamonds. Related: A Comprehensive Guide on Simulated Diamonds.
No diamond is perfectly the same as another. However, cubic zirconia is crystal clear. Because it is lab made, it looks less organic than diamonds. Many jewelers and specialists can tell between the two gemstones by how they react when held up to light. A diamond gives off a strong white light, called brilliance.
2. Cubic Zirconia Image Source: Pinterest. Cubic zirconia is the best diamond substitute in terms of color. Those who want colorless diamonds will find an abundance of cheap, colorless cubic zirconia options. Another selling point of cubic zirconia is it’s flawless. Unlike mined diamonds, cubic zirconia doesn’t have inclusions. All cubic zirconia (CZ) in jewelry is lab-created, like synthetic diamonds. The difference is that CZ diamonds have very different mineral structures, while synthetic diamonds have the same carbon-based structure as true diamonds. Cubic zirconia diamonds are often described as “fake” or “simulated” diamonds. Unlike lab diamonds vs. natural diamonds, which are inherently identical in look, feel and hardness, there is a noticeable dropoff from a lab-created diamond to a simulant like cubic zirconia or moissanite. Simulants do not have the same brilliance and sparkle as real diamonds. The refractive index of cubic zirconia is lower than a diamond, 2.2 When you need a replacement stone, you might want to ask for one that matches the other stones in the piece nicely. For example, you want all the diamonds to have similar coloration, which means that their 4 C’s need to be similar. A new diamond needs to be “matched” to the existing diamonds for the piece to look right.Typically, the seed is pulled from the melt at a rate of 0.0394-3.94 in (1-100 mm) per hour. Crystals grown using this method can be very large, more than 1.97 in (50 mm) in diameter and 3.281 ft (1 m) in length, and of very high purity. Each year producers using this method grow millions of carats of crystals.zb0wdI.