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  Square Cubic Zirconia
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Cubic Zirconias vs. Diamonds
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but they do burn a hole in the pocket. If you can afford it, then go for it! For most of us, the great news is, technology has provided us with an alternative, at a fraction of the cost!
For instance, a 2.0 carat round diamond, Excellent Cut, Color G or near colorless, Clarity IF (flawless) will set you back $33,000! The Round CZ equivalent, with the ideal cut "Hearts & Arrows" 8mm diameter with similar or better Color and Clarity grade is a mere $39.99. (Please see round CZ above). This is only 0.12% the cost of a real diamond!
If your experience with cubic zirconias is such that their sparkles dim after a few days' use, it was probably because it wasn't good quality cubic zirconia to start with. They also need to be cleaned regularly and correctly (Please see "Caring for CZs" at the bottom of this page)
The best cubic zirconias are grade AAAAA or 5As. These types of CZs have ideal cuts precisely because they are excellent diamond quality. For example, one of the ideal cuts for the rounds is the Hearts and Arrows (actually 8 Hearts and 8 Arrows).
But even the Triple As, AAA or 3A grade CZs are not so shabby either! Some real diamonds aren't as brilliant. A real diamond with 7.2mm princess cut (rated very good), Color F (colorless), Clarity VVS2 (very small inclusions) costs around $21,000 while the square CZ above, 8mm x 8mm, 3A grade is only .05% the cost of the real one!
Branded Diamond Simulants
Cubic Zirconia is created all over the world. Some companies add a step or two in their process and/or add their brands to the diamond simulant. Others have appraisal certificates to go with them. If the former is true and the latter is done by a 3rd party appraisal firm, either will only add to the price of the simulant.
The question is, will you pay $400 for a branded one-carat diamond simulant with hearts and arrows Cut (6.5 mm round) or $19.99 hearts and arrows, 6.5mm round Cubic Zirconia (generic diamond simulant)?
Branded Diamond Simulants vs. Our Diamond Simulants
It is difficult to gauge quality when judging from pictures. And sometimes, it is worthwhile to pay more for better quality. But how much more should you pay for "better" CZs? Should you pay more for:
- Lifetime Warranty? If anything happens to the simulant you buy (cracks or dims), they will give you a replacement. You pay a premium for this however. If their 8mm diamond simulant costs $400, you can buy 10 of them from us and be covered a lifetime too!
- Laser Engraving? This adds to your costs but helps the companies identify their products. Why engrave a simulant costing less than $50?
- Appraisal Certificates? The service adds to the price of the CZ you purchase. Is the certificate issued by an independent third party company? And will you be able to resell your CZ at the appraised value?
The advantage to our simulants is simply, the price. You do not get the bells and whistles of a brand, lifetime warranties, laser engraving, appraisal certificates, etc. which make for very good marketing. What you get is comparable, if not equal, products at very low cost.
Do not confuse our cubic zirconias with other no-name cubic zirconias, specially those that do not mention the grades of their CZs. Because chances are, their CZs are only As, AAs and at most AAAs. Ours are either 5As (with ideal cuts) and some 3As which we will clearly specify so you know exactly what you are getting.
What do you do with your Cubic Zirconias?
If you have old jewelry or fashion jewelry lying around that you are about to throw away, consider having the stones replaced with 5A CZs and get the whole thing plated with gold, platinum or rhodium. After all, a lot of the jewelries in stores out there use brass or silver as base metal and then plate them with gold, platinum or rhodium. They look good except perhaps for their stones. Because you use the better quality CZs, your new jewelry will look as good as the real thing.
Or you can purchase mountings and settings available in jewelry supply stores and create your own custom look!
One of the things that you will find hard to find, are ideal cut CZs on silver pieces of jewelry that are rhodium plated. Most will use 3A CZs for this line of jewelry. The 5A CZs are usually done in gold. And why not? They look like real diamonds!
So, bring your CZs to your jeweller, and get them to set your stones to whatever pieces you'd like them to be. If they have designs that you like, chances are, they already have the moulds for them so they won't have to custom create one for you. Most jewellers however, will work only with gold and platinum.
Tennis bracelets are gorgeous, right? The killer is in the price because of all those diamonds, 4mm or so (Rounds at about 0.25 carat, $600 each). With the price of CZs at $6.99 each, 4mm round hearts and arrows, your tennis bracelet will look like it's worth a king's ransom!
Other sizes and shapes coming soon! Wholesale Inquiries Welcome! Contact Us Now!
What are Cubic Zirconias?
Cubic zirconia (or CZ), the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), is a mineral that is widely synthesized for use as a diamond simulant. The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4). Cubic zirconia is extremely rare in nature.
Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important diamond simulant since 1976. Its main competition as a synthetic gemstone is the more recently cultivated material, synthetic moissanite.
Source Wikipedia