Learn the most important differences here. Zircon rivals diamond for its impressive fire (dispersion: 0.039 to diamond’s 0.044) which is why for more than a century colorless Zircon has been an affordable substitute for diamond.

Colored diamonds are much, much rarer.

The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue, and green. Synthetic diamonds are one of the most commonly used diamonds that are majorly used in making rings and other jewelry where diamonds are a major representation.. These zircon properties are close enough to the properties of diamond to account for centuries of confusion between the two gems. Compared to diamonds, cubic zirconia is significantly cheaper. Diamonds vs Cubic Zirconium. Additionally, the wait times are typically much shorter when ordering cubic zirconia instead of diamonds.

Some zircons are even known to have a cat's-eye effect, and they come in a variety of colors. That translates into high-end clarity, and colorless to near-colorless diamonds. In terms of hardness, cubic zirconia ranks 8.5 and zircon ranks 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Some zircons are even known to have a cat's-eye effect, and they come in a variety of colors.

Zircon occurs in an array of colors. Diamonds come in a range of qualities, which means there are a range of clarity and color grades. White Zircon Chemical Properties. Colorless zircon is known for its brilliance and flashes of multicolored light, called fire.

It is also considered to be the birthstone for the month of December. Natural zircon is rare and more expensive than cubic zirconia. The chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4.The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal system. The affordable cost of cubic zirconia makes it the most popular diamond simulant. White Zircon is highly regarded as a natural replacement for diamond, since it is much lower cost but has impressive fire and brilliance compared to other white and colorless gems. Zircon’s high refractive index, again close to diamond, gives the gem good brilliance too. It has been revered as a perfect substitute of diamond stone for centuries.

Lab-grown diamonds are much more durable than cubic zirconia.

Looking up to their physical properties, you will see that both of them are entirely different as CZ is just a stimulant of the diamond. Zircon also is a much softer, brittler gem (7 on the moh's scale) than diamond (10 on the moh's scale) and can be scratched much more easily.