Lab Grown Diamond VS CZ Diamond (HPHT, CVD, Man Made Diamond)
Channel: RRP Diamond
Date: 15/05/2020

What is Cubic Zirconia (CZ)             

CZ is a lab created material that is hard, colorless and doesn’t have any flaws or inclusions in it. Due to the absence of any sort of inclusions, this man made material has immense clarity and brilliance. The term cubic was given in accordance with the crystal structure and the chemical composition of zirconia, which is zirconium oxide (ZrO2).

Cubic zirconia looks like a diamond but doesn’t possess the same chemical properties. It is much cheaper than a natural diamond or a man made diamond. This component can be synthesized in such a way that it will imitate different colors, and look like different colored diamonds.
The natural form of the mineral was discovered at the end of the 19th century (1892). It was after years of experimenting that in 1977 the Russians were able to synthesize this material to look like a diamond. It was made with the help of laser technology and was implemented in jewelry due to its high brilliance and clarity.

It was used in necklaces, engagement rings, earrings, and many other types of jewels owing to its low cost, durability, and similarity to diamonds. Cubic Zirconia was sold in the markets under the name of diamond simulants.

Is a Diamond simulant or Cubic Zirconia, really a diamond?

No, cubic zirconia only looks like a diamond and does not possess the same chemical or optical properties as that of a natural diamond/man made diamond. As it does not have inclusions or flaws it sparkles brightly and has high clarity, due to which it is preferred in pieces of jewelry. It can be trued into different colors; cut and polished in a way to make it look like a real diamond. Its hardness on the Mohs scale of hardness is 8.5, and 10 of a diamond.

Difference between cubic zirconia and a man made diamond

There are many differences between the two; chemical properties, color, method of creation. Here are the differences

Method of creation

Man made diamonds are created in labs, inside chambers under controlled environments. The two methods opted for the creation of man made diamonds are: CVD diamond & HPHT synthetic diamond making method. It takes about 3 to 6 months for a man made diamond to fully form.

CZ or Cubic Zirconia is formed by melting powered Zirconium and Zirconium oxide together, in labs at 4982ºF. This produces flawless CZ which is inclusion-free and looks like a diamond.

Chemical Properties

CZ is 1.7 times denser than man made diamonds
Diamonds have a RI (refractive index) of 2.42, while CZ has a RI between 2.15-2.18
CZ is not as hard as a lab grown loose diamond. On the Mohs scale of hardness, diamonds measure 10, while CZ measures 8.5.
CZ does not have the same chemical properties as that of diamonds.
The durability of man made diamonds are more than CZ. CZ can easily be scratched and cut into another shape.
CZ is created from a mixture of Zirconium and Zirconium oxide. Lab created fancy diamonds are created by covering a tiny diamond seed, by layers of carbon.
The dispersion value in diamonds-- 0.044, while the dispersion value in CZ-- 0.058-0.066
Facets and Cuts

CZ isn’t as hard as diamonds. Lab created loose diamonds, fancy diamonds, white diamonds, and color diamonds all have sharp edges, facets, and overall sharp cuts. CZ being softer has rough edges and facets.

Colour

CZ can be made to imitate many colors similar to man made diamonds; such as orange, pink, blue, green, etc. The clarity of CZ is equivalent to D on the diamond grading scale. The formation of a colored diamond simulant or colored CZ is done by adding different oxides in the initial process.

Man made diamonds are turned into color diamonds, by the adding of impurities like boron and nitrogen during the creation process. This results in fancy diamonds like a green fancy diamond, pink fancy diamond, orange fancy diamond, white diamonds, and other colors.

Price Difference

As man made diamonds have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties as that of natural diamonds. They are only 60%-80% cheaper than natural diamonds. lab created diamonds are considered real diamonds as they are equally hard, sparkle and have the same clarity.

Cubic zirconia is not a real diamond but only a diamond simulant, due to which it has even lower prices than a lab grown loose diamond. The price of CZ is calculated by its carat weight.

If you’re looking for diamonds worth the money, we would suggest you go for man made diamonds and not get fooled by a diamond simulant. The lab grown diamond industry is increasing year by year and is expected to reach a whopping worth of $27.5 billion by 2023