Cubic Zirconia Diamond Alternative: Popular and Affordable Engagement Ring Worth Checking Out

The mere thought of a cubic zirconia may not bring about the most positive reaction in most people's mind for various reasons.  But believe it or not, the cubic zirconia is actually a very popular man made stone used for engagement rings as a diamond alternative.  It's definitely important to know exactly what it is, the differences between a diamond engagement ring and cubic zirconia (or CZ for short), and why they are so tremendously popular.  Let's cover some of these aspects and see if this alternative stone is right for you.
Just as with any other stone, you should be fully aware of what you're buying when making an engagement ring purchase and this point is no different when it comes to buying a cubic zirconia.  CZ is a form of zirconium dioxide – not that you would even need to refer it by this name!  The zirconium powder is heated and goes through a somewhat lengthy and controlled process to form crystals which are then cut to create the final product – a cubic zirconia.
Once a cubic zirconia is created, it is considerably hard and is also flawless while reflecting a ton of light.  While usually colorless, you can also find cubic zirconia's in many different colors.
A diamond is the usual go-to stone for an engagement ring purchase and it does have considerably different qualities to that of a cubic zirconia.  Here are a few quick tidbits on the differences between a diamond and cubic zirconia.

• As mentioned cubic zirconias reflect a lot of light, some may say even too much light but for someone who is looking for a radiant sparkle, CZ makes a great diamond alternative.
• The reflection that a diamond does give off is more of a white color versus the more colorful radiance of a CZ.
• Cubic zirconias are absolutely flawless!  You can look at one and not find one irregularity in the stone.
• Any diamond engagement ring alternative will not be as hard as a natural diamond but a cubic zirconia comes close with a Mohr's hardness of 8.

So it's obvious – a cubic zirconia is definitely not a diamond but there's obviously reason why it's in such high demand and a fierce man made competitor to actual diamonds.  We've already covered its hardness and visual aspects but there's one more vital part.  It's simply a cheap alternative to higher priced diamonds.  The economic downfall has placed many households in a bad situation where earned income can never meet up with high expenses and spending money on an expensive diamond ring is not an option.  A cubic zirconia is an inexpensive man made engagement ring alternative that can be used as a starter ring or for as long as you wish.  Cubic zirconia engagement rings have been around for years and it's obvious that their popularity is not slowing down.