Gold jewelry and silver jewelry have always enthralled people for ages. This even goes back to the time when the ancients first discovered gold and silver nuggets and personally hand-crafted precious bodily ornamentations. That was a very far away past. Nevertheless, we still have that miniscule space (well, not that miniscule, actually) in our hearts for gemstones and precious minerals set on the finest gold or sterling silver jewelry. For not too long now, jewelry makers have been making a killing selling cubic zirconia jewelry. In fact, we can now see a lot of cubic zirconia or cz jewelry like cz rings, necklaces, earrings, and the like at the jewelry stores. Along with that, cz jewelry can often be seen being worn by people on a daily basis. Although they are very commonly seen, they still have some sort of rare elegance to them.

A couple of questions that some people might wonder is what really is this cubic zirconia and how exactly is it made?

Cubic zirconia was first discovered in the year 1892. However despite this, it was not commercially produced until 1976 in the then USSR. Originally named, Fianit, cubic zirconia with a single crystal growth was created in this exact manner:

First, molten zirconia was poured into a thin shell of still-solid zirconia mineral encasement. After this, it was then cooled to form a solid single crystal growth. This singular process has remained virtually unchanged over the many years. However, there are efforts now that are being geared to improve on the inherent qualities of the cubic zirconia.

Because CZ jewelry is primarily engineered to look like diamonds, new methods like chemical vapor deposition is becoming more and more popular. This basically coats the CZ in a diamond-like carbon film. With this film, the so-called diamond effect ends up looking convincingly better. The process is not only beneficial to the look. This process also makes the material harder, more refractive, and even more lustrous.

Vacuum sputtering gold onto the cz finish is also an innovation of the times. This ingenious process creates an iridescent effect on the cz, making it somewhat less translucent. Now, if this seems a bit strange to you, you probably are not alone. However, of course, there is actually some logic behind this process. You see, naturally or geologically made diamonds are rarely deemed as translucent. Even some of the most expensive diamonds have a bit of opaqueness to it. They even comprise of a few occasional hints of impurities. The goal of the makers with this unique process is to make the cz as convincingly real compared to the elegantly known diamonds.

However, as the creation of just the cz is one thing, the creation of cz jewelry is a whole different story. Skilled jewelry makers and designers can create the most exquisite and enduring pieces of cz jewelry. And more often than not, the value of the cz rises because of the jewelry makers? craftsmanship.