What is Cubic Zirconia?What is Cubic Zirconia? It is a crystallographic isometric form of zirconium oxide! It is also one of the most popular types of simulated diamonds of all times – and it is used to create affordable earrings, necklaces and wedding rings which look very similar to jewelry made with real diamonds. To see how this lab created gemstone compares to a diamond check out Cubic Zirconia vs. Diamond or read Cubic Zirconia Wedding Sets to find valuable shopping tips, advice and precautions if you are searching for a CZ ring. Zirconium oxide occurs naturally in the extremely rare baddeleyite mineral, discovered in 1882. Zirconium oxide might have amounted to nothing more than a footnote in a gemological library which listed baddeleyite, but scientists discovered the naturally occurring cubic form of zirconia in the 1930s in microscopic quantities and they realized the material may be useful in laser technologies. In the 1960s, work began to try to create the synthetic cubic form of zirconium oxide, but with a melting point well past 2,000 degrees Celsius the housing for the synthetic process kept melting. It was not until the 1970s when Russian scientists perfected the synthesis of cubic zirconia – and the rest, as they say, is history! In short time, people realized that CZ was not only useful in laser technologies – but that it would also serve as a beautiful diamond simulant. Marketing this substitute diamond began shortly thereafter, and once Swarovski & Co. began selling CZ gemstones in the 1980s the CZ market exploded. What is Cubic Zirconia Synthesis? Cubic zirconia is essentially made with microwave technology in a contraption known as a skull crucible. A small amount of zirconium oxide ‘starter’ power is placed in the crucible – and a tiny amount of calcium or yttrium are added to force the zirconium oxide to take on the molecular cubic structure needed to create CZ. When heat is applied, the starter powder begins to heat on the inside – leaving the outside cool so that the crucible does not melt – the starter powder melts and then forms a crystal structure as the mixture cools. The finally product is a crystal which may be cut into a gemstone of almost any shape – to create fancy colored CZ stones trace amounts of elemental oxides are added to the starter power, for example - cobalt oxide added to the starter will produce lilac and violet CZ gemstones. Properties of Cubic Zirconia CZ has a hardness rating of 8.5, a specific gravity of 5.50 – 6.00, a refractive index of 2.18 and a dispersion rating of 0.058 – 0.0600. Depending on the purity of the starter powder and additives used to create CZ, these values can differ slightly.
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