The most inexpensive "alternative" to a real diamond is cubic zirconia. This artificial stone, obtained in laboratory conditions, is remarkably similar to a cut diamond in its appearance, brilliance and degree of transparency. Therefore, not every person is able to distinguish cheap cubic zirconia from a noble diamond. In fact, you can tell the difference between the stones without laboratory tests.
Cubic zirconia is an artificial zircon, the name of which comes from the abbreviation of the Physics Institute of the Academy of Sciences. It was there that they first received a stone that was incredibly similar to a diamond. And the first difference between cubic zirconia and a precious stone is that the first is of an artificial nature, and the second is obtained from natural diamonds. A diamond is not a separate type of stone, but a way of cutting diamonds.
Difference between diamonds and cubic zirconias
You can even do a little research to distinguish a diamond and cubic zirconia at home. And the simplest test is to determine the hardness of the stone. A real diamond is able to leave a depression in the glass without changing its characteristics at all. Whereas cubic zirconia will not leave marks on the glass surface.
Diamonds and cubic zirconia have different densities, so as not to resort to laboratory tests, in everyday conditions, chips and even scratches can be seen on the ribs of artificial zirconium through a magnifying glass. The edges of the cut diamond are characterized by the sharpness of the cuts.
Also, the belonging of a stone to diamonds or cubic zirconia is determined by the degree of transparency. A real diamond will not be visible in a glass of plain water. Whereas an artificial stone will be noticeable for visual perception.
There is also a popular way to determine the authenticity of a diamond. To do this, you need to breathe on the stone, if it fogs up - cubic zirconia lies in front of you.
Determining the authenticity of a diamond in everyday life
A widespread method for determining diamonds and cubic zirconia using rays of sunlight. To do this, they look at the sun through the stone, a real diamond will let light through, and the facets of cubic zirconia will reflect the rays like a mirror.
You can experiment with stones using sandpaper. If you rub a diamond with paper, there will be no stripes on it, but on artificial zirconium they can.
The easiest way, of course, is to contact a jeweler to assess the authenticity of a diamond. However, even using a magnifying glass, you can see inclusions of different shades in the diamond. A cut diamond will be completely transparent only if you have purchased a pure water diamond, but in this case, you need to remember about the purchase price. The artificially grown stone will be completely transparent.
In order not to be faced with a fake, be sure to purchase diamond jewelry from trusted stores. Be sure to check the product quality certificates.
