Cubic Zirconia....Are They For 'Real'?
Cubic zirconia, rhinestone, crystal, imitation
diamond...people often use these terms interchangeably, but
do they really know what each item is? Used to refer to
the clear, sparkly, faceted gems often used in the crafting
of sterling silver rings, earrings, necklaces, and
pendants, each of these terms actually refers to a distinct
and unique product. Although each of these gems look
somewhat alike to the untrained eye, cubic zirconia and the
others are all made of different substances, and have very
specific qualities.
Cubic Zirconia, which are widely used today by makers of
sterling silver jewelry, are in fact an imitation, or
synthetic version, of themselves. Unknown to many is the
fact that cubic zirconia are actually genuine gemstones in
their own right. A 'gem', as defined by Websters
Dictionary, is a 'cut, polished, faceted stone...notable
for its beauty, perfection, or rarity'. A natural cubic
zirconia, formed under extreme heat and pressure, over a
long time, from the mineral zirconium dioxide, is all that!
However, as with crystalline carbon (aka diamonds), this
natural process yields up very few genuine cubic zirconia
of any size.
Originally noticed in 1892 in Russia, the very simple cubic
zirconia was deemed irrelevant and unstable for use in
either the scientific realm or for the jewelry trade, and
was thus ignored. This same basic stone was then created,
in a stabilized form, by German scientists in 1930.
Interestingly, in 1937 naturally occuring stable cubic
zirconia were 'discovered' again, although these stones
were tiny and virtually disregarded. Then, in France in
1960 research into manufacturing cubic zirconia began in
earnest. The process of synthesizing zirconium dioxide to
create the cubic zirconia we see in sterling silver rings
and earrings today was finally perfected by Russian
scientists in the early 1970's. This Russian stone was
briefly named a 'fianit', but regardless of its name or
lack therof, by 1980 the commercial production of
manufactured cubic zirconia had reached 50 million carats!
Of course, all these scientists were not working to find an
affordable gem for the jewelry trade, they were seeking a
reliable source of diamond-like stones for use in the laser
and optical applications currently being filled by genuine
diamonds.
Happily for sterling silver jewelry lovers everywhere, this
perfected method of creating Cubic Zirconia does mean that
jewelry designers have an almost unlimited supply of
gemstones, ranging in sizes of .5mm or less to 12mm or
more. The manufactured gems most often seen in sterling
silver rings, earrings, and necklaces today differ only
very slightly from their natural state. The main difference
with stones available to the jewelry trade today is that a
metal oxide stabilizer has often been added to the
zirconuim dioxide during the sythesizing process. The
amount of metal oxide included differs from manufacturer to
manufacturer, dependant on proprietary 'recipes'. The
addition of metal oxide allows producers to customize the
stone by controlling the quality and 'cut-ability'. A good
quality stone, well cut, in a sterling silver setting, will
create an item of jewelry that will rival almost any fine
gemstone for beauty and desirability.
In the jewelry world, cubic zirconia are one of the most
significant imitation stones available. This status may be
due to the versatility of the stone, which can be created
in various colors by the addition of mineral powders during
synthesis. It could also be due to the fact that cubic
zirconia offer a gem that is very like a diamond by all
measurable means (except price!), and therefore offers
limitless possibilities for jewelry makers and those whe
like to wear jewelry, as cubic zirconia are the gem most
often used by designers of sterling silver jewelry. When
compared to crystalline carbon--( not as catchy a name as
'diamond', but let's be scientific here)-- cubic zirconia
stand up fairly well. Check it out....
Crystalline carbon: 10 Moh's rating; .044 dispersion
rating; 2.417 refraction index
Cubic Zirconia: 8.5-9 Moh's rating*; .056-.060 dispersion
rating*; 2.176 refraction index*
* these figures vary slightly due to the 'recipe' used by
the manufacturer.
As you can see, not much variation between commonly
measured values for each stone. But what do the numbers
mean, you ask? Moh's rating is a hardness scale, with 10
being the highest value, all other metals and gems are
measured in Moh's figures. The dispersion rating indicates
the ability of a gem to throw back light from itself, in
this case showing that cubic zirconia have more sparkle
that diamonds. The refraction index measures how well a gem
can 'break' light that passes through it into the various
colors that make up light, and diamonds are slightly better
at this. Also measured in the world of gems is the
'specific gravity', or weight, in carats. Cubic zirconia
are 1.75 times heavier than diamonds, and are also
virtually colorless, unless colored on purpose, whereas
only very few natural diamonds are colorless.
Among the many available diamond look-alikes, cubic
zirconia stand above the rest for quality and durability.
The process of manufacturing synthetic versions of this
gemstone has been perfected over time to create a stone
that is sought after in the jewelry trade, most
particularly by those who make sterling silver rings,
earrings, necklaces or pendants. Cubic zirconia are a
perfect medium in that they measure up very closely to the
'queen' of gems, the diamond, and can also be colored to
make high quality simulations of colored gems such as
sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. The affordable price of
manufactured cubic zirconia makes this beautiful stone
accessible to everyone as well, suggesting that it will
probably continue to enjoy popularity as a gem of choice
for jewelry designers and consumers for years to come!
----------------------------------------------------
This article was written by the noted author using
information gathered from wikipedia, Webster's Dictionary,
and World Book encyclopedia. Written for and originally
published at http://www.silvertreeco.com .
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