Cubic Zirconia

Our category for Cubic Zirconia – a man-made crystal which is clear, durable, cheap, and manufactured in a few different colours.

It is often used as a lower-priced replacement for Diamond – along with the more recently created Moissanite. We do not currently stock a huge variety of these facets but if you have a size and colour you are looking for, please get in touch!

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Appearance, Uses and History

Cubic Zirconia is, of course, primarily used as a substitute for Diamond. CZ jewellery is widely found, in almost every jewellery store in the nation.

A 925 Silver and CZ ring can be found significantly cheaper than most other stones – as little as £15 at one popular high street jeweller. By comparison, the cheapest Diamond rings were around £100 – and these are very small Diamonds.

 

Clarification

It is important to distinguish between several different terms, which are similar but mean different things.

  • Zircon is a naturally occurring mineral; ZrSiO4.
  • Zirconium is a silver-white metallic element. It has the elemental symbol “Zr”.
  • Zirconia is an oxide of Zirconium; ZrO2.
  • Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic gemstone produced to mimic or replace Diamond.

Mineralogy

Chemistry
An artificial form of Zirconia – ZrO2
Colours and Variations
Can be made in various colours, including clear, yellow, orange, red, green, lilac, blue, violet, pink, brown, amber, and more.
Streak
Luster
Sub adamantine
Fracture
Conchoidal
Crystal habit
Mohs hardness
8
Specific Gravity
5.65 – 5.95
Easiest testing method
Hardness test
Common Treatments
Often ‘doped’ with other minerals and elements to adjust the colour of the final product.

Photos of Cubic Zirconia

Multicolor Cubic zirconia
Yellow cubic zirconia
Star cut teal cubic zirconia

Photos of Cubic Zirconia Jewellery

Cubic zirconia ring 01
Cubic zirconia ring 02

Photos of the production of Cubic Zirconia

Skull Crucible
Cubic Zirconia Run Opening
Cubic zirconia crystal

Hazards and Warnings

Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis.

When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.

Translations

Arabic:

  • زركونيا مكعبة

Hindi:

  • घनाकार गोमेदातु

Portuguese:

  • zircônia cúbica

Bengali:

  • ঘন জিরকোনিয়া

Indonesian:

  • zirkonia kubik

Punjabi:

English:

Italian:

  • zirconi cubici

Russian:

  • кубический цирконий

French:

  • zircone cubique

Japanese:

  • キュービックジルコニア

Spanish:

  • zirconia cúbica

German:

  • Zirkonia

Korean:

  • 큐빅 지르코니아

Thai:

  • ลูกบาศก์เซอร์โคเนีย

Gujurati:

  • ક્યુબિક ઝિર્કોનીયા

Mandarin and Traditional Chinese:

  • 立方氧化锆

Urdu:

  • کوبیک زیرکونیا

Further Reading / External Links