Cubic Zirconia's Info

Cubic Zirconia is now used extensively as a diamond simulant as it offers many of the characteristics of a real diamond . This has allowed it to be used widely in stone set jewellery and offers a similar look for a fraction of the price of a genuine naturally produced diamond

There are usually 58 facets on the stones with differences in brightness and sparkle or lustre based on polishing and the quality of cut.  To the untrained eye it can be very hard to distinguish from a diamond

By using Cubic Zirconia stones high quality jewellery can be produced at affordable prices

Below are a few facts about this material: (Reference: Wikipedia www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_zirconia)

There are a few key features of cubic zirconia which distinguish it from diamond:

• Hardness:

 Cubic zirconia has a rating of approximately 8 on Mohs hardness    scale vs. a rating of 10 for diamond.

• Cut:

Cubic zirconia gemstones may be cut differently from diamonds. The facet edges can be rounded or "smooth".

• Color:

Only the rarest of diamonds are truly colorless, most having a tinge of yellow or brown to some extent. By comparison, a cubic zirconia is often entirely colorless: equivalent to a perfect "D" on diamonds colour grading scale. Other desirable colors of cubic zirconia can be produced including near colorless, yellow, pink, purple, green, and even multicolored.

Due to its low cost and close visual likeness to diamond, cubic zirconia has remained the most geologically and economically important diamond simulant since 1976