At the jeweler we have a lot of jewelry made of different materials. Most questions arise about the gemstones used in jewelry. Diamond is a precious and expensive material for making jewelry, but nowadays it is also very common to use zirconia or labgrown diamonds. And a brilliant one, what exactly is that? We explain it all in this blog!
Diamond
Diamond is the hardest material found in nature and therefore represents a 10 on the Mohr scale. Diamond is a transparent crystal with a high refractive index, which means that sunlight and daylight are beautifully reflected in the transparent stone, making it a beautiful and suitable gemstone to use in jewelry and jewelry. Diamond is even used in industry for grinding because it is such a hard rock.
Diamond is rare and therefore scarce. The processing of diamonds is a specialist job and the price of a diamond is determined by, among other things, its weight (carat), purity, method of cutting and color.
Labgrown diamond
A labgrown diamond has exactly the same chemical properties as a natural diamond, only the process of diamond formation and growth is imitated in a laboratory and significantly accelerated. While a natural diamond takes many years to be formed, a labgrown diamond is ready within 12 weeks. As a result, the price of a labgrown diamond is 30 to 40% lower than natural diamonds. Click here for our blog about labgrown diamonds!
Zirconia
Zirconia looks like diamond but has very different chemical properties. Zirconia is synthetically manufactured from materials other than diamond and natural diamond is a natural product that is formed in nature. With the human eye (even with a magnifying glass) the difference between diamond and zirconia is almost impossible to distinguish. That is why zirconia is a popular product to use in jewelry and jewelry. Because it is manufactured, there is no shortage of zirconia and therefore the price is a lot lower. For these reasons and because it is the only material with different chemical properties closest to diamond, it is a popular stone to use in jewelry.
Brilliant
Some people think that brilliant is a type of diamond that is rarer and therefore more expensive. That is not true. The cut of the gemstone is brilliant. For example, a cubic zirconia can be brilliant cut, but so can a diamond. Any type of gemstone can be cut brilliantly. Brilliant cutting is extremely difficult and specialized, which is why the price of brilliant cut stones is higher than differently cut stones.
There are many more ways to cut a gemstone. Brilliant is one of them.
In short, the difference between diamond and zirconia is that a diamond is a natural product and has a hardness of 10 on the Mohr scale. Zirconia is factory-made, resembles diamond like no other product and has a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohr scale. Because zirconia is not scarce or rare, it is many times cheaper than diamond. Brilliant is not a gemstone, Brilliant is a way of cutting.
In short, brilliant is not a type of gemstone or diamond, but the cut of the gemstone. Natural diamonds are formed in nature over many years, labgrown diamonds have the same chemical properties as natural diamonds, only this process is accelerated in a laboratory. Zirconia comes closest to diamond in terms of properties, but has a completely different chemical composition and is manufactured synthetically. This makes the price much lower than natural diamonds or even labgrown diamonds.
