CUBIC ZIRCONIA
30% OFF
GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN!
WE ARE DISCONTINUING THEM AND WE WILL NOT BE RESTOCKING THEM.
What is a Cubic Zirconia? Many think "simulated
diamond" when they think Cubic Zirconia (CZ). CZ's are used as simulated
gemstones - and if you Google you'll get a variety of opinions as to
how closely they mimic diamonds, largely based on just exactly what the
site is trying to sell you - CZ's or diamonds. We think that these are
lovely in their own right, much the same way the glass beads are.
CZ is harder than glass, (at about 8.5 on the
Mohs scale - nowhere near diamond, but much harder than most natural
gems) and we tried the scratch test, and yes, they do scratch glass but
are not scratched by it. It is dense - specific gravity between 5.6 -
6.0; refractive index is high at 2.15 - 2.18 (B-G interval) and its
luster is subadamantine (Really! I have very little idea what that means
- just nod and make knowedgeable noises). It's dispersion is very high
at 0.058 - 0.066, exceeding that of diamond (0.044).
(It's sparklier
than diamonds).
Cubic Zirconia has no cleavage and exhibits a conchoidal fracture (if it chips, you
will see semicircular arcs - think of a big chip out of the bottom of
one of those old thick-bottomed Coke bottles). It is considered brittle.
(Don't smack it on things.)
Under shortwave UV cubic zirconia typically
luminesces a yellow, greenish yellow or "beige." Under longwave UV the
effect is greatly diminished, with sometimes a whitish glow being seen.
Naturally occurring CZ's are not commercially
significant, and are manufactured in a laboratory as a gemstone. Really,
really technical information is available here. (If the above wasn't technical enough for ya!)
For CZ beads, click HERE
For double drilled CZ's, click HERE
For CZ Pendants and drops, click HERE
For other drilled CZ's, click HERE
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