Said to provide the wearer with energy and strength, the story of cubic zirconia is a very interesting one. Discovered in 1892, the yellowish mineral baddeleyite is a natural form of zirconium oxide. Because the natural form of cubic zirconia is so rare, all cubic zirconia used in jewelry has been created by humans.
For those that like their stones totally colorless, a cubic zirconia is a good choice. While only the most rare of diamonds are truly colorless, a cubic zirconia is usually completely colorless, equivalent to a perfect ‘D’ on the diamonds color grading scale.
Cubic zirconia is also very versatile as other desirable colors can be produced, including near colorless, yellow, pink, green, purple and even multicolored.
It is very difficult to distinguish the difference between diamonds and cubic zirconia but there is a difference in the hardness – cubic zirconia has a rating of 8 on the hardness scale used to measure precious stones – Mohs Hardness Scale – but a diamond gets a rating of 10.
Another characteristic of cubic zirconia that makes it popular among jewelers is that the gemstones can be cut differently from diamonds – the edges can be rounded or smooth.
Rings from Ireland have an elegant April birthstone Claddagh ring with cubic zirconia available in silver, 10k and 14k yellow gold and also in 10k and 14k white gold.
For those that would like a set of jewelry, there is also a stunning set of cubic zirconia earrings which are 9mm in width and 15mm in height available in silver yellow gold and white gold, ranging from 10k to 14k.
There is also an elegant April birthstone Claddagh pendant that can be worn on its own or as part of the set. This is available in silver, white gold or yellow gold ranging from 10k to 14k.
Appealing to the modern budget – cubic zirconia is a wonderful alternative to the diamond and offers great value for money.