Cubic Zirconia that is! This stone is often used as an alternative to diamonds. The price range is less but the quality is top knotch! All the gems in this collection are cubic zirconia.
A few facts:
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Cubic zirconia was discovered as a natural mineral from in 1937
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The form you see today is a synthetic (man-made) version
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Cubic Zirconia is an 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Diamonds are a 10
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CZ can be cut differently. Faceted edges can be rounded or smooth
- Experts can tell the difference between the two because of the difference in their thermal conductivity.
- That being said, the average person cannot tell the difference!
What do I love about it? I can add these gems to my designs to provide sparkle and pizazz.. at a fraction of the cost of diamonds. Here are a few examples of how I use them:
I used 3 CZ stones here to bring out the colors of the jasper stone.
Amethyst gem is highlighted when I add a purple CZ gem.
What are your thoughts? do you love the versatility of these beautiful stones??
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