Cubic zirconia rings and other cubic zirconia jewelry are lovely
substitutes for diamond jewelry. It has an interesting history combining science
and beauty. Two German scientists discovered it in 1937. However, it was not
until the 1970's when Russian scientist found a way to create it in a
laboratory. Cubic zirconia did not become popular until the 1980's when
Swarovski & Co. began making them in mass quantities.
A cubic zirconia is made through a complicated process and is a made up of
zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide. Together the two chemicals create a
beautiful, radiant crystal. It takes almost 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit to melt the
two chemicals together and the most important process is cooling. The chemicals
must be carefully cooled in order to create flawless crystals.
The cubic zirconia is a beautiful substitute for those who simply prefer not to
spend that much.
A cubic zirconia weighs 75% more than loose diamonds with the same carat weight.
Cubic zirconia stones are durable, brilliant, and beautiful. Most people cannot
tell the difference. One of the ways to tell the difference between a cubic
zirconia and a real diamond is to look at the cubic zirconia under a 10x
magnification. You can see the facets do not point properly and where facets
intersect, it is not a straight line, but the intersection is more rounded than
the diamond's facets.
Cubic zirconia is clear and is brilliant. There are even some cubic zirconia
that come in almost every color of the rainbow.