Now that you learned the quickest way to tell a CZ Ring
from a Diamond, there's more...
CZ Hardness
CZ's are harder than most Gemstones. On the MOHS Scale of Hardness, a CZ is rated 8.5, which is really good and durable. Diamonds rate a 10 out of 10.
Test it
A quick way to tell a CZ from a Diamond is to take it to a Jeweler and have them Diamond Test it! A Diamond Tester will test the hardness of the stone and determine whether it's a Diamond or not. Anything that makes that crazy "honking goose noise" is not a Diamond. It won't say whether it's Synthetic, CZ, Moissanite or anything, but it will quickly say it's not a Diamond!
CZ's are Cheap
Very Cheap! They sell for almost nothing compared to the price of Diamonds. And because of their low cost, CZ's are usually set in fake mountings like Gold-Plated Base-Metal Jewelry. Costume Jewelry! CZ's are also commonly found in Sterling Silver Mountings because of the cheap price of Silver. It's very unlikely that one would find a 14kt Gold Mounting with Diamonds and a CZ as the center stone.
Cubic Zirconia's are Brittle
Quite Brittle! They will chip and break easily. They'll dull up from normal wear and tear in just a couple months. When they dull up and show scratches and chips, it makes it even more obvious it's fake!
CZ's can't take the Heat
CZ's don't take heat like Diamonds will. Which means, CZ Rings are very hard to size. They can't take the same heat that Jeweler's use to size Gold Rings. Putting a Jewelers torch to a CZ stone will burn it and shatter the stone. If you don't tell the Jeweler sizing your Ring that it's a CZ stone, they'll find out soon enough when they put the fire to it! "SNAP" "CRACK" "POP"
Large Carat Weights
Another dead give-away is that CZ's generally come in larger Carat sizes. Extra large! You'll find Cubic Zirconium in 5, 6, 7, 8 Carats and bigger! WOW! One glance at a stone that's the size of a quarter will be a big clue!
CZ's have Crazy Names
Some CZ's have fun little tag names like "Diamonique" "Diamonelle" and "Diamond Cheap"! Don't be fooled! A CZ is a CZ and not a Diamond. What more do you need? You can also get CZ's in fun colors like: Pink, Violet, Yellow, Orange, Red, Green, Brown and the common White. They also have curious names like "Pink Ice", "Lavender Ice", "Mystic Ice", and my favorite "Dirty Diaper Ice"!
Bottom Line
If it's 10 Carats, if it's not marked or sold as "Diamond", if it has big flashes of color, if it's set in a cheap Gold-Filled Mounting, if it dulls up quickly, if it scratches and chips, if it costs $6.99, then trust me...
It's a CZ!
Why Buy a CZ?
So why should you buy CZ (Cubic Zirconian)? If you want a big look and a cheap price. Go for it! CZ's are good if you live in a bad neighborhood and worry about being robbed. They're good if you're going on vacation and don't want to wear your 'real' Jewelry. They're good if you just want something sparkly and don't care if it's real or not.
But if you're thinking about buying it to fool your Fiancee, then don't do it! The only fool will be yourself! She'll know if the Ring is fake. If not, she'll find out as soon as she takes it to the Jeweler for a Sizing or a Cleaning.
And then she'll also know one more thing...
She'll know you're a fake!
Buy a Diamond instead!
If not, check out the great deals at Amazon for CZ Rings here! :)
P.S. Follow Jewelry Secrets on Twitter and Facebook.
Copyright © 07-04-2008 Jewelry-Secrets.com
