Cubic Zirconia Jewelry
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Cubic Zirconia Jewelry gets a bad wrap for being the poor man's imitation
of a diamond. Wise cracks aside, cubic zirconia is a smart alternative
to "precious" gemstones and carries some interesting mineralogical properties.
Cubic Zirconia, or Zircon, is a good indicator mineral and is very important
within geologist circles. This extremely durable mineral (reaching a 8
on Mohs scale) is the ultimate recyclable and can tell geologists how
old sediments of the earth are. Zircon grains are found almost everywhere
there are sediments, rising up from the earths crust, being washed through
water currents, and settling in shale and granite unchanged. In fact,
Zircon remains the single oldest thing on the planet reaching back to
4.3 million years ago. It wasn't until the 1970s that Soviet gemologists
made a business of creating cubic zirconia in the lab to produce some
of the most beautiful gems of their time.
To the untrained eye, cubic zirconia mimics that of a real quality diamond in terms of clarity and
cut. However, there are a few differences between a real diamond and a cz that must be stated:
Brilliance, or "fire"- Cubic Zirconia Jewelry is said to have less sparkle
than a real diamond but have a more striking "rainbow effect."
Hardness- Cubic Zirconia ranks an 8 on the Mohs scale ranking it close to diamonds in hardness.
Carat-CZ is measured in millimeters where 6.5 millimeter is equal to a one carat diamond.
Clarity-Cubic Zirconia is produced in the lab and typically meets the most stringent rules for clarity.
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