Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

If you are thinking of buying cubic zirconia engagement rings, it is important to know the basic characteristics of cubic zirconia and how it differs from diamonds. This can be very difficult if you do not know what to look for, and even when you do, it is not always easy to tell the difference. Here are some of the differences between the two types of jewelry.

Cubic Zirconia can be made almost perfectly colorless. If you were to rate it on the diamond color grading scale it could get a perfect “D” meaning colorless. It is not always colorless, because sometimes something is added to the cubic zirconia to give it color. Only a perfect diamond can be as clear, and would cost a fortune.

A cubic zirconia stone can be made without flaws, meaning it can be cut exactly how the jeweler wants. In contrast, nearly all diamonds have some type of flaw. Depending on the diamond, it may be very difficult to see with the naked eye. However, under magnification, it becomes more obvious.

Diamonds are quite a bit lighter than Cubic Zirconia, about 1.7 times. So if you were to take a diamond and a cubic zirconia stone that were the same size, the cubic zirconia will weigh significantly more.

In terms of hardness, Diamonds are one of the hardest stones in the world. Cubic zirconia is still very durable, but loses out to diamonds on Moh´s Hardness scale. A diamond is a 10, whereas cubic zirconia is around 8.5. Gold and silver come in at around 2.5. This means that it is nearly impossible to scratch both diamonds and cubic zirconia. However, be aware that cubic zirconia is somewhat brittle, and although a hard stone, can still crack or break into pieces.

Another key difference between the two is that cubic zirconia has a refractive index of about 2.2, while that of a diamond is about 2.4 This means the light slows down more in diamonds, and therefore reflects more light. It is a slight difference, but enough to notice that diamonds sparkle more than cubic zirconia. In contrast, the dispersion of light when it hits cubic zirconia is greater than that of a diamond, making you see more prismatic colors on a cubic zirconia stone than on a diamond.

This is a list of the basic differences between diamonds and cubic zirconia. When you are looking to pick out a ring, you should be better able to distinguish between cubic zirconia engagement rings and diamond engagement rings, and which one is best for you.