Learning to Differentiate Between CZ Jewelry and Diamond Jewelry

The huge popularity of Cubic Zirconia or CZ in short is attributable to its ability to substitute itself as a desirable substitute for the more expensive diamond itself. Most Gemologists agree that the visual characteristics of CZ match closely with that of diamond, and even trained personnel in gemology cannot differentiate them with naked eyes. For the ordinary pair of eyes with no knowledge of gemology CZ looks very similar to diamonds. A closer inspection would however reveal a marginally lesser brilliance compared to a diamond and an excess dose of fire or flash of color. Originally, the Russians are credited with the development of CZ primarily for the Russian space program. This exercise was to provide an alternative for diamonds used in optics of lasers. The refractive index, hardness and dispersion of CZ are so close to diamond making it so uncanny.