Versus: Cubic Zirconia & Diamond

Choice: A

Choice: B

VERSUS

Today on Versus we have two contenders that many people have both heard of.  A bit more challenging then last week, we have Diamond versus Cubic Zirconia.  One of these items is worth a heck of a lot more than the other, but could you tell them apart?

It turns out that a lot of people suck at this.  In fact just typing Cubic Z. into a google search instantly yields hundreds of pages dedicated to the different between Cubic Zirconia (CZ) and Diamond.  So, average internet user, which do you think is the real deal?  I will grant that looking at still photos makes this much more difficult (as I will explain later) but what do you think?

The answer is Choice B.  But how can you tell?  Simply put Diamond is just as sparkly but doesn't show as much of a rainbow compared to CZ.  But there is more going on, as I will outline below.

Cubic Zirconia: ZiSiO4
- Syntethic material made in a lab
- Electric Insulator: Will not conduct electricity
- Perfectly Clear in color due to synthetic nature.
- Hard (8 - 8.5 on Mohs scale)
more information

Diamond: C
- Natural element
- Electric Conductor: In fact one of the best one out there.
- Usually includes some yellow or green tint.  A completely clear and 'flawless' diamond is EXTREMELY rare and expensive!
- Hardest known minerl (10 on Mohs scale)
more information

So next time someone tries to show off their diamond ring, take a closer look at it.  If there is an entire rainbow beaming out of this flawless, colorless stone...either they are really wealthy or just got duped!  Well at least you will know better.  Now with this knowledge at hand, go fourth and tell everyone that you can tell the difference between CZ and Diamond!