Difference Between Diamonds and Cubic Zirconia

There no visual difference between diamonds and cubic zirconia, not for the regular people like you and me. If you plan to give it as a present, you are almost safe. However, if someone is determined to find out if a diamond is real, they can.

It is almost unfair for the cubic zirconia, because to the naked eye it looks like a diamond. It is absolutely beautiful, and it looks great on any jewelry piece, if cut nicely as any diamond would be cut. So why is the diamond worth so much money? There are a lot of reason to buy the right stone if you have the budget. Read on and you will see why to chose one stone over the other.

Is it a Real Diamond or Cubic Zirconia

The simple way is to go to a jeweler, or if you need legal proof, ask for an appraisal from a certificate authority.

If the stone can be unmounted, try to read through it, if you can distinguish letters, it is not real, it is probably cz, if you cannot distinguish any letters behind, it is a real diamond.

Diamonds usually sparkles in tones of gray. If yours reflects rainbow colors, it is either cz, or a low quality diamond.

Use a diamond tester, an inexpensive one will always detect cubic zirconia, or other cheap imitations.

Weigh the stone, cubic zirconia has almost double the density of diamonds. (You need to have a similar diamond stone, for comparison).

The fog test, is probably one of the easiest ways. Take a real diamond and the stone you want to check, and put them in front of your mouth. Fog them as you would with a mirror. Diamonds will not stay foggy, because it doesn't retain the heat. So if the tested stone stays foggy more than the real one is a fake.

Here is a little video showing the differences between cubic zirconia and diamonds.

Differences Between Diamonds and Cubic Zirconia

If your budget permits it, just buy a real diamond. If you buy a real one, it is a gift for life, an investment, it will always be valuable, sentimentally and financially. Diamonds will not depreciate as easy as CZ, because they are more rare, and the material cannot be reproduced exactly in a lab.

• If you lie about a jewelry you give to someone, sooner or later the the lie will be discovered, and you will be in trouble, (or not, but it won't be a pleasant experience). There are ways to find out if a stone is real or not, and if someone is determined to know, they will.
• If you don't have money, just buy a CZ ring and tell her is not real. If she loves you, the stone on the ring won't be a problem, and it could be your shared little secret. Other people won't be able to tell the difference. But if you lie about it and she finds out is a problem of trust.
• Many times, cubic zirconia are not cut with the same professionalism as a diamond, because they are cheap, so it is too big of an investment in something that will sell inexpensive. This will allow people to see a difference between the way they sparkle.
• Cubic zirconia has a lower hardness than diamonds, and even if for the first year there will be no visible wear, in time the edges will be smoother because of this. Diamonds are 500 time harder than CZ, and virtually indestructible.
• Diamonds are slightly brighter than CZ. Although this is not easily observed by everybody, a trained eye will spot that right away.
• Cubic Zirconia are almost two times heavier than the real diamonds, but probably this doesn't mean anything, because mounted on a jewel you won't notice the difference.
• CZ will have more flashes of fire than a diamond, which is easily detected by a specialist, or someone who have seen many stones.
• Natural diamonds have little imperfections, because they are mined, whereas CZs are man made, so they are perfect.
• The cut of the two is different as a technique, to enhance brilliance, however, CZs most often have a less elaborate cut to minimize costs.

If we are to be reasonable, we know that diamonds are just a product of smart marketing, and the real product is not as valuable as the industry tries to make you believe. Unfortunately, years and years of brainwashing with sneaky advertising, have convinced people that diamonds are the only way to show appreciation for your loved one. The reality is that there are a lot of unmined diamonds, and the market is kept under control, so that only a limited number of diamonds get on the market.

On the other hand, if you have the money, buying a diamond will just seem the right decision.

The reality is that you can afford to buy big cubic zirconia stones, and it will look stunning on a ring, or any other jewelry. You can never afford to buy a diamond the same size.
If you think that cubic zirconia are not hard enough, and they lose their shape too fast, the best inexpensive alternative is moissanite. Read my other article about moissanite, and see why it is one of the best diamonds alternative, if not better than diamond.