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Not all stones are created alike. How a stone is cut determines how much sparkle you see. The sparkle is really comprised of two things - Brillance and Fire. The following is a general guideline of which stones have the most to least sparkle.
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Dispersion of a stone is how it breaks down light into colors. This makes the stone sparkle and gives off its brilliance.
CZ has a Refractive Index of 2.15 – 2.18, while a diamond’s Refractive Index is higher at 2.42.
Brilliance refers to the light that is reflected from a stone. Diamonds reflect white light. CZ’s reflect a rainbow-colored light because they have excessive light dispersion.
Fire is caused by different light that is broken down into colors when looking through a stone. The best cut stones will maximize fire and brilliance. Fire can take the form of any of the spectral colors, from red to orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Choosing the shape of a stone can affect how much fire of brilliance is reflected back. So which shapes offer the most brilliance?
Stones have facets that act like mirrors to reflect the light. Some shapes and cuts have far more than others. For example, an Emerald Cut will never bounce back as much light than a round.
What is the difference between a Cubic Zirconia (CZ) and a Diamond?
Diamonds can be found in nature via mining or diamonds can be synthetic, or lab grown. In terms of price, lab grown diamonds are less expensive than natural diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are, however, real diamonds.
CZ are also created in labs. Cubic Zirconia is made of zirconium oxide. Diamonds are made from carbon.
Within the jewelry industry, there is much debate about the way that natural diamonds are mined, sourced and sold. Lab grown diamonds and CZs however, are considered conflict-free, ethical and sustainable.
The jewelry industry uses the term “simulant” to refer to materials, such as CZ, that look like another gem and are used as its substitute but are made from different materials, crystal structure and optical and physical properties. These simulants, also known as imitations or substitutes, can be natural or manmade.
Cubic Zirconia can be made in virtually almost any color, even imitating diamonds that are pink, yellow and blue.
Diamonds are graded on their color on a scale from D (colorless) to Z (yellow). Colorless diamonds are generally more expensive stones.
CZ’s however, are always colorless unless they are intentionally colored to look like a colored diamond or gemstone. Colored diamonds (such as pink and blue) are much more expensive than colorless diamonds. CZs also have excellent clarity and are flawless. This is one way that a jeweler can tell a CZ from a Diamond – the CZ will be flawless.
The Mohs scale (pronounced MOZE) rates the hardness of gems and minerals. The hardness of a stone indicates the stone’s resistance to scratching or how the surface of the gem will respond to contact with a sharp point. This differs from a gem’s toughness, which is defined by how well a gem can survive an impact or resist breaking, chipping or cracking.
CZ has a Moh’s hardness of 8.5. That means it is a hard and durable gem although not as hard as diamond. Diamonds have a Moh’s hardness of 10.
Many people mistakenly believe that you cannot do things like chip a diamond, however, that is incorrect. It can chip or fracture during the course of normal wear.
Consumers who are bothered by the brilliance of a CZ may prefer a diamond if a budget for a stone is much larger. Consumers who are concerned that they may chip or fracture a diamond due to the nature of what they do with their hands, may prefer the CZ. If a consumer prefers an ethically sourced stone, they may prefer a CZ.
Cubic Zirconia stones are rated from A to AAAAA. A is the Lowest Quality, while AAAAA is the Highest Grade available.
Consumers who are bothered by the brilliance of a CZ may prefer a diamond if a budget for a stone is much larger. Consumers who are concerned that they may chip or fracture a diamond due to the nature of what they do with their hands, may prefer the CZ. If a consumer prefers an ethically sourced stone, they may prefer a CZ
CZs are heavier than diamonds. A diamond and CZ the same physical size will not be the same carat weight. In the diamond industry, carat weight only refers to size when dealing with round diamonds. In the CZ industry, they are often treated differently. A 1 carat round CZ will not be as large as a 1 CT round diamond because CZ’s are heavier.
There is quite a range of price between a diamond and CZ. A 1 CT diamond might be around $11,000 while a 1 carat CZ might be $20. A lab grown diamond may start around $1800 per carat for smaller stones. However, a larger stone such as a 5CT Lab Grown Diamond may be in the $65,000+ range.
Consumers with expensive diamonds will often have copies or selections made to resemble their rings. Those rings are often made of CZs. The jewelry industry calls this “travel diamonds.” Many people are not comfortable traveling with expensive jewelry and will view it as a safety hazard.
