Cubic zirconia rings offer a cost-effective alternative to the more classy – not to mention vastly more expensive – diamond rings. They are a particularly attractive idea during the recent recession where most people are cash-strapped, but still want to give their loved one a beautiful gift or even an engagement ring. And there’s nothing wrong with buying your beloved a cheap cubic zirconia ring as a token of devotion and fidelity during an economic downturn; just make sure you invest yourself wholeheartedly into the subsequent marriage (and perhaps get her a real diamond eternity ring later on when the money is flowing better!)
So what exactly are these cheap cubic zirconia rings and are they any good? The answer is that they are perfectly valid items of jewelry, set in precious metal bands, such as gold, white gold or platinum, just like their rich cousins, the diamond rings. The cubic zirconia itself is an artificially produced gemstone, and since it can be mass produced easily, that explains why it is so inexpensive. Cubic zirconia – or CZ – is a very sparkly gemstone, since the manufacturing process produces almost flawless stones. This is unfortunately also their downfall in terms of passing themselves off as genuine diamonds. They actually sparkle too much, and refract light to a far greater degree than diamond itself. So when you catch the light with a cubic zirconia ring, you will see all the colors of the rainbow glittering back at you – a dead giveaway that it is CZ, especially if you have other genuine diamond jewelry to compare it against.
Don’t despair though; cubic zirconia rings are still very glitzy, and for the price of a genuine diamond ring, you will be able to get your hands (ears and neck) on a beautiful matching set of CZ earrings, necklace and ring, and still have some extra spending money. And the beauty of manufactured gemstones is they can be made in a variety of enticing colors, so you will easily be able to afford red cubic zirconia rings to pass off as rubies, and green ones, and a variety of other colors. In short, it is a cinch to look a million dollars with cubic zirconia jewelry even in the hardest of economic times. Just don’t let on to people how much you really paid!