How Does Cubic Zirconia Handle Light?

What Is Cubic Zirconia?

Cubic zirconia is a synthetic gem made mostly from zirconium dioxide. While zirconium dioxide is a natural substance, the cubic zirconia gems found in rings, bracelets, and other jewelry are created by melting yttrium oxide and zirconium oxide together at nearly 5,000F.

Cubic Zirconia vs. Diamond

Cubic zirconia has come a long way since it was first created in 1892. Many companies make cubic zirconia that could fool even the experienced jewler's naked eye. But under a microsope, there are still several major differences between cubic zirconia and real diamonds. For one thing, real diamonds are about 500 times harder than cubic zirconia gems. Another major difference is that diamonds are usually found with flaws in them, whereas their synthetic counterparts are completely flawless.

Dispersion

Within rays of white light, there exists every color of the rainbow. In the realm of gemstones, the ability to separate these wavelengths out is called dispersion. The higher the dispersion, the more colors you'll see. Now, when white light is shone on cubic zirconia, it reflects many colors, sometimes referred to as "fire" by jewelers. When white light is shone on diamonds, however, you'll get more of a white reflection back, or a sparkle, as opposed to different colors moving around throughout the gem.