What is Crystal?

Derived from the Greek word krystallos, which has been translated as 'clear ice,' crystal refers to some of the most impressive and bizarre mineral outgrowths found in nature. Seeking to emulate these wonderfully strange and beautiful forms, man has successfully produced glass crystal since George Ravenscroft established his innovative glasshouse in London, England, in 1673. Mixing lead oxide with molten glass during the heating process, Ravenscroft was able to create a glass of unprecedented sparkle and consistency.


The more lead oxide that is added to the glass, the more refractive and visually stunning the finished product will be. However, this comes at the cost of dramatically increased rigidity, and the crystal therefore becomes much harder to blow. At this stage, crystal is usually manufactured by an incredibly skilled and coordinated team of glass blowers- from 4 to 7 people working in synchronized fashion- and takes a tremendous amount of physical strength, breath control and stamina.

After the initial shaping of the crystal object or bead, it is soaked in an acidic bath that effectively removes any imperfections from the exterior. The crystal then enters the cutting phase. Because the crystal is so amazingly hard, diamond-tipped wheels are required to cut flat facets into the surface. For shallow engraving and/or imagery, small, slow-moving copper wheels are used in a procedure that can take hours to perfect the crystal bead or object surface.


No two crystals are identical, and through a long, multi-stage process, the final product is accomplished by an experienced and creative team whose craft is still being refined after centuries of development.


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What is Cubic Zirconia (CZ)?

As a synthetic substitute, cubic zirconia has somewhat the same effect as gold vermeil, sterling silver, and cultured pearls: it allows the everyday jewellery enthusiast to enjoy the aesthetic marvels of a truly precious substance (diamonds, in this case) without paying an arm and a leg. To anyone without a professionally trained eye, diamonds and cubic zirconia beads are virtually indistinguishable.
As a naturally occurring phenomenon, zirconium oxide was discovered by German mineralogists in 1937. Many people don't know that it occurs naturally at all, but it certainly does, albeit in incredibly scarce quantities. Natural cubic zirconia is so rare, in fact, that upon first discovery it seemed insignificant- there simply wasn't enough to make use of.
The discovery became immensely significant, however, in 1973, when Soviet scientists at the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow finally perfected synthesizing the substance. Three years later their discovery was published, and by 1980 cubic zirconia was in commercial production on a massive scale. The explosively fast rise of cubic zirconia in world attention and market prominence simply goes to show how hungry the world was for a good man-made diamond substitute.Cubic zirconia is most commonly thought of as a diamond substitute, and rightfully so. What shouldn't be overlooked, however, is the fascinating history and set of distinct qualities that make cubic zirconia wonderfully notable and unique all on its own

Diamonds, of course, are much harder in density, but cubic zirconia is still incredibly hard by gemstone standards (8.5 on the Mohs scale, where most gemstones are around 5-6) and therefore immensely durable and basically scratchproof. Another little recognized fact is that since cubic zirconia is synthetically produced, it is almost totally flawless in terms of surface consistency and irregularities, where diamonds are often marked by natural discolorations and other imperfections.

Cubic zirconia is often dyed as well, which is something that only happens as 'enhancement' of natural colour with diamonds. Presumably, the relatively low cost of cubic zirconia encourages more liberal experimentation with things like colour and cut. Far from being a just a cheap diamond copy, cubic zirconia is a gemstone medium in its own right.




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