What is Cubic Zirconia?

Cz platinum jewelry is perfect as a gift for many formal occasions. Cubic zirconia is considered one of the greatest competitors to diamond jewelry since the beginning of its commercial sale in the 1970s. Cubic zirconia is a high quality imitation diamond that is optically flawless.  It makes a great low-cost substitution for a diamond ring and is alike in a diamond’s durability. Durable rings are incredibly important when choosing a wedding ring. A cubic zirconia engagement ring is incredibly durable piece of jewelry and will be more resistant to scratching and other imperfections that arise over time in other imitation stones.

Cubic zirconia is made from zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) in cubic crystalline form. Cz in on the hardness scale of 8.5-9, while a diamond lays at the end of the hardness scale reaching a 10. The refractive index (the gem’s ability to separate a ray of light into red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet colors) for a cz stone is 2.15-2.18, while a diamond reaches 2.42 if it is genuine.

A cz engagement ring can either be produced by melting, chemical processes or high temperature, high pressure environments. The value of a synthetic diamond is determined by the same standards as a real diamond would be. These criteria include the four Cs: carat, color, clarity and cut. Clear colored cz stones tend to be worth more than colored ones and any fractures in the gem reduce its value. Although stones with a high amount of color are called “fancies” and their value is more determined by the evenness and clarity of their color.