Never underestimate the power of cubic zirconia. I was abruptly interrupted from reading an engaging magazine article one day, while minding my own business on a NYC subway train en route to run a personal errand. “What a striking ring,” a woman had leaned in to say to me. I looked up at her. She was dressed to the nines, wearing a camel colored cashmere coat, chocolate suede boots, and a Louis Vuitton tote bag. Large diamond post earrings twinkled in her ears, and the huge squared diamond rock on her ring finger had me speechless, unable to answer her straight away. “Thanks,” I finally said. When she realized we’d arrived at her Park Avenue stop, she hurried out of the car before the doors could close. I stared down at my ring, smiled and thought. It was striking, and it had only cost me sixty bucks, probably nowhere near what she’d paid for her jewels.

Sure, cubic zirconia is made in a lab, but the characteristics of it are often easily compared to that of a genuine diamond. Did you know that CZ does actually have the ability to outshine real diamonds? As a matter of fact, its high luster is one of the true ways that you can tell the two stone types apart. Another attribute of cubic zirconia is that it has more weight than diamonds, but of course you couldn’t tell that it was a CZ gem just by looking at it. Surprisingly, there are some CZ jewelry pieces that even professional jewelers can’t differentiate from diamonds. That’s where the jeweler’s loupe is utilized, because it’s used to find jewelry flaws. Other CZ advantages are that a person can get it in a variety of colors, and that you can find something really great for under $100. It becomes an offer you can’t refuse.

Ross-Simmons has been around since 1952, and I consider them to be a great source for CZ jewelry. They have CZ pendants, CZ rings, CZ eternity bands, CZ earrings, CZ necklaces, CZ bracelets, CZ’s with silver or gold, and CZ’s on clearance. Get happy with the CZ’s on clearance. These are pieces that look like they were taken from a showroom floor, and incidentally, it’s where I purchased my CZ dome ring a few years ago. We’ve gone over some of the advantages, but there is certainly one more significant one that I don’t want to leave out. If you lose it, you won’t be as upset as the piece can easily be replaced. Now, need I say more?