Cubic Zirconia Gemstones

Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic variant of the mineral baddeleyite which is extremely rare in nature. It is the oxide of the metallic element zirconium, zirconium dioxide. It was first used in the Russian space program to serve as a window to photograph through, it was not used in jewellery until 1969 when somebody decided to facet the material. It is often used as a diamond simulant. Cubic Zirconia should not be confused with zircon, which is a rare naturally occurring gemstone.