All of our Twinkle Twinkle collection features cubic zirconias, and we love them for their durability, intense sparkle and affordability. Meanwhile, there are lots of pieces in our Rainbow Brights collection showcasing zircon. So what is the difference, we hear you cry. And how do they compare to diamonds? Grab a coffee, let’s have a chat about them…
CZ is an excellent alternative to a diamond to the naked eye. It catches the light and provides that wow factor – at a smidge of the price. It can be cut in the same way as a diamond is, so can mimic it very well. It can also be created in a wide range of colours, so is really versatile.
If you want the science, a CZ is a synthetic gemstone made of the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide, and is lab-created (although some was discovered naturally in the 1930s, it’s very rare). It’s made by melting zirconium oxide powder with magnesium & calcium at 2750ºC. After heating, the crystals form & stabilize, then are cut & polished. The best way to spot the difference between a CZ and a diamond is to look at them both in natural light. Diamonds have a white brilliance, where a CZ will show a range of rainbow colours due to the fact that it has a higher dispersion rate (0.060, where a diamond’s dispersion is 0.044). Under a jeweller’s eyeglass there are other giveaways like their physical and chemical composition. The other piece of science for you is about the refractive index of both - this is about how fast light can travel through the stone and back to your eyes. A CZ is 2.17, where a diamond is 2.41 – this is how we can describe a diamond as having more brilliance. Finally on CZs is their durability. It’s a well-known fact that a diamond is the hardest naturally-occurring mineral in the world, rating 10 on the Mohs hardness scale (talc is the other end of the spectrum at no1). Diamonds are therefore incredibly resilient (a perfect choice for an engagement ring you hope to wear daily for decades). A CZ isn’t far behind at 8.5 on the Mohs scale, but nonetheless can’t compete with a diamond.
So now it’s on to Zircon, which is one of the oldest minerals on earth. The first specimen of zircon was found in Australia and is said to be 4.4 billion years old. From a scientific perspective, Zircon is made of zirconium silicate and ranks at 7.5 on the Mohs scale, so is softer than both diamonds & CZs. It’s mostly mined in Australia & South Africa, and comes out of the ground a golden brown colour - that’s where it got its name, as 'zargun' means gold coloured in Arabic. The stone is then heat-treated to create either the sparkly diamond-like look we know best, or any other array of colours. It has a fire and lustre making it seriously sparkly, and a natural affordable alternative to a diamond.
Don’t ask us which is best of the trio, as each has a place in our jewellery boxes. Zircons are fabulous as they’re natural, CZs are truly twinkly and allow us to wear breathtaking jewellery that doesn’t break the bank. And of course diamonds wear the crown for the King of the Gemstone World, but do come with a different price-tag. The choice – as they say – is yours…
