Diamond Vs. CZ (Cubic Zirconia). Which is better/how are they different/when to spend more?(2020)

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Two stones- Diamond and Cubic Zirconia (CZ). One Natural and one synthetic, one cheap and the other can be very costly, one can last and the other has concerns with durability. Is there a clear winner or will it depend on the situation? That is the golden question of the day.

Both Diamond and CZ come with certain stigmas, stereotypes and misconceptions. some of these are positive, but others have very negative elements. The debate between these stones often comes down to the price conversation and whether diamonds are worth the much heavier price. Are diamonds still a viable option with such a seemingly inexpensive alternative?

We are looking into the 4 C’s of diamonds to try and find where the differences may be between the two most common options for sparkly jewelry stones.

Because there is such a massive price difference I suspect the debate and confusion will continue, but I hope this video helps with some of the common questions.

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[lolz-fc]

I know jewelers always say they don’t last, but I’ve had a cz ring for over 10 years. I wear it every single day and only ever take it off to put lotion on my hands after washing dishes. It doesn’t show any wear that I can see. No scratches, chips, and no loss in sparkle. Every time I visit my mother she asks me to look at it, because she’s always amazed at how good it still looks. I have diamond jewelry also, and I can tell the difference in the stones, but I prefer very large stones, so cz it is.

[shanek]

Marketing at its finest, whatever they can say to con people out of their money. Used to be brown and off colored diamonds were cheap industrial abrasives, now they’ve conned women into wanting “chocolate” diamonds lol.

[AlvaSudden]

No doubt: the world has passed out of the era when only natural diamonds were regarded as respectable. Most people now know that the high valuation of diamonds is created by marketing and by intentionally created shortage.

[antoniopapi]

Diamonds are the biggest scam of the last century!

[HZ]

If my eyes can't see any difference my brain don't understand the value 😂

[LuxuriaDiamondSimulantRings]

“Nearly every CZ is cut to a very poor grade”. Sorry but that’s not right. It’s important to note that as with diamonds, different grades of CZ are available. As a marketer of natural diamonds and diamond simulants, such as CZ, we readily obtain CZ which has a very good cut quality with optical symmetry that rivals typical mid-market diamonds and most notably diamonds where the cutter has prioritised maximum utilisation of material. Have you seen higher grade CZ, for example grade 5A H&A CZ or handcut CZ? Otherwise a nice presentation. Thanks from Luxuria Diamonds.

[EnoX-]

When a jeweler tries to convince you desperately with poor arguments, that the much more expensive stone is the much better one 😂

[Mpompadour]

So far the best cz's I've ever bought were the Swarovski Brilliant Zirconia stones set in either sterling silver or gold. They are precision cut and will knock your eyes out! I have plenty of nice diamond jewelry, but prefer to wear my Swarovski jewelry. They are 8.5 hardness on the Mohs scale. A diamond is 10 on the Mohs scale. I've had CZ's for YEARS and all of still mine look good to this day. Frankly they look better than some diamonds. Even if you lose it, or it gets stolen or damaged, you haven't lost thousands of dollars. Plus its FUN to wear. One thing, just don't go TOO big as it tends to look fake unless you are a millionaire, LOL!

[pacovl]

Let’s face it, unless it’s a larger/large perfect stone, diamonds are completely overpriced because 99% of all the diamonds that come out of the ground each year end up in a vault to artificially keep the price up. If all the diamonds would end up on the market they’d be a dime a dozen.

[OleTange]

Consider making a second version of the video in which you demonstrate all you claims. Show what the stones look like, show the visual differences, show a beat up CZ next to a diamond that has received the same treatment, show how easily CZ and diamonds chip. Show real examples of comparable rings and their price tags.

One of the things I have yet to see is a thorough scratch test. What happens to a diamond vs. CZ when it is scratched against: Metal, concrete, brick walls, sand paper, diamond sandpaper, sapphire etc.

[ma.k]

Anyone who buys real diamonds in hopes of any sort of value retention is being duped. Please do your research. Most consumer-level diamonds (4$K ish range) have virtually no re-sale value. Sometimes you'll get an 80% buy-back promise from the jewler you bought it from up to x-years. But that should tell you something about the intrinsic value of the stone. I made the mistake of buying a 1.5$k diamond ring to my ex-fiance (I was 24). We broke up a month later, and when I wanted to return it they more or less gave me the finger. Lesson learned! You'll get much more value for money with good gold jewlery + CZ.

[mitchjohnson]

CZ is just a no-go for most women when it comes to their wedding/engagement rings, but it sounds like the quality of the jewelry and the durability of the stone are the only real issues with the stone. When I go to a night out, jewelers aren't going to be examining my wife's jewelry with a loupe.

So get a diamond for wedding/engagement rings and CZ for everything else. Just make sure the quality of the jewelry itself is high.

[CatsMeowPaw]

The other major problem with CZ is it's far too big. People know you can't afford a $20k ring so immediately think you're cheap by buying CZ. But the irony is most people can't tell the difference between diamond and CZ unless they're gawking closely at your fingers, which makes them creeps.

[Hats-On-Tv]

1:45
"If we take cost out of it, the more expensive one is better."

[debraturner]

I bought a 4-carat, lab-grown white sapphire stone in a sterling silver setting from Italo for under $100 (with their sales). I'm having lots of fun wearing it. Few of us could afford a 4-carat diamond. I will say if paying so much less for a stone, most of us don't really care if we must replace it. That said, we wear pearls which are a 4 in hardness and if we take care of jewelry, it lasts a lifetime. Andrew, I realize your main focus is gem education, and yet I wonder if you might consider evaluating serveral companies like Italo to tell us if they sell what they say they do, real but lab created white sapphires and good craftmanship? Please cover the +s and -s of James Allen, Brilliant Earth, etc., but also toss in the less expensive retailers like Italo -- since if you can't afford James Allan diamonds, what's a good alternative to get your sparkle? As opposed to having nothing??

[jennagotgames]

I have a cz engagement ring And I love it.

[zoeykillah]

I feel like he's biased, he clearly likes diamonds and that made me stop watching.

[Darkdally]

I did learn a lot from this video and will subscribe to you. I am not a jeweler, but I am a toolist, machinist, and mechanic... so I can work with some things. That said, sir, I do have a question: There are properties of the CZ you didn't mention here, where to my knowledge (and correct me by all means if I'm wrong) the CZ surpasses the diamond, for instance specific gravity and dispersion. Is this reliable though to a customer? I don't know. I'm not a jeweler. The hardness is up there, but not near the same... but... I feel there is one flaw in your video, and I'll mention that now.

You mentioned that CZ is often set in cheaper settings. I feel that's unfair to mention because it has nothing to do with the crystal itself. That's because it's lower cost and you can buy them off the shelf at your local Walmart. Just toss the setting and cheap, flash-plated chain and use the crystal itself. That's what we're talking about here after all, is the crystal itself. That said, saying that you mentioned that, you failed to mention one huge negative side to the diamond.

CZ is 100% more environmentally friendly. I know you know that. If you're going to mention the cheap settings they're in, you should have brought that up as a negative for diamonds. CZ does not fund bloodshed and worldwide illegal trade, where as we know, diamonds do. I'd love to hear some feedback from you on this comment, and I will sub to your channel because you're obviously more educated and skilled on this than I am, but those are my inquires. Thank you, sir
-Darkdally

[vickygraham]

If you're traveling it's always recommended you don't bring expensive jewelry. Bring that CZ when traveling. If it gets stolen, oh well

[edcamilo]

Ever heard of 5 A, top quality Cubic Zirconia?. The cut, clarity and sparkle are as good as any high end diamond. Hardness is 8.5 in the Mohs scale, so it's harder than most environmental abrasives, it won't scratch easily!. And regarding refractive index and dispersion, the qualities that ultimately give diamonds and CZ's their fire and brilliance they are pretty close on both indexes. And last but not least, being a jeweller, obviously you're interested in selling diamonds for which you will profit abundantly, not a $40 CZ ring. Reality is diamonds are controlled and sold by one of the worst monopolies in the world: De Beers Corporation who controls 85 percent of the world's production, and locks up in their vaults most of every year production to keep the prices ridiculously high.