What is Cubic Zirconia

Many jewelry buyers want to know: what is Cubic Zirconia?

First, distinguish between a synthetic diamond and a diamond simulant. A synthetic diamond is a laboratory grown crystal with the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the natural material. A synthetic diamond is a diamond. A Chatham diamond is a good example.

A diamond simulant is a laboratory grown crystal which is very similar in appearance to a diamond, perhaps indistinguishable to the eye, but has different optical, physical and chemical properties. Cubic Zirconia is a diamond simulant. Russian Cubic Zirconia is most often used in simulated diamond jewelry.

Perhaps a better answer to what is Cubic Zirconia is that Cubic Zirconia is a hard, optically flawless, and usually colorless man-made gemstone with fire and brilliance like a diamond.

Brilliance

Although similar to the eye, Cubic Zirconia is optically different from a diamond when examined with scientific instruments. One measure of a gemstone is its refractive index, or brilliance. Light that enters the gemstone at a certain angle becomes temporarily trapped within the stone's crystal lattice. The light reflects upon itself making the Cubic Zirconia gemstone sparkle. Cubic Zirconia with a refractive index of 2.2 is slightly less brilliant than a diamond with a refractive index of 2.4

Fire

Fire is that prismatic ability of a diamond or Cubic Zirconia gemstone to disperse white light into its spectral colors. You notice this when looking at a clear gemstone that flashes hints of red, green, and blue. Diamonds have always been prized for their fire, but Cubic Zirconia has a higher dispersion index - more fire.

Hardness

Diamonds are nature's hardest substance with a Mohs scale index of 10, the highest number available. For comparison, hardened steel is 7-8, topaz is 8, and Cubic Zirconia is 8.5-9. You could scratch a hardened steel beam with Cubic Zirconia but a hardened steel file would not be able to scratch Cubic Zirconia.

Exceptional hardness is an important characteristic of Cubic Zirconia because it means that Cubic Zirconia gemstones can be cut into complex facets, which in turn can enhance the cut stone's brilliance, fire, and overall appeal. This is the case with Marquise wedding rings.

Cubic Zirconia has a higher density than diamond. Perhaps the difference would be noticeable if you were comparing a handful of stones, but it is an irrelevant difference with finished jewelry pieces.

Hope this helps the next time somebody asks you what is Cubic Zirconia.