Cubic Zirconia vs. Diamonds: The Real Comparison

Diamond has no siblings but it still gets confused with Moissanite and Cubic Zirconia. Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic material that can be found on many artificial pieces of jewelry whereas Moissanite is a diamonds stimulant and a rare finding on its own. However, Zirconia gets confused with diamond more even though they both are entirely different from one another.

If you do not know how the difference between these two then you will never be able to tell them apart. In order to avoid getting duped when buying diamonds, you should know the differences between cubic zirconia and diamonds. So read on below and learn about every difference these two have and how to spot them. 

The Top 8 Differences Between Diamonds And Cubic Zirconia

Diamonds and Zirconia have seven major differences between them, and these are with origin, clarity, durability, weight density, dispersion, price, and refractive index. You can learn all about them in detail below. 

• Origin

Diamonds are present in both synthetic and natural forms, with synthetic being cheaper than the mined natural diamonds. Synthetic ones are created inside the lab and are very similar to mined ones, but they are still different from CZ. Zirconia is also lab-created; however, they both have very little in common. Diamonds are made from carbon, whereas Cubic Zirconia is made from zirconium oxide. 

• Clarity 

Since CZ is made in a laboratory, it has no imperfections that can be present in a diamond naturally. Finding a flawless diamond is very rare and also extremely expensive, whereas cubic Zirconia is as flawless as it can be and is considered to be too perfect to look at. If you are buying a diamond and do not want to be deceived, then look for one that has blemishes visible to the naked eye. This clarity is one of the reasons why Zirconia can be distinguished from a diamond since they are always designed to perfection, but diamonds are not.

Clarity of diamonds also depends on the jewelry piece you are buying. If you are getting a Cuban link chain or a Cuban link bracelet then it will have good clarity due to the effortless making these pieces require. So buy from a reliable place so you do not have any doubts once you wear it. 

• Durability

Diamonds are a naturally occurring, extremely hard material in work and have a ranking of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. CZ, on the other hand, ranks at 8.5 or 8.0, and this means that diamonds are more durable than Cubic Zirconia. Diamonds cannot get scratched easily or chipped, and only one diamond has the ability to damage another one. This makes them incredibly excellent for jewelry, and it also doesn’t need maintenance. 

Zirconia, on the other hand, is also very hard but can get scratched and damaged easily. Over time it can get milky in appearance and requires regular care and cleaning to be maintained. 

• Weight Density

The weighted density of CZ and diamonds is very different; it can be surprising got some people, but Zirconia is actually heavier than a mined diamond. This means that a CZ and diamond of the same size won’t have the same weight or the same carat. However, this also means that 1 carat of Zirconia jewelry will be smaller than one carat of natural diamond.  

• Dispersion

For physical students, dispersion is a very easy concept; however, if you do not know what it is, then let us break it down for you. Dispersion in simple terms refers to how it breaks down light into colors of the rainbow. This is also the reason why the stone sparkles and makes it shine. Diamonds have a natural ability to play with light and are greatly valued for this. They have a rate of dispersion of 0.022, whereas Cubic Zirconia has a higher rate of 0.066. This provides CZ with a more rainbow effect dispersion when hit by light and is a very big tell-tale difference between the two products. 

• Price

Another feature to compare cubic Zirconia and diamond is the price point. The best part about CZ is the affordability it provides, and it is one of the main reasons why people can easily opt for Zirconia but not diamonds. One carat of a gorgeous flawless diamond can be of a value of over ten thousand dollars, and the same cut and flawless design of Zirconia will cost only ten to twenty dollars!

• Refractive Index

This is another physics term and refers to the angle at which the light enters the jewelry stone. As the light gets bent and reflected, it creates a shine in the gemstone. So in simple terms, RI refers to how the light gets reflected off the stone. Zirconia has a RI of max 2.18 and min 2.15, whereas diamond has a RI of max 2.42. This clearly shows that CZ is not able to hold light, such as the diamond. 

Conclusion

If you know about the features above and then go shopping, then you will be able to tell the difference between the two. However, once the day ends, it is a smart idea to stay on the safe side and shop for a reliable place only. This way, you can be at mental peace knowing that you are getting authentic diamond jewelry only and no CZ.