Cubic zirconia rings are greatly gaining popularity over the recent years making it a hot jewelry trend among all generations regardless of status. This popularity of cubic zirconia is thought to be due to the continuously increasing prices of valuable diamonds.
The cubic zirconia jewelry has been on the spotlight lately, making more ordinary people with tight budgets favor them over the very expensive diamonds. It is really not that hard to fall in love with cubic zirconia rings’ beauty and glamour and of course its relatively cheaper price than diamonds.
What is Cubic Zirconia?
Cubic zirconia is technically the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide. It is hard, colorless, and optically flawless, making it closely similar to diamonds. It has long been considered gemologically and economically important given that it is one of the top competitors of diamonds ever since its production in 1976.
Here are several important things that make cubic zirconia somehow look like diamonds:
- It is crystallographically isometric and this acts as a stimulant to get that diamond look.
- It is dense but about 1.6 less dense than that of diamond.
- It is harder than most semi-precious natural gems.
- It has a close refractive index to that of diamonds. Cubic zirconia at 2.15-2.18 while diamond is at 2.42.
- It has a higher dispersion than that of diamonds.
- It projects the same colorless look of diamonds.
However, the natural form of cubic zirconia is very rare so the ones we see in the jewelry market today are most probably created and synthesized. For the ordinary human eye that is not entirely familiar with all the specifics of a true diamond, it is very hard to tell its difference of cubic zirconia rings to that of real diamond rings.
Tips on Choosing Cubic Zirconia Rings
While it remains almost near impossible to set apart the real diamond rings from cubic zirconia rings with just merely looking at it with the naked eye, there are some tips everyone can make use of whenever shopping for cubic zirconia jewelry. To guide you, here are some tips worth remembering to get the best cubic zirconia jewelry:
- It must be D white and flawless.
- Always ask which cubic zirconia stones were cut by hand and by machine. Choose the ones cut by hand because diamonds are always cut by hand. This makes a lot of difference.
- Ask for the hardness of the cubic zirconia. Prefer those with at least 8.5 mohs as those are of high quality.
- A round-cut wedding band always works perfect with cubic zirconia and enhances its brilliance.
- There are colored cubic zirconia rings that definitely ooze with glamour and beauty. Best-sellers would be shades of pink and yellow.
- The most famous current styles of cubic zirconia rings are cocktail rings, stackable rings, and solitaire rings. The solitaire cubic zirconia ring is a bestseller for an engagement and even wedding ring and often set into platinum, gold, or white gold.
Cubic zirconia rings are truly the answer to people’s thirst for fine jewelry on a limited budget. They last long and are definitely gorgeous, versatile, and most importantly affordable for most people.
