04 November 2005

Cubic Zirconia Turns 70.

While I titled a previous post about man made genuine diamonds "fake diamonds", those diamonds are real, indistinguishable from natural diamonds. Cubic Zirconia, a diamond look alike found in department stores everywhere, in contrast, is a fake diamond. According to Science News, it was first produced seventy years ago (may require registration) in October.

It is worth remembering also, that while cubic zirconia is far less valuable because it is far easier to make than diamonds are, that it is pretty and has some desirable properties in its own right, it "can be heated to incandescence and dipped into cold water without cracking, is highly resistant to acids, and ranks next to carborundum in hardness."

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