is cubic zirconia a stone?

Answer 1

Yes, and I can also tell you what it's not:

1) Cubic zirconia is not zircon. It's zirconium oxide (ZrO2); zircon is zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4). :D

2) Cubic zirconia is not a mineral. Strictly speaking, it's not even a mineral as it's synthesized in the lab (as mnrlboy said); minerals should be naturally-occurring, by today's definition. So, no point in saying it's a "lab-synthesized mineral". Natural ZrO2 is called baddeleyite.

Oh, trivia. One way to tell it and moissanite apart from diamonds is to put the gem under UV light. If it fluoresces/glow, it's not diamond. Cool, huh?

Answer 2

I couldn't get the link to open, so I don't know how much it costs or what it looks like either. But, based on knowledge (and being a girl who loves jewelry) I am going to say this... cubic zirconia doesn't usually look cheap but it is a cheap imitation of diamond. However, sometimes it's really hard to tell the difference. It doesn't turn colors or anything like that happens with cheap metal, so it should be ok. In some malls there are jewelry stores (really fancy stores) set up just to sell cubic zirconia jewelry, and that stuff can be REALLY expensive there. You would think you were buying diamonds. So I would say if it's in a decent price range and you like it, go for it. Hope this helps! Good Luck.

Answer 3

This depends completely on how you define "stone"... this is a very vague term and I would need to understand better what you're asking in order to answer. But I'll try to give you an idea what cubic zirconia is:

Cubic zirconia is a laboratory synthesized material that is used as a substitute for diamonds in jewelry. There is a lot of misunderstanding about its proper classification, but it is definitely NOT a mineral since it does not occur in nature. It has properties that are very similar to that of diamonds, but since it does not quite have the bright luster that diamonds have, and since it can be easily created in a lab, it is not as valuable as a real diamond. But there is nothing "wrong" or "bad" about cubic zirconia, you just have to make sure you know what you're buying.

So as to whether it's a "stone", I suppose if you define "stone" very broadly, then yes. But it is not a natural stone.

Answer 4

All the Cubic Zirconia seen in jewellery is lab made and therefor cannot be regarded as a real gemstone. It is merely a cheap substitute for diamond and has also been produced in a wide range of other colours as well. It does occur as a natural mineral, baddeleyte, but this has never been found in cuttable size and quality.
Beware of the U.V. light test quoted in the previous answer, in fact the majority of diamonds do glow to some degree. Some glow so much that they take on a bluish, rather petrol like colour when seen in bright sunlight. (Termed "over blues" in the trade)

Answer 5

a cubic zirconia is a mineral not a stone a stone is made up of many minerals and a mineral only one kind of material .

Answer 6

cubic zirconia is a lab created diamond.. where the natural ones are carbon with pressure and heat created by the earth. cz's are created in a lab by a scientist.

Answer 7

It's a mineral, so it could be a component of a stone, but stones are collections of different materials and minerals, while minerals are purely one element.

Answer 8

No, it's a mineral that is, for the most part, created as a substitute for diamonds.

No offense, but you could've figured that out on your own. It's not that hard to use google...

Answer 9

Yes. It's a crystal of zircon. Very attractive, but not nearly as hard or durable as diamond.

Answer 10

Hi. It is a synthetic mineral. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_zirconia