Sunday, 23 October 2011

Diamonds, Cubic Zirconia and Moissanite: How They Differ

By Agus Rahman


Diamonds are known for their sparkle and brilliance making them funky in jewellery as their shine is unmatched by any other gemstone. Symbolizing eternal love, diamonds are famous in engagement rings and wedding jewellery. Because of their hardness, diamonds are also used to cut and wear away other substances and are used for industrial purposes in drills, saws and engraving tools.

The jewellery and industrial uses for diamonds produced a demand for the gems and also prompted the creation of imitations which mimic the qualities of a diamond with sure differences. Cubic zirconia and moissanite are two of these that are funky in jewellery.

Both are diamond simulants definition non-diamond materials are used to create them and simulate the properties of a real diamond. Both are less expensive than a diamond and have their advantages and drawbacks.

Cubic Zirconia vs. Diamonds

Cubic zirconia (or CZ) has been used in jewelry since the 1970�s. Cubic zirconias are more reflective than glass or crystal accordingly they sparkle like diamonds. A CZ is not as hard as a diamond however , weighs more, a fact that does not lessen cubic zirconias appeal since traditional carat sizes are small enough that their weight isn�t perceived as greater. The majority of diamonds have inclusions, or flaws (these are measured by the Clarity component of the four C�s of diamond buying.) CZs are optically flawless and they are colorless, another characteristics that is revealed in few diamonds as most diamonds have confident yellow shading to them.

Moissanite vs. Diamonds

Moissanite is the jewelry name for silicon carbide and was introduced as a gemstone in the late 1990�s. Moissanites are more refractive than diamonds definition they shine more brilliantly making this one of the easiest ways to tell it is not a diamond.

A moissanite is not as hard as a diamond but is harder than a cubic zirconia and it weighs less over a CZ. Moissanites do have inclusions like diamonds and definitely will have green shading to them.

Both cubic zirconia and moissanite have got a close visual resemblance to diamonds � they offer the luster and fire of diamonds while being mostly colorless and might be cut in the same shapes as diamonds. In jewellery making cubic zirconia and moissanite are not as stylish for this reason they are harder to find in specific cuts and are not regularly found in jewellery stores or standard online jewelry sellers.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment