5 Things You Didn’t Know About Cubic Zirconia
Cubic zirconia is the sparkle behind a lot of our bestsellers. But for something so familiar, it’s full of surprises. Here are five you probably didn’t know, plus how to keep yours looking brand new.
1. It Wasn’t Invented for Jewellery
Cubic zirconia didn’t start life in a jewellery box. The first stones were created by scientists in the 1970s for use in lasers and optical technology. It was only later that someone noticed how strikingly they resembled diamonds, and the jewellery world never looked back.
2. It Sparkles With More Fire Than a Diamond
Here’s the one that surprises people. “Fire” is the word for those little flashes of rainbow colour a stone throws as it moves, and cubic zirconia actually has more of it than a diamond.
A diamond wins on white brilliance, but for pure colourful sparkle, CZ more than holds its own.
3. Natural Cubic Zirconia Is Almost a Myth
Cubic zirconia does occur in nature, but it’s so vanishingly rare that you can safely assume every piece of CZ jewellery in the world is lab-grown. No mining, no digging; just clarity, made to order.
4. It Comes in Every Colour of the Rainbow
Clear and diamond-like is only the beginning. By adding different mineral oxides as the stone forms, cubic zirconia can be grown in yellow, pink, champagne, green, lavender, even black! And because the colour develops as the stone grows, it’s part of the stone itself, not a coating that can wear away.
5. It’s Tougher Than Most Gemstones
Cubic zirconia sits at 8 to 8.5 on the hardness scale, which is harder than most coloured gemstones out there, and more than tough enough for everyday wear.
It’s softer than a diamond, which is why a little care keeps it at its sparkling best, but more on that just below.
How to Keep Your Cubic Zirconia Sparkling
The best thing about cubic zirconia? You don’t have to baby it. Our CZ pieces are set in surgical stainless steel or titanium, waterproof, tarnish-free and kind to sensitive skin. What does it mean for you? You can shower, swim, sweat and sleep in them without a second thought.
This is jewellery made to be lived in, not left in a box and taken out for special occasions only.
There’s just one thing that quietly dulls any sparkling stone over time: buildup.
Everyday life (aka body oils, moisturiser, sun cream, perfume, hairspray) leaves a fine film on the surface that stops light bouncing back the way it should.
The good news? Bringing the sparkle back takes about a minute.
To keep it shining
- Give it a gentle wipe with a soft, lint-free cloth every so often.
- Once in a while, clean it in warm water with a tiny drop of mild washing-up liquid, using a soft brush to reach between the facets, then rinse and pat dry.
- Put your beauty products on first. Let perfume, lotion and hairspray dry before your jewellery goes on.
Best avoided
- Harsh household chemicals and abrasive or “polishing” cleaners. They’re made for far tougher jobs than delicate jewellery.
- Scrubbing with rough cloths or paper towels, which can scratch the surface over time.
- Tossing pieces loose into a bag or drawer with harder items. A soft pouch (time to dig out that Solace grey pouch your piece arrived in!) keeps them scratch-free. Better yet, get one of our jewellery cases to carry them in.
A minute of care now and then, and your cubic zirconia keeps catching the light just like it did on day one.
Why We Chose Cubic Zirconia
This is the whole reason it’s in so much of what we make. We wanted to create jewellery you could actually live in. It’s beautiful enough to adorn yourself with daily, kind enough for sensitive skin, and easy enough to wear every single day without a worry.
Cubic zirconia lets us do exactly that: real, everyday sparkle, set in surgical stainless steel, at a price that never asks you to keep it “for big days only”.
That’s the kind of jewellery we believe in, the kind that becomes part of you. And with our 100-day money-back guarantee on every order, the only risk is falling for it.
