What stone imitates a diamond?

Another artificial rival to the diamond.
Moissanite is a stone obtained by mixing silicon with carbon under high temperature.

• Moissanite is often mistaken for a diamond due to its brilliant shine. Due to its high refractive index, moissanite sparkles approximately 25% more than diamond.

• The dispersion index, that is, the play of light, is also more than twice as high in moissanite as in diamond.

• The purity of moissanite is higher – various impurities may be present in the diamond.

• When exposed to ultraviolet light, a diamond will have a bluish glow, while moissanite may reflect grey, green or yellow. This method is not always justified, since ideal stones do not create this effect.

• The presence of double refraction, when the light passing through the stone is split into two, indicates that it is moissanite and not a diamond.

• The price of a diamond increases in proportion to the square of its mass. A 2 carat diamond will cost the same as 4 1 carat diamonds. The price of moissanite for 1 carat is unknown, it all depends on its total weight and color. In most cases, it ranges from 1 to 5% of the cost of large natural diamonds with similar characteristics.

But still, it is practically impossible to distinguish these stones from each other at home.
Technologies for creating artificial materials and growing synthetic analogues of natural stones are progressing. Having the same properties and structure, they cannot be distinguished “by eye” from precious stones. In such cases, to identify a synthetic stone, professional expertise is needed, which is carried out using serious equipment, and the researchers have deep knowledge and skills. Currently, the instrumentation base of the Hematology Center of Moscow State University makes it possible to determine all types of stone refining that are found on the market.
Evaluation of stones is not limited to determining their mass. Diamonds have gradations in color, clarity, and cut quality. Diamonds are assessed according to Russian and international systems.
Independent gemological examination is the only way to protect against counterfeits.
BENDES studio experts described several effective ways to verify the authenticity of diamonds:

It is advisable to use not one of them, but several.

• When purchasing, you should immediately check for a certificate, which will be the first check of the stone for its authenticity. When issuing a certificate, experts determine its main characteristics: color, clarity, weight, cut quality. To check the certificate itself, its number must be entered on the official website of the company that issued it. We wrote more about the certificate and performance requirements in the article How to distinguish a genuine GIA certificate from a fake?
• For diamonds, it is important that real, not exaggerated color and clarity characteristics are indicated. For each diamond, the seller must have an appropriate certificate and an expert opinion. In the expert opinion, you need to pay attention to the weight, size, type of stone (natural or refined), a diagram of internal and external characteristics, expert signatures, laboratory details and contacts, and a counterfeit-proof hologram of the form. The number and date of issue are confirmed on the laboratory website.
• When purchasing a product, you need to find out the number of faces in the stone. The classic diamond cut has 57 facets. If the number of faces is smaller, then the glow and refraction deteriorate. Small diamonds of this cut are inferior to cubic zirconia.
• The quality of the cut is determined using complex measurements and tables. The buyer can define it as follows: the cut is bad if the stone does not shine.
• When you hold the stone in your hand, it will not immediately heat up, but will remain cool at first.

To distinguish a stone at home:

• Test with a glass of water: if you throw a gem into water, it will immediately sink to the bottom. The glass imitation will float on the surface.

• Temperature contrast: the stone should be heated over an open fire for 30 seconds, then sharply lowered into a glass of ice water. After cleaning a diamond, you will not find a single change. Any other mineral, including imitation diamond, will turn into crumbs, crack, or other defects will occur.

• Drawing experiment: draw a line or a cross on a piece of paper with a pen and place a stone on it. If the design is visible through the stone, it is not a diamond. But it should be noted that moissanite will pass the test.

• If you have a 10x magnifying glass handy, you can look at the inclusions. If the inclusion resembles a fine hair or a long thin scratch, it is not a diamond, but moissanite or cubic zirconia. Possible inclusions of diamonds are described in the article

Diamond, being the hardest gemstone, confidently holds the championship in the Mohs mineralogical hardness scale.

Despite its significant cost, a diamond has always been a desirable acquisition for every woman. Unscrupulous sellers still do not neglect this circumstance, actively offering counterfeit gemstones on the market. That is why every potential buyer should know how to distinguish a real diamond from a doublet.

1. Blog
2. Effective Ways to Verify the Authenticity of Diamonds

There are a limited number of diamonds and diamonds on the planet. And there are no fewer people wishing to become the owner of an iridescent gem. Therefore, the creation of a synthetic crystal was only a matter of time. This is how cubic zirconia appeared. Cubic zirconia stone is a mineral that is obtained artificially and is widely used in jewelry, in the creation of costume jewelry and jewelry as an imitation of precious stones, mainly diamonds. The refractive index of cubic zirconia is close to that of a diamond, so it is very difficult to distinguish one from the other by eye: in order to be firmly convinced that this is a diamond and not cubic zirconia, you need to do tests in a special laboratory. The incredible popularity of cubic zirconia among jewelers and craftswomen is due not only to the amazing similarity of the artificial stone to diamond and diamond, but also to its low price. However, that’s not all – the decorative properties of cubic zirconia allow the stone to imitate almost any precious mineral, depending on the additives in the composition that determine the color of the stone. This gives incredible scope for imagination when creating a wide variety of handicrafts.

Characteristics and properties of cubic zirconia

• the formula may vary depending on impurities, but basically it looks like this: Zr0,8Ca0,2O1,92;
• On the Mohs scale, the hardness is 7,5-8,56. For comparison, a diamond has this characteristic of 10;
• refractive index 2,15-2,25. In this parameter, cubic zirconia is as close as possible to diamonds, which makes these two minerals, artificial and natural, very similar;
• density 6,5-10 g/cm3. But in terms of this characteristic, cubic zirconias are inferior to diamonds.

Cubic zirconias have a diamond shine, uneven fracture, and lack cleavage. Rare earth and transition elements are often included in the composition to give the stone the desired shade.

Is cubic zirconia a gemstone or not?

In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, cubic zirconia is not a precious stone. Article 41-FZ of March 12.03.1998, XNUMX precisely states that artificial materials cannot be called precious stones, even if they have the characteristics of precious minerals. The article also lists a list of stones that can be considered precious, and cubic zirconia is not on this list.

So you can be sure that cubic zirconia is not a gemstone. And this has its advantages. Firstly, the price. Secondly, there are no restrictions on the use and movement of cubic zirconia: you can buy and transport jewelry with cubic zirconia in any quantity, no one will make any claims against you.

What are cubic zirconias made of?

The name “cubic zirconia” comes from the place where this stone was synthesized – we are talking about FIAN, the Physical Institute of the Academy of Sciences. Lebedeva. It was here that the first cubic zirconia was created in 1970 to use the stone in laser sources. Today, different technologies are used to produce cubic zirconia with the desired characteristics – artificial diamonds have different composition, shine, quality, and color. At the same time, the best stones are still developed using Soviet technology, originating at the Lebedev Physical Institute.

Stone crystallization is carried out using special equipment in laboratory conditions. Cubic zirconia grows quite quickly, about 8-10 mm per hour. To create cubic zirconia, a method of directed crystallization of an impurity is used at a temperature of 2300 ° C – this is the temperature at which the structure of ZrO2 turns into cubic.

At the same time, the method of growing cubic zirconia is still imperfect and scientists are still striving to improve it – to make it simpler, faster, more effective and less expensive.

Cubic zirconia is grown not only in Russia. There are similar technologies abroad. Among the closest “relatives” of cubic zirconia are zirconite, jevalite, and daimonsquay. Interestingly, artificial stone has a natural analogue, identical in composition – tazheranite, a mineral found in the Baikal region. However, tazheranite mining has not yet been started, as it is not profitable from a financial point of view.

Type, shine and colors of stones

Depending on the additive in the stone, the color of cubic zirconia can be different. In total, there are about twenty color shades on the modern market:

• You will get an “invisibility stone” if you do not add anything extra to the composition. Such stones can replace diamonds;
• Blue cubic zirconias are used as a replacement for sapphires. To obtain a purple tint, neodymium is added to the structure of the stone;
• green color is obtained by adding chromium to the mineral composition;
• lavender cubic zirconias are a unique color scheme that has no analogues in nature;
• to obtain a brown color, titanium is added to the composition;
• To obtain a yellow tint, copper is included in the composition. Yellowish cubic zirconia is very similar to citrine;
• pink stones are created by adding neodymium and erbium to the structure;
• black cubic zirconia is one of the most spectacular varieties of synthetic mineral. Reminds me of a black diamond, a carbonado diamond.

It is worth noting that depending on the lighting, the color of the stone can change, which makes it expressive and unique – it looks beautiful in daylight, under electric lighting, and in the evening at sunset.

In addition to color, cubic zirconia differs from each other in quality. The entire variety of cubic zirconia is divided into groups from A to AAAA. Medium quality stones, AAA, are the most popular and are the most common cubic zirconia for crafts, combining beauty, good performance, clarity, shine and low price. AAAA is an artificial gem of the highest quality, but it also has a corresponding price. There are companies that specialize in producing AAAA quality stones and do not make any compromises. One of these brands is Swarovski: here all stones whose quality does not reach the standard are rejected and sent for processing.

Differences between cubic zirconia and other stones

Cubic zirconia is a unique stone that can imitate almost any mineral. Depending on what effect manufacturers want to achieve, cubic zirconia contains additives that determine the color of future stones. Unscrupulous manufacturers can pass off cubic zirconia as precious minerals – more expensive ones. In order not to fall into the trap of scammers, you should learn to distinguish cubic zirconia from other stones.

Differences from zircon

There is an opinion that zircon and cubic zirconia are two names for the same mineral. This is wrong.

Cubic zirconia, from a chemical point of view, is zirconium dioxide, cubic zirconium. Moreover, zirconium is not a mineral, but a chemical element.

Zircon is a natural mineral of volcanic origin, the chemical formula of which is: Zr[SiO4]. The color of a mineral is determined by the presence of impurities in its composition – titanium, iron, copper, zinc. The most prized are golden-yellow zircons (jargons), as well as red minerals (hyacinths). The most common types of zircon found in nature are green, black and blue.

Considering that zircon is a natural mineral, which means its quantity is limited, it is not surprising that its price is higher than cubic zirconia. It is mined in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Siberia, USA, Yakutia, and Vietnam. The high fragility and complex labor-intensive processing of the mineral make it not the most successful material for creating jewelry – it is cheaper, easier and no less effective to use ordinary cubic zirconia.

Differences from a diamond

Cubic zirconia has a second name – artificial diamond. Cubic zirconia and diamond have approximately the same refractive indices, so the brilliance of cubic zirconia is very easy to confuse with the brilliance of diamonds. However, there are also differences. The hardness of the artificial mineral is noticeably lower than that of a diamond, and cubic zirconia can be scratched. And the diamond itself leaves scratches on any other materials.

Differences from Swarovski rhinestones

The Swarovski company (interesting article about the brand) produces two types of stones:

• crystal. Marked as Crystal;
• cubic zirconias. Zirconia.

Swarovski crystals are made from optical crystal, which contains up to 35% lead oxide. As for cubic zirconia, it is zirconium oxide, an artificially created material in the laboratory.

As we mentioned above, Swarovski produces only AAAA class stones, which have excellent dispersion (color play): the impeccable shine of cubic zirconia from Swarovski makes these stones very popular. During production, modern technologies are used, which are kept secret so as not to give competitors any chance to surpass the brand. The company creates cubic zirconia in a variety of colors, ranging from bright blue to matte black. Moreover, if necessary, you can order a stone of the desired color from the manufacturer.

By choosing cubic zirconia from Swarovski, you get stones that practically do not fade and scratch little, which significantly increases their service life. Yes, products from Swarovski are much more expensive than ordinary cubic zirconia. However, the stones are definitely worth it – the incredible play of light, the shine of cubic zirconia from Swarovski attracts increased attention to them. They are used to create jewelry, decorate the costumes of sports figures, artists – acrobats, dancers, singers, the most famous artists in the world line up to receive an outfit with elements from Swarovski.

How to distinguish a gemstone from cubic zirconia?

It is very difficult to distinguish cubic zirconia from a diamond. But there are several ways to recognize cubic zirconia:

• check the stone “in the light”. Yes, the shine of cubic zirconia and diamond is very similar, but the artificial mineral allows sunlight to pass through unhindered, and inside the diamond the light is focused into a luminous point;
• The density of diamond and cubic zirconia is also different, and if you put two stones of different origins (diamond and cubic zirconia) next to each other, you will notice that the edges of the diamond are sharper;
• you can breathe on the stone. If it fogs up, then you are dealing with an artificial mineral;
• finally, you can check the stone using thermal influence – cubic zirconia heats up from the heat, from the warmth of your hands, while a diamond remains cold in any conditions.

Where is cubic zirconia used?

The high density and hardness of the mineral makes it an excellent choice in the production of optical instruments, lasers, medical scalpels, and glass cutters. Cubic zirconia is also used in dentistry for the manufacture of dental ceramics, in the chemical industry, and for ceramic spraying.

Cubic zirconias are actively used in jewelry, when sewing various costumes, for example, gymnastic leotards, dance outfits. The shine of cubic zirconia perfectly imitates the sparkle of diamonds; such elements are often used to create contrast in color or transparency of the insert.

Production of jewelry and accessories

Cubic zirconia is a very popular stone among jewelers and craftswomen. Gems are inexpensive, come in different colors, and are characterized by excellent performance parameters – this is only an incomplete list of the advantages of an artificial mineral.

Artificial gems look great in a frame made of silver, gold, or platinum. The variety of sizes and colors makes it possible to create real works of jewelry art. Also, due to its low price, this is an excellent training material for those who are just starting to engage in needlework or jewelry making.

Rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets, necklaces made of silver, platinum, gold – the shine of cubic zirconia can give any piece of jewelry an aroma of luxury. In addition, these gems look impressive when framed in jewelry alloy, steel, or cupronickel, which is why they are actively used in the manufacture of costume jewelry.

The inviting shine of cubic zirconia makes them an excellent choice for decorating stage outfits – sports, gymnastics leotards, pool swimsuits, dance costumes and so on. There are practically no restrictions.

Needlework

Making jewelry with your own hands is very rarely complete without cubic zirconia. And the possibilities for craftswomen here are almost limitless – stones of different sizes and colors, sparkling both in daylight and in artificial light, look incredibly elegant and bright. You can find stones that combine excellent decorative and physical properties at an affordable price in the catalog: there is a large selection of accessories for creating jewelry, including cubic zirconia.

Decoration

The use of cubic zirconia when decorating stage clothing, leotards for rhythmic gymnastics, and dancing allows one to achieve excellent results. We also recommend that you pay attention to the catalog of jewelry for decorating outfits; there is plenty to choose from.

Cubic zirconia care and gentle cleansing

In order for cubic zirconia to retain its impeccable appearance and shine for as long as possible, they need to be properly cared for. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult. The easiest way to clean the stone is to use a regular soap solution. You will need liquid soap, a soft cloth and warm water. It is better to use bottled water, there is almost no chlorine – such water is more suitable for cleaning artificial gems. Dissolve liquid soap in water in a ratio of 2:1, dip a piece of jewelry or piece of clothing into the resulting solution for 10-15 minutes. Then you need to take out the product and carefully polish the stones with a soft cloth. If the contamination has been removed, simply rinse the product in clean water and dry with a soft cloth. If the contamination remains, you should repeat the entire procedure again.

You can also use toothpaste, a soft cloth and warm drinking water to clean your jewelry. If the option above (with soapy water) is more suitable for cleaning gold jewelry, then toothpaste should be used when cleaning silver jewelry. Toothpaste perfectly removes silver oxides.

If the jewelry has more persistent stains, use highly concentrated pharmaceutical alcohol: soak a soft cloth in alcohol and polish the product.

Attention, do not use abrasive substances or hard tools when cleaning cubic zirconia: chalk and a toothbrush can damage the jewelry and leave scratches on it. If none of the above methods can remove stains from artificial material, it is better to contact a jeweler.

Which stone is better to choose for needlework?

Cubic zirconia in handicrafts is a great way to create an impressive product at low cost. This artificial stone can transform almost any product: make it brighter, more stylish, more interesting. Therefore, regardless of whether you are a beginner craftswoman or an already experienced one, stock up on cubic zirconia – and create!