Cubic Zirconia ( CZ ) is a synthetic gem material that is widely used in the jewelry industry because of its high similarity to diamonds in appearance. The material was born in the 1970 s. Since its inception, it has quickly gained a place in the jewelry market due to its unique optical and physical properties.

In terms of chemical composition, the main component of cubic zirconia is zirconia ( ZrO2 ), and the crystal structure is stabilized by adding a small amount of metal oxides ( such as yttrium oxide Y2O3 ). At present, the most commonly used method for the preparation of cubic zirconia in the industry is the high temperature crystal growth method. The specific process is : the high purity zirconia powder and the stabilizer are mixed in a certain proportion, and then placed in a high temperature ( about 2700 °C ) environment to make it completely melt, followed by a specific slow cooling process to promote the crystallization of the raw material to form a cubic zirconia single crystal, and finally through the fine cutting and grinding process, the finished product suitable for jewelry processing is made.

From the perspective of physical properties, cubic zirconia has a high density, and its density range is 5.6-6.0 g / cm3, which is significantly higher than 3.52 g / cm3 of natural diamonds. This feature has important reference value in gem identification. In addition, cubic zirconia has excellent optical properties, high refractive index and strong dispersion characteristics, and can exhibit a bright sparkling effect similar to diamond. Its Mohs hardness reaches 8-8.5, and it has good anti-scrape and wear resistance during daily wear.

In terms of application value, cubic zirconia has significant advantages : first, its production cost is much lower than that of natural diamonds, so that more consumers can obtain jewelry with similar appearance to diamonds at a lower price ; secondly, through the precise cutting process, cubic zirconia can show excellent luster and fire color, with high decorative ; furthermore, the higher hardness ensures its durability during long-term wear. However, as an artificial synthetic material, cubic zirconia is essentially different from natural diamonds in terms of value attributes and collection significance, and may undergo slight wear or discoloration during long-term use, and cannot meet the psychological needs of some consumers for natural gemstones.

Cubic zirconia plays an important role in the jewelry market due to its excellent optical and physical properties and high cost performance. It is widely used in daily wear jewelry and special occasion decoration.