Hello again bugbear~
Thank you for permission to post my Answer.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REAL DIAMONDS AND C.Z.?S
How difficult it is to distinguish between a cubic zirconium (a.k.a,
C.Z.) and an authentic diamond depends largely on how good the C.Z.
is. Some C.Z.s are so authentic-looking that even with a loop
experienced jewelers can?t tell them from real, high quality diamonds.
This is why special diamond-detecting devices are used at most jewelry
stores today. Unless the C.Z. is poor quality, it?s generally not
possible to tell it?s not a diamond with the naked eye.
According to Fred Cuellar of Diamond Cutters International, the very
best way to determine whether you have a diamond or a C.Z. is to have
a pro look at it and appraise it. ?If spending 50 bucks seems a little
too steep to uncover the identity of your rock,? writes Cuellar, ?you
can head to your local jewelry store and ask their in-house gemologist
to take a peek and give you their opinion. Since opinions are like
belly buttons (everyone?s got one) understand that in a lot of these
quick 30-second evaluations mistakes can be made. Especially since
most jewelers won?t charge you for 30 seconds of their time. (Just
like with independent appraisals, don?t let the merchandise out of
your site.)?
Another test is to use an ultra violet (or black) light. Most diamonds
glow fluorescence blue when seen such light; most fakes will not.
Cuellar notes, however, that if the diamond glows ?medium to strong
blue? it is worth 20% less than a diamond that doesn?t. (This means a
great-quality diamond will *not* glow blue.)
You might also take a *clean* stone and fog it in front of your mouth
(like you?d do a mirror). An authentic diamond heats so quickly that
by the time you can look at the stone again, it should have already
cleared up. However, any oil or dirt on the diamond will ?affect the
reaiability of the test.?
Also, ?C.Z.?s weigh approximately 55% more than diamonds for the same
shape and dimension,? writes Cuellar. ?So if you have a carat or gram
scale at your disposal you can see if the imposter tips the scales too
much.?
In a poorer-quality C.Z., you can see (through a loop) that the facets
don?t have sharp edges. In addition (and possibly the best test), if
you look at an authentic diamond through a loop, it will likely have
flaws (such as small cracks or pinpoints). However, unless it's a
low-grade diamond, it generally takes a trained eye to spot such
flaws.
To read the complete article see ?The Real Thing? by Fred Cuellar,
Diamond Cutters International:
http://www.diamondcuttersintl.com/diamond_education/articles/buying_diamonds/realthing.html
LOOSE C.Z.S
There are, indeed, websites offering loose C.Z.s. Here are two of the most popular:
? C.Z. Gold: http://www.czgold.com/loose_stones/index.html
? Pehnec Gems: http://www.pehnec.com/
A typical price for a 2 ct. round C.Z. would be about $45. This
compares to a decent-quality diamond of the same size being several
thousand dollars. (For some prices on loose round 2 ct. diamonds, try
a search at E Diamond Brokers:
http://www.ediamondbrokers.com/Loose_Diamonds/index.asp , as well as
the Diamond Registry Price List:
http://www.diamondregistry.com/price.htm )
HISTORICAL PRICES
As for the historical prices, I can offer some general guidelines.
According to a Bloomingdale?s catalog from 1886, a ?solid gold? ring
(a.k.a, not gold filled) with a small (no ct. given) ?Parisian
diamond? cost $5.50; this compares to a gold ring with ?three diamond
chips? that cost $5, so we can assume the quality of the Parisian
diamond was not great. A 1908 Sears catalog lists quite a variety of
diamond rings in 14k gold. They range in price from $2.65 for a ring
with a 1/8 ct. stone to $5 for a 1.5 ct. stone. In ?first quality?
diamonds, the prices are considerably higher, from $14.50 for a ring
with 1/8 a ct. diamond to $142 for a 3/4 ct. stone. Prices on c. 1800
diamonds are more difficult to come by, because mass produced jewelry
catalogs were not the norm. I was unable to find any direct price
quotes.
Regards,
Kriswrite
KEYWORDS USED:
"cubic zirconium" diamond "how to"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22cubic+zirconium%22+diamond+%22how+to%22&btnG=Google+Search
loose ?cubic zirconium"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=loose+%22cubic+zirconium%22+&btnG=Google+Search
?loose cubic zirconium?
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22loose+cubic+zirconium%22+
loose synthetic diamonds
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=loose+synthetic+diamonds
loose diamonds
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=loose+ |
Request for Answer Clarification by
bugbear-ga
on
19 Feb 2004 06:35 PST
I don't think we have the question of prices settled yet.
At the Pehnec site, a 1 centimeter (huge) "AAAA" grade CZ
stone is less than $2.
Also, prices of diamond rings from the Sears catalogue are
no indication of the prices of diamonds themselves. What
I'm interested in are price ranges for loose stones.
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Clarification of Answer by
kriswrite-ga
on
20 Feb 2004 11:38 PST
I'm sorry you're disappointed with your answer. When I gave a price
for loose C.Z.'s, it was a median price, since prices *vary widely
according to manufacturer.* (I gave links to two of the more
affordable sources, but would never have quoted Pehnec because their
site didn't offer information on carat size, which you specifically
requested.)
As I stated earlier, after extensive research, I could find no
historical prices on diamonds from c. 1800 or c.1900. Jewelry prices
are the next best thing, since both labor and gold were cheap at the
time.
Regards,
Kriswrite
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Request for Answer Clarification by
bugbear-ga
on
04 Mar 2004 12:39 PST
I've found several sites that talk about equivalence of
CZ diameter and diamond carat weight. The info is out there.
I hate to give bad ratings. I have asked many questions
on GA and never yet given a rating lower than 4, but this
not up to the usual high standards here.
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Clarification of Answer by
kriswrite-ga
on
04 Mar 2004 14:53 PST
Hello bugbear~
Yes, indeed, info is out there. However, as I stated earlier, I gave a
median price. If you want a high or low price, I can certainly
research that for you.
Kriswrite
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Clarification of Answer by
kriswrite-ga
on
05 Mar 2004 09:58 PST
Hi Bugbear~
Here is a comparison of prices for CZ, found online. For best
comparison, I only looked at round cut CZs; other cuts may be more or
less expensive.
As you can see, prices vary widely. This is according to quality of
stone, in large part. Another factor is whether or not the storefront
is trying to sell to consumers or jewelers (although several of these
sites are targeted to consumers and have very reasonable prices).
Russian Brilliants: Round Cut, 2 ct $395
http://www.russianbrilliants.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=russianbrilliants&Category_Code=loose
Orleans Counterfeit Diamonds: Standard Cut, 2 ct $100
http://www.orleansjewels.com/stones.html
CZ Platinum: Round cut, 1.25 ct $40, 2.5 ct. $50
http://www.czplatinum.com/cubic-zirconia/prod.asp?cat=Round+Shape
Cubic Zirconia & CL Platinum Jewelry: Round cut, 2 ct $60
http://www.cubic-zirconia-cz-platinum-jewelry.com/round-cubic-zirconia.htm
CZ Gold: Round Cut, 2 ct $45 http://www.czgold.com/loose_stones/index.html
Jai Designer CZ Rings: Round cut, 2 ct $40
http://www.michelejanine.com/czstones.html
Body Jewels: Round Cut, 2 ct $32.95
http://www.bodyjewels.net/CG/Traditional%20Round%20Brilliant.htm
E14k: Round Cut, 2 ct. $28.95 http://www.e14k.com/shop/index.php?shop=1&itemid=1
Jewelers Direction: Round Cut, 2 ct $17 http://www.czjewelry.com/loosestones.html
Pehnec: Round cut, *approximately* 2 ct (8mm) less than $1 a piece,
must by 50 stones. http://www.pehnec.com/cz_white_round.htm
Regards,
Kriswrite
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Request for Answer Clarification by
bugbear-ga
on
14 Mar 2004 10:30 PST
The price at Pehnec suggests that we have not yet got to the
bottom of this question. Either pricing of CZ is insane
(and even though buyers are often stupid, it is hard to get
away with such a variation in prices on the Internet), or
what's being sold is not the same thing.
Also, still no information about historical diamond prices.
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Clarification of Answer by
kriswrite-ga
on
16 Mar 2004 08:07 PST
Dear bugbear~
I'm afraid I cannot provide you with the historical information you
ask for...something I thought I cleared with you before I posted my
Answer. I have spent many, many hours online and off trying to dig up
this information for you, despite that clearance, but was not
successful.
As for the CZ prices: Many items vary in price considerably. Take, for
example, clothes. Let's say I want to buy a rayon dress.
I can go to Walmart and buy it for $12.
Or, I can go to JC Penny and buy an almost identical dress for $50.
Or, I can go to Sax and buy a very similar rayon dress for $200.
Or, I can go to a couture designer and buy it for several hundred
dollars more--or even several thousand dollars more.
While they are all rayon dresses of a similar design, the difference is:
* Quality.
* Manufacture
* Who the item is targeted to
* How much the seller thinks the buyer is willing to pay.
The exact same thing is true with CZs.
Kriswrite
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