The huge popularity of Cubic Zirconia or CZ in short is
attributable to its ability to substitute itself as a desirable
substitute for the more expensive diamond itself. Most
Gemologists agree that the visual characteristics of CZ match
closely with that of diamond, and even trained personnel in
gemology cannot differentiate them with naked eyes. For the
ordinary pair of eyes with no knowledge of gemology CZ looks
very similar to diamonds. A closer inspection would however
reveal a marginally lesser brilliance compared to a diamond and
an excess dose of fire or flash of color. Originally, the
Russians are credited with the development of CZ primarily for
the Russian space program. This exercise was to provide an
alternative for diamonds used in optics of lasers. The
refractive index, hardness and dispersion of CZ are so close to
diamond making it so uncanny.
How do we differentiate CZ jewelry?
To distinguish CZ jewelry from diamonds, it is essential to
employ gemological equipments such as a loupe, microscope etc.
While the hardness of diamond reads 10 being the hardest
material known to mankind, CZ measures between 8.5 and 9 on
Mohs’ hardness scale. Glass/sand measures 5 to 6 which means
that dust and dirt cannot cause scratches on your CZ jewelry. CZ
can however cause scratches on glass which again is good news
for your CZ jewelry because it provides resistance to chipping.
Weight
When it comes to weight, the CZ is a heavy weight counterpart
compared to diamonds with a typical comparison notching upto
175% in weight in relation to diamond. This is again great news
for CZ jewelry lovers because the weight of a similar sized
diamond jewelry will be nearly half of the CZ jewelry.
CZ is colorless and flawless
While diamonds tend to carry impurities or some kind of defects,
CZ is generally flawless. When we consider, colorless diamonds
are among the rarest and most diamonds will have brown or yellow
tinge. CZ on the contrary can be manufactured to be colorless
comparable to “D” on a color grading for diamonds.
Other factors
Identification of gems through visual inspection, in most cases
is more a wild guess work than a scientific authentication. Even
qualified gemologists need to be employ gemological equipment to
precisely test and verify the quality of gems. The CZ while
being inexpensive and durable is close to diamonds in sheen and
appearance and can be sourced in any rainbow colors making them
more appealing. A number of attempts to get jewelers inspect CZ
with naked eyes to differentiate from diamonds have seldom been
conclusive. Visual inspection was inadequate to determine the
difference which asserts the value of CZ jewelry.
Everybody knows that diamonds are natural and expensive while CZ
is an artificial product with qualities that are close match to
real diamonds, particularly when they are employed in jewelry.
The lower price at which CZ jewelry is available to customers
around the world is perhaps denying CZ its due place in the
jewelry space.
About The Author: Queen Bee Jewelry offers a great selection of
CZ Jewelry in addition to Fashion Jewelry & Sterling Silver
Jewelry. Check us out on the web at
http://www.queenbjewelry.com
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