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Champagne colored CZ
Mineral: synthetic - cubic zirconia
Gem: cubic zirconia
Size: 16 mm (champagne)
Carat: 26.2 ct
Cut: multi-faceted brilliant
Origin: lab grown
General Info: A synthetic material has roughly the same chemical and physical properties as the original. A simulant. is something that "looks like" the original, but may be very different chemically and physically.
Additional Information
There is no naturally pure cubic zirconia mineral, it was created as a diamond simulant. The transparent variety has similar coloring and sparkle to a natural diamond. (See second gemstone below.) With a hardness around 8 and better color dispersion than quartz it is a far more effective simulant.

Over time various colorants were added to the process to create a rainbow of CZ (cubic zironia) colors. The CZ is created by recrystallizing from a zirconium oxide melt in a process called "skull melting".

To see the process you can go to the page where it is explained in more detail and via animation. CZ skull-melting animation

The champagne colored stone was cut by the author. The other stones are all commercial cuts. CZ jewelry has become such a commodity business that the stones are now cut in mass automatically and cost only a few cents per carat for most commercial cuts.

The darker colored CZ commands slightly higher prices than the clear material. This is likely due to more limited production.

Clear CZ used as diamond simulant.
11mm 6.7 ct
Lilac CZ also called "purple ice" and red CZ.
6x9 mm 3.6 ct and 8 mm 3.75 ct
The above yellow CZ was unique in that it still contains part of the colorant material used to create the overall yellow color. Several concentrated color centers can be seen in the stone and around the edge. A few were cleaved by facets as seen in some of the closeup images. 9mm 3.7 ct
Here are a couple of examples of two colors of CZ rough as it is often sold.
Finally a color suite showing many (but not all) of the variations in color available in CZ today.