CubicZirconia.com- The Clear Choice

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Four Valentine's Day Jewelry Gift Ideas She Will Love 0

Now that we have passed Groundhog Day, and the omniscient little rodent has made its weather prediction, we anticipate the next celebration. Valentine’s Day definitely helps shake up the winter doldrums. Who came up with the idea to dedicate one special day of the year to romance and love? Genius.

Who doesn’t like Valentine’s Day for its gift ideas, like chocolate, flowers, or a lovely dinner out? Well, some feel trepidation, and wonder how they can purchase a dozen roses at the non-Valentine’s Day price, but still keep them fresh until February 14. But hey! Let’s not suck the fun out of a day of love and romance! Let’s make it the happy, day of love and optimism we would like it to be. You are in love! That is amazing! Celebrate your good fortune at every opportunity! At CubicZirconia.com, we always have gorgeous, high quality Valentine’s Day gift ideas at a price you will love, for your Love.

Just because we are also romantics, and because we love to help, here are four Valentine’s Day jewelry gift ideas that are sure to make her feel warm and fuzzy. That’s warm, fuzzy, and thinking of you.

Anniversary Band

Do not let the name fool you. You can give her this type of ring to celebrate any occasion. This is your story! It is up to you to write it together. An anniversary band complements her wedding set. It is usually set with stones for accent and a little bit of added pizazz. Women can either add it to the set, or replace their wedding band.

We have a spectacular, customizeable selection. Take a look, and choose the perfect 5A CZ anniversary band for her.

Custom Engraving

Custom engraving suits any budget for a jewelry gift idea, and sends a sentimental message that speaks volumes in a few well chosen words. Whether you add engraving to the CZ ring you purchase now, or add it to a ring she already loves, this is a Valentine’s Day gift to warm the heart. We can custom engrave for you. You can choose the font and message to suit her style. Now you are the genius on Valentine’s Day.

Her New Favorite Earrings

Our customizable stud earrings will become her go-to pair. Simple elegance never misses the heart, and never loses its charm. Choose from three or four prong settings, and set the 5A CZ stones in the precious metal of your choice. Try choosing from our best sellers. Here’s a sweet idea if you both love pierced ears. How about one for you, and one for her from the same set? How cute is that? Maybe she does not have pierced ears. Start her off with a piece of fine, high quality piercing studs that will look great for a lifetime. Everyone adores their first pair of earrings. Now she will think of you when she wears these little treasures.

Added bonus: you can hold her hand when she goes for the piercing. You, Good Sir, are a rock star.

Or, If You MUST Give a Rose…

Look at you, Mr. Traditional, Eternal Romantic. For you, your expression of love just has to involve roses. They are a beautiful symbol of love, after all. Sit down. Take a breath. You are going to be impressed with this Valentine’s Day gift idea. New to CubicZirconia.com, in time for Valentine’s Day 2017, we offer… ta daa…

A real rose, with a twelve inch stem, lacquered, or gold dipped. Presented in a gorgeous gift box. Unbelievable. 

Choose from three jaw dropping styles of this unique Valentine’s Day gift. The Lacquered Yellow Rose is 24K gold trimmed, with a gold plated stem. Start a collection. One every year. Or keep it simple, with one special rose to mark this one special day. 

We are proud to offer you two more styles. Look at the 24K Gold Rose Bud or the Lacquered Red Rose trimmed in 24K gold.

CubicZirconia.com Has You Covered

Enjoy your special Valentine’s Day this year, with the one you adore. We know that you are working hard, and loving life. She is a big part of your adventure. You want her to know how much you appreciate her, every day. She is your rock, and your soft place to fall. She is your confident and loudest cheerleader. She is the woman behind your best achievements. She deserves the best you can give. We’ve got something for that. Always. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tekla Luchenski
Staff Writer

When Was Cubic Zirconia Invented? 0

Well, the truth is, it wasn’t invented per se.

Cubic zirconia is a naturally occurring substance. Some place its discovery as far back as 1892, with the discovery of naturally occurring zirconium oxide, or baddeleyite. But that’s a long way from your shiny cubic zirconia engagement ring! The natural form of cubic zirconia (or CZ, as it is popularly known) is so rare, that you can assume the CZ you find in any piece of jewelry has been synthesized. 

It was a long research road from naturally occurring CZ to the jewelry store, and to your love story, in the form of jewelry.

In 1937, German mineralogists noted its presence as a byproduct of an unrelated experiment. They didn’t even bother to give it a name. Early research sought uses for laser technology and other optical applications.

No one bothered about CZ’s amazing bling potential.

CZ carried on in relative anonymity until Soviet scientists discovered how to grow CZ crystals in a lab.

Cubic Zirconia melts at such high temperatures that no metal can serve as its container. Soviets discovered the method of using a skull crucible, which is a super-cool name, and which allowed the CZ to grow successfully.

Oh, those Russians! Their research was not published until 1973 (perhaps something to do with an unfortunate business called the Cold War?).

By 1976, commercial production began world-wide. Cubic Zirconia has graduated from obscurity to becoming the most important competitor of the diamond industry. 

Tekla Luchenski
Staff Writer

What is Pink Gold? 0

Pink Gold: Popular Trend Will Become a Classic

Pink gold is part of a hot trend in colored gold jewelry and accessories that has emerged over the past few years. Approximately six to eight percent of customers at CubicZirconia.com choose pink gold as they customize the jewelry to mark special occasions in life. Customers are choosing pink gold for important pieces, like anniversary rings, engagement rings and wedding bands. 

According to Google Trends, colored gold has increased in search popularity since 2011. We are seeing brands such as Michael Kors and Fossil producing pink gold watches and fashion jewelry pieces. How about Apple, who recently released the iPhone 6? Color choices? Silver, grey and, you guessed it - pink gold. If that’s not a sign of the fashion times, we don’t know what is. CubicZirconia.com abides! Most of our gorgeous selection, including cubic zirconia engagement ring styles, have a pink gold option. 

Pink gold offers a different take on an old friend - the more traditional yellow gold. Pink gold is a choice you can make for a contemporary look that will endure the passage of time and trends. You can enjoy pink gold for your fashion or heirloom pieces, with confidence that they will maintain their color and beauty for generations to come. We will talk about that quality and the purity of your gold piece a little later, but first, we’ll answer your burning question: What the heck is pink gold?

Gold Alloys 101

In general, gold is mixed with a different metal, so as to ensure quality over time. Solid gold is a soft metal. It will not hold its shape well, and it is vulnerable to scratches and dents. Bet you never thought of solid gold as a “scratch and dent” material! Because of its delicacy, goldsmiths have always used gold mixed with one or more metals to create an alloy. The type of metal in an alloy determines qualities of the finished piece, including its color. Add a little copper to yellow gold. The result is gold with a pink hue. 

Pink gold has been around since ancient times. In more recent times, it used to be called Russian gold, for its popularity in nineteenth century Russia. It has also been known as red gold and rose gold. The unique color comes from the gold’s copper alloy. Copper gives yellow gold a red, or pink color. The greater the amount of copper alloy, the darker the pink (or red) appearance. Simple? Cool.

Real Men (and Women) Love Pink - Even If They Call It “Rose”

The most popular contemporary term for copper alloy gold is rose gold. Rose is generally used interchangeably with the terms pink and red, although each term actually refers to a specific percentage of copper added to the yellow gold. Pink gold contains the least amount of copper, next to rose gold. Red gold has the highest copper content. We think they’re all ‘just as sweet’ (That’s from Shakespeare. Get it? And clever, too!). 

Speaking of alloys in gold, always remember that the alloy does not (read NOT) affect the purity of gold. Alloys contribute to the overall quality of the gold piece. They reinforce the gold’s strength and give it a particular color.

You can rest assured that if your gold is stamped as 10K, 14K or 18K gold, you are receiving that purity of gold as marked; 14k yellow gold without coloration has the same amount of gold content as 14k rose/pink gold. Whatever the alloy, the content is constant, according to the gold purity standard. In the U.S.A., laws regulate the standard of gold purity and its marketing. When you see “10K,” “14K,” or “18K” stamped on a gold piece, you can rely on the label and be confident in the quality of the gold you are buying.

Here is one important thing to remember when you set out to shop for colored gold. Ready? Here it is: 

You do not need to be a jewelry aficionado to shop for pink gold. 

This post could go ahead and outline the percentages of copper alloy that make the (small, like, teeny tiny, minuscule, even) difference between rose and pink gold. Here’s the good news. We don’t have to. If you like this style of colored gold, just ask for “rose gold.” Regardless of the percentages of copper alloy, rose gold has become the umbrella term for copper alloy gold. So have fun, and do not worry. No one will call you out for generalizing on this one. Pay attention, instead, to the overall quality of the piece. Shop with a reputable jeweler, like CubicZirconia.com, and you will do well.

Ready? Set? Shop! At CubicZirconia.com, we can help. We’re like that. In fact, we love helping.

Unsure about which precious metal to choose for your jewelry? Read our article, "Which Precious Metal Is Right For You/Her?"

10 Great 10th Anniversary Gifts from Him to Her 0

Want the best gift ideas for your 10th Anniversary celebration together? Whatever your taste or budget, we are sure we have ideas you haven't considered!

Are Diamond Cartels Losing Their Vice Grip on the Industry? 0

Is a diamond really a girl’s best friend? Well, that’s definitely a matter for debate, especially in an era where most females of marriageable age prefer to be called women. We can tell you one thing for sure. Diamond cartels are nobody’s best friend. As if we didn’t have enough reasons to loathe this monument to capitalism at its most base level (and by “base” I definitely mean “crass”), we are now seeing more evidence that diamond cartels have artificially inflated price of these not-so-rare-after-all gems.

CNBC recently reported that, in fact, the market is seeing a downward trend in the price of diamonds over the past few years. The marketplace is changing rapidly, and the effect is a much lower price for diamonds, the world over. In fact, Martin Rapaport, Chairman of Rapaport Group, calls the diamond industry a “volatile trade.” Diamonds, it seems, are hardly an investor’s best friend these days. Further, financial analysts are beginning to speculate that diamond industry trends may be signs of pervasive deflation from a macroeconomic perspective.

Between April 2014 and April 2015, diamond prices have dropped by 15 percent. De Beers, infamously known for spearheading an ad campaign in the 1940’s that made the diamonds an iconic, must-have stone for engagements and weddings, has made it more difficult to finance their purchase. The effect is that fewer people can afford diamonds at their previous inflationary rate. Demand is decreasing, and along with it, diamond prices.

Another factor contributing to the decline of the diamond as the darling of the jewelry industry is a glut that has been created by major fluctuations in Asian markets. A rise of the middle class in countries like China and India led to higher demand in those parts of the world. Retailers responded by stocking diamonds based on projected growth that never came to fruition. After the initial rush of popularity, the market slowed down, and the industry was stuck with a surplus which has driven diamond prices down on a global scale.

An industry financing leader, the Antwerp Diamond Bank, stopped taking on new clients within the last year. It has become too risky to support new diamond manufacturers and craftsmen for new inventory production.

The deflationary trend of diamonds suggests that perhaps this notoriously overpriced stone may soon reach unprecedented low prices that more closely resemble a fair market value. Can you imagine purchasing a full carat diamond for under $1000.00? Dare we say $100? Some observers, including CubicZirconia.com Vice President, think that diamonds might one day fall to a much more accessible price for jewelry enthusiasts, especially young couples who are getting engaged. Mr. Cubic Zirconia says:

Consumers are starting to realize that diamond rarity an inflated lie. Eventually, in say, fifty to one hundred years, if trends continue, lab-created diamonds and diamond simulants like cubic zirconia may no longer fill a market need. Customers will be able to buy real diamonds for a hundred dollars or less. This is a more realistic price, even now, given that diamond cartel companies have manipulated the market and kept millions of diamonds in warehouses. Until then, CubicZirconia.com is here, ready to serve you with the highest quality, 5A, man-made diamond alternatives sold at an affordable price-- stones set in high-quality jewelry that no one, not even jewelers with decades of experience, can definitively say with the unaided eye are not diamonds.

Guaranteed to put a little more sparkle in your life, CubicZirconia.com stays on top of market trends and understands their impact on your shopping experience, and your wallet. We are delighted to make your jewelry dreams come true. And hey, if that means you can save for a house, go on a honeymoon or bank the leftover cash, so much the better.

Tekla Luchenski
Staff Writer