Cubic Zirconia is Not the Same as Diamond.
Are you Considering a CZ vs diamond as your “Gem” of choice for getting married?
Is cubic zirconia on your radar for your engagement ring? You’d save a lot of money…. Do I approve? No! As a passionate wedding jewelry designer I’ll tell you why in technical and emotional terms.
Facts and Answers to Burning Questions
First I’ll talk about CZ’s and how to tell CZ from Diamond and then I’ll answer the questions that have come in the comments.
CZ vs. Diamond, a Poor Substitute
Cubic zirconia—commonly called CZ—is widely used as an inexpensive diamond substitute. To the untrained eye, a brand new CZ looks like a real diamond. This is why many people substitute them for the real thing.
Does this mean it’s alright to put one in your wedding ring? For a number of reasons, the answer is NO! A CZ is to diamond what brass is to gold. The two substances may look similar—especially when new and clean—but they’re not!
Unlike diamonds, CZ’s scratch and become dull and lifeless over the long term. They don’t sparkle like real diamonds either once you’ve worn them for a bit.
What is Cubic Zirconia?
Note the Out of Focus Looking Ring Around the Flat Table of This CZ. That is worn away CZ material. They Don’t Hold up.
Technically, cubic zirconia is zirconium dioxide. It’s a relatively hard synthetic mineral. It’s optically flawless, usually colorless, though it can be made in a variety of colors.
Don’t confuse cubic zirconia with zircon. The latter is a real gemstone. CZ’s are not. CZ’s are grown in a lab. We December babies who have zircon as a birthstone are not happy!
For a thorough explanation of CZ. go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_zirconia
Four Ways to Tell the Difference Between CZ and Diamond
1. The Sharpness of Facet Junctions Test
Many of today’s CZ stones have ‘softer’ facets than diamonds.
Try the Huff Test:
2. The Huff Test
Hold the stone in question next to a diamond and “huff” on them with your hot breath. Both stones will fog up. The diamond will clear up rapidly, while a CZ will take a little longer. This is due to diamond’s greater thermal conductivity.
3. The Ink Test
You Can See the Black Ink Behind the CZ
Because of the different make up of diamonds on CZ, one way to tell them apart quickly when they are unset is to try to read through them.
4. The Scratch Test
The Sandpaper Test
I don’t recommend this. When I get a bunch of small diamonds in, I scrape each one on a piece of sandpaper. Once in a while one shows the scratch.
Then I get out my diamond tester. Bing, red zone, that is not a real diamond.
Sometimes on tiny stones a CZ slips in. Well it’s not going to make it into my jewelry. The scratch test is faster for me that using my electronic diamond tester.
The Real Cost of Cubic Zirconia
Perusing the internet the other day, I was astounded at the prices jewelers—and the regular public—were quoting for CZ’s. I saw them costing anywhere from forty dollars per carat to hundreds!
One site said that CZ’s cost about one-tenth of what a diamond does! That means that if a one carat diamond went for $6,000, a CZ of the same size would cost $600. Nothing could be farther from the truth! If you paid more than $20 or $30 for one—whatever the size—you probably paid too much.
Diamonds vs. CZ’s, What Are You Saying with Your Gem Choice?
Diamonds are the hardest natural substance on Earth. As I mentioned, they rarely scratch, they don’t cloud up, and degrade over time. Like the famous slogan says, “A diamond is forever.” A cubic zirconia? Not even close.
This Diamond Ring Has Black Diamonds on the Side and Curlicue Edge Details
Diamond rings mean something. They’re a symbol of love, marriage, and eternity. Diamonds don’t degrade over time and the rings in which they’re set get passed down from generation to generation. CZ rings? Not so much. Diamond rings are valuable. CZ rings? Nope!
CZ’s are cheap. A few grande lattes at Starbucks would cost more. So would a toaster or two tickets to the movies and snacks for you and your significant other.
Diamonds are valuable. They’re important and precious. They always have been and always will be. Diamonds stand for a lasting, sparkling love. CZ’s…not so much.
“Wouldn’t it be cheaper to replace CZ every few years than to get a diamond?”
What a CZ Worn Daily Looks Like. This Ring Was Worn for Five Years.
Technically, it would be cheaper to buy a new cubic zirconia once a year for many years than it would be to buy a diamond, but there are other costs to consider.
If your intention is to replace your CZ every time the shine fades, then you need to remember to factor in the cost of labor to un-set the old and re-set a new CZ.
How Many Times Can You Bend Back Those Prongs
While we’re at it, just like twisting a paperclip back and forth will break it, your ring prongs will not put up with your yearly back and forth un-setting and re-setting action without needing replacement. The labor and replacement, with prong work, may over time still be cheaper than having a diamond, but at what cost to your ring? Quite a bit if you stay married very long. Which I sincerely hope you do.
“CZ is so close to diamond on the Mohs Scale of gemstone hardness, so Diamond is only slightly better, right?”
The Moh’s scale of hardness is not a numerical scale. A number is assigned to the next hardest gemstone in this scale.
This would be a gemstone that can scratch the previous gemstone. That doesn’t mean that the next level of hardness is for example 10% harder than the previous gemstone. It could be 100% harder or it could be 13% harder.
For example, the difference between a sapphire, which is 9, (corundum on the scale) and a diamond, which is 10 is considerable. A sapphire will chip and scratch way before a diamond will and yet they are one numeric level of hardness away from each other on the scale.
A diamond is much harder than sapphire. So a CZ, which is at 8.5 is not close in hardness at all to a diamond. There is a very large gulf between the 8.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness of CZ and the 10 of diamond.
Diamonds, CZ’s, and You and Getting Married
You would never buy a brass or aluminum wedding ring, right? You’d get one made out of gold or platinum. Gold and platinum are valuable. Brass and aluminum are not. Brass is for plumbing fixtures and aluminum is for cheap pots and pans. Likewise, diamonds are for weddings. CZ’s are for cocktail parties.
