Cubic Zirconia – A Diamond’s Best Friend!
Genuine diamond jewelry is being given a good chase by cubic zirconia jewelry. Cubic zirconia or CZ, looks just like real diamond and comes at anything between a tenth and a quarter of the price of a real diamond. Gemstone purists sneer at the cubic zirconia and call it “fake diamond”. Apart from the fact that a cubic zirconia is not a diamond, cubic zirconia commands a very large share of the jewelry market and is categorized as a semiprecious gemstone.
Cubic zirconia has almost all the qualities of a diamond, albeit in lesser quantities. For example, the brilliance of a cubic zirconia is slightly less than that of a diamond, the clarity of a cubic zirconia is slightly less than that of a diamond, the durability of a cubic zirconia is moderately less than that of a diamond, and finally, the hardness of a cubic zirconia is moderately less than that of the real gemstone. There is a market for real diamond jewelry and there is a bona fide thriving market for imitation diamond jewelry. So there’s nothing “fake” about imitation diamond jewelry. In the imitation diamond jewelry market, cubic zirconia is the most valued gemstone, beating other diamond wannabes hollow.
All that brilliance is yours at a fraction of the price of a real diamond. This is what makes it so appealing to fashion conscious buyers: you get the look and feel of the genuine article and end up paying less than a quarter of the latter’s price, and sometimes much less than even that depending on the setting, cut and quality of the cubic zirconia.
A few people are reticent about using cubic zirconia jewelry for fear about being found out that they are wearing “fake” or “imitation” jewelry. To reiterate the point, there is nothing fake about cubic zirconia jewelry, and that it is used as imitation jewelry should not attract social stigma. It is cheap in the sense that it is “cheaper than” diamond jewelry. Its affordability, a desirable quality, should not be held against it! Apart from that no one, not even experts, will be able to tell whether a person is wearing cubic zirconia jewelry or diamond jewelry just by looking at it. Cubic zirconia is so close to diamond in appearance that it requires meticulous inspection with special instruments in controlled conditions to detect the difference. Cubic zirconia is about one and a half times heavier than diamond, but that is not visually detectable. Visually, you’d have to juxtapose the cubic zirconia with the diamond for an expert to be able to tell them apart.
It is a fact that cubic zirconia is perfect. It has no flaws, no defects. This is because it is created under stringently controlled conditions, in high tech manufacturing facilities. Regular diamond has its share of flaws and defects, from those which are virtually undetectable to the ones that make the diamond worth less than a good quality cubic zirconia of comparable size.
The cubic zirconia is noteworthy for its close visual similarity with diamond. What is less known is that the similarity doesn’t end there. Cubic zirconia has all the qualities that are sought after in a diamond – brilliance, clarity, durability, and hardness. The fact that cubic zirconia has all these qualities at an affordable price, makes cubic zirconia jewelry ideal for general wear, where the intrinsic value of the gemstone is not important.
Cubic zirconia jewelry looks every bit as classic and stylish as diamond jewelry. You can wear it on every occasion that requires jewelry to embellish your outfit. Ear studs, chokers, pendants, broaches – all these items are available using cubic zirconia, and they are matchless in price and exquisite beauty.
Cubic zirconia can be worked into any form of dress jewelry. It takes the same cut and shape of a genuine diamond. Exquisite designs can be crafted using cubic zirconia. Why hold yourself back? Do what the world is doing, use cubic zirconia and set the room ablaze!
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