Cubic Zirconia Jewelry

     Cubic Zirconia's are fake diamonds and they are a lovely substitutes for diamond jewelry. This naturally occurring material is mined in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia and other countries. The most popular colour for the naturally occurring zircon is blue. The history of Cubic Zirconia's is very interesting - two German scientists discovered it in 1937. It was not until 1970's when Russian scientists found a way to create it in a laboratory and it did not become really popular until the 1980's when Swarovski and Co. began making them in mass quantities. A CZ is made through a complicated process and is made up of zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide - together, these chemicals create a beautiful, radiant and flawless crystal. Some CZ come in almost every colour of the rainbow - to simulate the fancy coloured diamonds.

     It is a beautiful substitute for those who cannot afford real diamond or prefer not to spend that much. It has a little less sparkle and brilliance than a real diamond, but more fire and colour. Also, Cubic Zirconia weighs 75% more than diamond with the same carat weight, making them very durable. Often, gemologists are unable to distinguish the difference between diamonds and cubic zirconias unless using a magnifier - the best way to tell the difference is to look at them under 10x magnification. As well, the facets on a CZ do not point properly as a diamond would and they are more rounded where they intersect. Other ways to tell the difference is by doing a gravity test on a stone. Mark the stone with ink and it will "bead" up on the CZ. AS well, when measuring heat conductivity the CZ registers red on the indicator (a diamond is green). It has a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale.

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