Pieces of luxury jewelry with gorgeous stones always attract a lot of admiring glances. That is why the owners of such accessories always feel in the center of attention.
If you are in search of such jewelry, then you certainly face the question about what kind of gemstone to choose. Mostly everyone wants such a classic as a diamond, but there are other equally beautiful but more affordable alternatives, such as fianites and zircons.
But how to decide what to buy: diamonds, fianites or zircons? To make it easier for you to orientate yourself, let's look at each of these gemstones, how they differ from each other, and what advantages and disadvantages they have. This will help you make the right choice.
Diamonds, fianites, or zircons: what are the differences and similarities?
It is worth saying right away that such crystals as fianites and zircons are broadly considered to be an alternative to one-of-a-kind diamonds. Therefore, let's start with a small overview of the "benchmark"-gemstone.
What makes diamonds so special?
A diamond is one of the closest relatives of carbon and at the same time the world's hardest crystal. It is formed under high pressure in the depths of the earth for millions of years, and then comes out closer to the surface with magma.
A diamond is rated 10 out of 10 on the Mohs scale (a special scale for determining hardness of materials). This means that it cannot be scratched or abraded in any way when worn in jewelry. Therefore, it can keep its original look for hundreds of years. It is the first reason why everyone wants a piece of diamond jewelry.
The second reason why everyone is obsessed with buying an accessory with this gemstone is its unique ability to reflect sunlight. A well-cut stone can shine with all the colors of the rainbow, and this fascinates absolutely everyone.
The third reason is, of course, the status of the owner, which is best emphasized by the most precious crystal.
In nature, diamonds come in completely different colors, from transparent to bright red and blue (the last ones are extremely rare). The main criterion by which you can determine the authenticity of this gemstone is a variety of natural inclusions.
Among the disadvantages of diamonds, there is only one that stops many people, and that is the price. For this reason, a lot of prople are looking for jewelry with similar but more affordable gemstones.
What are fianites?
Everyone has heard of such stones as fianites a million times, but not everyone knows that fianites and cubic zirconia are two names for the same crystal.
These gems do not exist in nature, but are made in the laboratory from zirconium dioxide. Faceted samples are very similar to natural diamonds, but they have a number of differences:
cubic zirconia crystals do not have any inclusions that are so typical for natural gemstones;
cubic zirconia has excellent brilliance (2.15-2.25) and high level of hardness (7.5-8 on the Mohs scale), which is as close as possible to the legendary diamond's 10.
the mentioned crystal has a similar to the diamond refractive index of light and even a higher dispersion index (play of color within the mineral).
Fianite has a high level of similarity to diamond in terms of its beauty and physical qualities, and therefore it is often used in jewelry pieces. Such articles are usually absolutely affordable and beautiful at the same time.
What is zircon?
Besides cubic zirconia, there is also a mineral called zircon. It is a natural crystal that has been mined since ancient times. Zircon is formed in the depths of the earth over many centuries as a result of magmatic processes.
The key characteristics of this crystal are:
Mohs hardness is approximately 7.5-8;
a lot of different shades of zircon can be found in nature, which is why it is often positioned as an analog of diamond;
refracts sunlight beautifully.
Due to its natural origin, zircon is not cheap, and depending on the cut, you may even be surprised at how much it can cost. On top of that, the color of the stone also affects the price, just like in the case with diamonds.
The jewelry with which gemstone to choose is entirely your decision. But no matter what your wishes are, we in Orxata have taken everything into account, and therefore we always offer a choice between real diamonds and the highest quality cubic zirconia of diamond cut.
We made the effort to find artificial stones with 57 facets, which can be distinguished from a real diamond only during laboratory test. Our team even has a favorite story about a customer who asked us if we had made a mistake and sent her Nimbo earrings with real diamonds instead of cubic zirconia.
The entire Nimbo line can be customized with stones of the type and even color you want. Our favorite jewelry from the collection are transforming earrings and a reversible pendant.
What color of gemstones would you choose?