Cubic Zirconia -The Best Shapes For Mimicing Diamond

Cubic zirconia has been a diamond substitute for the longest period of time. It is the most well known and the most cost-effective diamond simulant and is instantly recognizable by most women who are fans of diamond jewelry. The other synthetic diamond imitator is of course moissanite which has been around for the last 10 years or so as the manufacturers have tried to turn their patented formula into a marketable jewelry product.

They have had some success with this especially in department stores however the price of moissanite is way higher than cubic zirconia and in although in some respects does look better than cubic zirconia, in others it falls short. The most glaring setback for moissanite is the fact that it is doubly refractive which gives its identity away to even the lay person.

Cubic zirconia is quite a bit more dispersive than diamond and this is the one optic quality that gives it away. The rainbow flash effect is more apparent in sunlight and also more apparent in larger cubic zirconia specimens. Nevertheless many people are fooled thinking that it is a diamond especially in the smaller sizes when it is cut into round brilliant stones.

However the best shape for cubic zirconia is the emerald cut shape because this is the shape that does not give away the dispersive qualities of cubic zirconia. You have to pay especially close attention and look at an emerald cut cubic zirconia from all different directions in order to ascertain that it is indeed not a diamond. Of course, you can cheat and loupe the stone for the tell tale inclusions that you only find in a diamond.

Diamonds rarely come clean in the way that cubic zirconias are clean under microscopic observation. Unless a diamond is internally flawless there will be always some included crystal or feather that can be observed even at 10 by magnification in order to confirm the identity.

So when you look at an emerald cut stone and cannot find a speck of anything inside of it, then most probably it will be a cubic zirconia. This makes cz a great substitute for diamond in all kinds of jewelry from cubic zirconia engagement rings to right hand rings that mimic the best designer styles.