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| Cubic Zirconia |
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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.
Cubic Zirconia Colour Chart
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| CUBIC ZIRCONIA SPECIAL COLOURS |
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