Cubic Zirconia vs Diamond

In the past four or five collection I’ve been noticing a lot more uses of cubic zirconias in Pandora’s jewellery. The recent collection of alphabet charms had cubic zirocnias in pretty much every alphabet charm in the range. In the newer Pave style charms it’s usually cubic zirconias – both coloured and clear that are used, though I have seen a few glass ones released as well. So with so many floating around I thought I might take a look at what a cubic zirconia actually is and share my findings with you all! Cubic Zirconia vs Diamonds Cubic zirconias have a fairly infamous reputation for being used in scams as they’re so close to diamonds – a lot of people say it’s impossible to tell the two apart! The two are very close in appearance, but cubic zirconias are constructed from synthetic processes, unlike diamonds which are made from natural pressure and heat processes in the earth. This makes them much easier to produce and the main reason why Pandora’s cubic zirconia pieces To tell them apart its always best to take a piece to a jeweller, but a popular method is to scratch a mirror with the stone and see if it makes a mark. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials, so they will leave a scratch without being blemished themselves, but cubic zirconias are less likely to be able to scratch mirrors. As Gems As gems, both cubic zirconias and diamonds have the same sort of effect, but because it’s harder and more durable, the diamond will keep its shine for much longer over the cubic zirconia. This is part of the reason why a lot of people choose diamonds for engagement rings – because they are ‘forever’. As far as charms and general fashion goes though, it’s a bit of a different situation as we certainly don’t want to fork out an engagement ring level of cash for a charm every month! There are also a few pieces that have diamonds if you look at the charms-with-stones section.

The New Alphabet Collection From Pandora

Pandora are no strangers to letter / alphabet charms, but the Alphabet and Symbols collection released this season is something quite special! Below’s a short comparison of the previous letter and alphabet charms that were available – a huge difference. I personally love the new charms, it’s much more refined with the cubic zirconia studding and overall style and design. The new shapes are much easier to read from a distance and work much better as an alphabet charms.

On the site there’s even a cool little alphabet charm speller which is a pretty cool way to preview how a combination might look. A few cool ideas are also in the look book and the new Summer (our Winter) collection. Anyways share your opinion of the new alphabet charms and whether you’ll be getting one!