Cubic Zirconia versus Diamonds

I received the following products in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Image: Wikipedia

I’m a big fan of things that glitter, so I never turn my nose up to jewelry made with crystals. In my mind, cubic zirconia looks just as good as diamonds. 

Cubic zirconia is a crystal. It is crytallographically isometric, so it has the same attributes as diamonds. When people make it in a lab, they mix zirconium oxide with calcium and magnesium stabilizers, giving the synthetic gemstone the same appearance and refractivity as a diamond. The highest quality cubic zirconia is so similar to diamonds that gemologists can’t tell them apart when looking at them.

Differences between Diamonds and Cubic Zirconia

Cubic zirconia:

• Is less brilliant, or sparkly, than diamonds
• Has more fire (makes more rainbow color flashes) than a diamond
• Weighs 75 percent more than diamonds
• Is a thermal insulator; diamonds are thermal conductors
• Less expensive
• Perfect in structure

Check out this link to learn more about cubic zirconia.

Just as Good as the Real Thing

Would you rather sport a big synthetic rock or a tiny diamond? What if the tiny diamonds were conflict, or “blood,” diamonds? The Kanye West video below tells about the importance of making sure that the diamonds that you purchase don’t have a dark history. Some celebrities happily wear cubic zirconia over diamonds, including Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Paul Wall, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ann Hathaway and even KateMiddleton. 

When I was in high school, I saw an episode of “Oprah” in which Oprah said that every woman needs a pair of diamond earrings. This stuck with me. Now that I am an adult, I have a pair of diamond earrings. I hardly ever wear them, though, because I’m afraid of losing them. 

IceCarats recently sent me a pair of its 2-carat 6-millimeter cubic zirconia earrings with sterling silver studs. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they were diamonds. The earrings come in a nice gift box and a certificate of authenticity. 

Because of their inexpensive cost, I wasn’t sure that I’d like the earrings. I’m very sensitive to nickel, so that was my main concern even though the listing says the studs have sterling silver. These earrings are 925 sterling silver, meaning that the silver is 92.5 percent pure; the posts aren’t just silver-plated. The remaining 7.5 percent of the metal is copper, bronze or zinc. 

When I wore the earring, the metal didn’t irritate my skin at all. My husband said that he really liked how the earrings look, adding that the stones didn’t look fake. 

These are a winner in my book.

I received the products mentioned in exchange for an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a small commission if you click on a product link and make a purchase through Amazon.com.