What is better: zirconium or diamond?

We often hear cubic zirconia, zirconium and zircon. Sometimes clients say: “It’s a pity that cubic zirconia is used, zirconium would be better.”
And the names “zircon” and “zirconium” are perceived by many as equivalent. But this is far from the same thing, let’s figure it out.

Zircon

Zircon is a natural mineral. Its radiance, similar to that of diamond, plus high dispersion (the decomposition of light into a spectrum, causing a play of color, “fire”) meant that until 1980, zircon was often used as an analogue of diamond in jewelry. Nowadays, stone is not a frequent guest in jewelry workshops, since the mineral is very fragile and processing – to reveal all its beauty – is very difficult.

Fianit

Scientists from all countries have long tried to grow a synthetic analogue of diamond. A shock to the world scientific community was the result of the Physics Institute of the Academy of Sciences: in 1968, a group of physicists and chemists under the leadership of V.V. Osiko grew a crystal with a color refraction closest to that of a diamond. The stone was called “cubic zirconia” – after the abbreviation of the scientific institution. The developers did not think about the jewelry industry; the reason for the synthesis was to find an analogue of diamond for industrial laser production, but the aesthetic properties of the stone turned out to be so high that it soon became the most sought-after mineral as a replica of diamond. Large-scale production of cubic zirconia in the USSR began in 1973. Two years later, a Swiss company copied the synthesis technology of Soviet scientists and began producing the same cubic zirconia under the trade name “jevalite”.

Zirconium

A few years later, in 1976, enterprising US technologists mastered the development of crystal synthesis at the Physical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences and began production of the same cubic zirconia. But it’s not for nothing that the Americans are the Gods of Marketing: they called the completely copied product “cubic zirconium.” This is in tune with the natural stone – “zircon” and the chemical element – ​​“zirconium”; as a result, buyers get the impression that the mineral is not synthetic, but natural. As a result, the name “cubic zirconia” occurs only in the post-Soviet space; in all other countries this crystal – cubic zirconium dioxide with the formula ZrO2 is called cubic zirconium – CZ (Cubic Zircona), dzhevalite, Shelby, Daimonsky. In terms of hardness and brilliance, cubic zirconias are not much inferior to diamonds, and synthesizing them is both faster (crystals grow by 1 cm in 1 hour) and cheaper than mining natural stones.
By “diamond cutting” the unsurpassed shine of cubic zirconia is created and this synthetic crystal still haunts jewelers. Zircon is a natural stone. Zirconium is a chemical element. When used in the description of a jewelry insert, it means cubic zirconium. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic stone. Cubic zirconium is 100% synonymous with the word “cubic zirconia” – the same synthetic mineral, just a different trade name. How to distinguish cubic zirconia from diamond and zircon Visually distinguishing a diamond from a synthetic crystal in jewelry is quite difficult. But if you look at a natural mineral under a magnifying glass, there will be voids and inclusions in it, while cubic zirconia is pristinely pure and transparent. If possible, place the stone on the printed text – the letter is not visible through the diamond, but the text is clearly visible through cubic zirconia. With the same volumes, the synthetic mineral is heavier than zircon and diamond.
Zircon has insignificant radioactive radiation (green and brown stones are quite strong, it is highly not recommended to wear them constantly on the body), zirconium and diamond do not have this property. Jewelry brand Lerian uses only natural gem-cut stones. And all inserts are made only from natural zircons. Diamonds are considered one of the most expensive jewelry gems. They have a particularly attractive appearance, high strength and transparency, so jewelry with them turns out to be extremely beautiful. In addition, the origin of the diamonds from which diamonds are made also contributes to their high cost: they are formed from carbon in the depths of the earth. Over thousands of years, under great pressure from the rock, they are formed into white stones, which are mined in mines – for example, in Africa. The process of diamond mining is very complex and expensive, and at the same time causes serious harm to the environment, since in order to extract the precious mineral one has to dig huge mines and bring an incredibly large amount of rock to the surface. The cost of stones also depends on this. Therefore, there is nothing strange in the fact that diamonds are often counterfeited. And it’s one thing if you deliberately want to save money and purchase an unnatural, but no less beautiful stone. But it’s completely different when they sell you a fake for the price of a diamond, and you don’t even know about it. Therefore, it is important to know how to distinguish a diamond from a fake, including from zirconium. There are many different types of fake diamonds. Cubic zirconia, rock crystal, colorless topaz and moissanite are just a small part of them. Without experience in determining the authenticity of a gemstone, you can easily become a victim of unscrupulous sellers or jewelers who decide to profit from your inexperience. Counterfeits can be natural – for example, the same colorless topaz – or artificial – cubic zirconia, which is produced in a laboratory. But what is zirconium? In this case, it is important not to confuse zircon and zirconium. Zircon is a natural stone that comes in white, yellow, red, blue and other colors (depending on the exact chemical composition). Zirconium is an element of the periodic table. Cubic Zirconia is a well-known cubic zirconia: a man-made diamond made in a laboratory. To distinguish a diamond from cubic zirconia, it is not necessary to use special jewelry equipment or even a magnifying glass. There are several ways to check whether the stone in front of you is real:

• Breathe on the stone. A real diamond does not fog up, while cubic zirconia will become covered with condensation instantly.
• Look through the diamond. In a real cut diamond, you will only see a small clear dot. Cubic zirconia will be completely transparent and you can easily see your hand or objects around you through it, although they will be distorted, as if you are looking through a curved lens.
• Try heating a stone in your hand. A real diamond will remain cold, which you will feel when you transfer it to your other hand. Cubic zirconia will quickly reach your body temperature and become warm.

Chic ring made of 585 gold with diamonds

Set of wedding and engagement rings in 750-carat gold with diamonds

Proposal ring in 585 gold with diamond

Gold stud earrings with diamonds

Empties made of red gold with diamonds

At home, you can check the authenticity of a diamond in the following ways:

• Dip the stone (or jewelry encrusted with it) into the water. Cubic zirconia will remain visible in water, although it will lose its brightness and shine. The diamond will become almost transparent and invisible in water, but will shine brightly and reflect light.
• Try dripping some animal fat onto the stone. On a real stone it will remain a droplet, while on cubic zirconium it will quickly drain, dividing into smaller droplets.
• If you don’t mind ruining a fake stone if something happens, try cleaning it with household chemicals. A diamond that has been cut will remain undamaged, but cubic zirconia can suffer greatly: it will lose its shine, transparency and presentation as a whole.

If you have even the slightest doubt about whether you are going to buy a natural stone, you should contact a professional jeweler. He will be able to quickly determine whether the diamond in front of you is real or a fake made of zirconium.

It is also important to know that all real diamonds have special certificates confirming their authenticity and quality. After cutting, the stones are assigned a unique serial number and entered into a database that can be easily found on the Internet. You must be provided with such a certificate when purchasing diamond jewelry. Check your stones against the database before you make a purchase. If they refuse to provide you with the necessary documents, this is already a reason to wonder whether the seller of jewelry with precious stones is trying to fool you.

Be careful when choosing where to buy diamond jewelry. Distinguishing a real stone from zirconium without some experience can be really difficult. However, it is much easier to search for reviews about jewelry stores on the Internet. Make sure that the store you choose has not previously deceived its customers by reading these reviews.

If you want to be 100% sure that you will get a piece of jewelry with a real diamond and not cubic zirconia, contact the Centaurus jewelry workshop. We make all of our jewelry by hand and use only certified diamonds, which you will definitely find in the database by serial number.

In addition, the Centaurus workshop has the following advantages:

• We use only the highest quality metals to make jewelry.
• We are ready to make jewelry based on a photo or even a sketch made by hand.
• We create copies of jewelry from famous brands at your request – for example, Tiffany.
• We guarantee fast delivery and free shipping for customers from anywhere in the world. Estimated delivery time is 14 days. We deliver via international postal service.
• All jewelry comes with a lifetime warranty on cleaning and repairs.

We approach each client individually in order to be able to realize your wishes as accurately as possible. By contacting us, you will receive jewelry with real diamonds that will definitely meet your expectations!

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