Genuine diamond jewelry is being given a good chase by cubic zirconia jewelry. Cubic zirconia or CZ, looks just like real diamond and comes at anything between a tenth and a quarter of the price of a real diamond. Gemstone purists sneer at the cubic zirconia and call it "fake diamond". Apart from the fact that a cubic zirconia is not a diamond, cubic zirconia commands a very large share of the jewelry market and is categorized as a semiprecious gemstone.

Imitation jewelry is a bonafide segment of the jewelry market. Cubic zirconia jewelry is the best in this segment because it is the closest to a diamond in all important characteristics. It is not glass or plastic or paste jewelry. Cubic zirconia jewelry may not become a family heirloom, but it will last you a lifetime without losing any of its original brilliance and clarity. Cubic zirconia (abbreviated to CZ in trade parlance) gemstones are available in many qualities and, though much cheaper than diamond, there are some varieties which cannot be called cheap at all. Therefore cubic zirconia jewelry is the best alternative to diamond jewelry.

The diamond enjoys a unique reputation among gemstones which it has accumulated and acquired over a period spanning the entire history of human civilization. Its value springs primarily from the fact that it is the rarest of rare natural gemstones, and secondly that it is the hardest gemstone. Cubic zirconia, on the other hand, has a much shorter history and so its reputation as a gemstone is quite limited, therefore it cannot match the reputation of diamonds. Apart from that, cubic zirconia jewelry has everything that is sought after in diamond jewelry, albeit in somewhat lesser quantities. The difference is more than compensated for by its very low price, which can at times touch a tenth of the price of diamond jewelry, though very good quality cubic zirconia jewelry is about half the price of comparable diamond jewelry.

If you think that cubic zirconia and genuine diamond can be told apart by the casual onlooker, then think again. Cubic zirconia is slightly more colored than the absolutely transparent diamond, and is slightly less brilliant. Even experts can be taken in by the looks of cubic zirconia. The two gemstones will have to be juxtaposed for the diamond expert to tell the difference visually. More telling is the difference in weight by size, cubic zirconia being somewhat less than twice the weight of a diamond. The other difference is in hardness, with cubic zirconia being more brittle than diamond.

An interesting aside to this story is that cubic zirconia has no flaws, whereas genuine diamond has its share of natural defects, ranging from the noticeable to the negligible.

The cubic zirconia is noteworthy for its close visual similarity with diamond. What is less known is that the similarity doesn't end there. Cubic zirconia has all the qualities that are sought after in a diamond - brilliance, clarity, durability, and hardness. The fact that cubic zirconia has all these qualities at an affordable price, makes cubic zirconia jewelry ideal for general wear, where the intrinsic value of the gemstone is not important.

With cubic zirconia jewelry you can afford to look elegantly glamorous for any occasion, from the annual office social to celebrity shows. You can get very fine stones set in a brooch to larger sized singletons for rings and pendants. Cubic zirconia jewelry will suit any outfit you choose to wear.

Cubic zirconia can be worked into any form of dress jewelry. It takes the same cut and shape of a genuine diamond. Exquisite designs can be crafted using cubic zirconia. Why hold yourself back? Do what the world is doing, use cubic zirconia and set the room ablaze!