About CZ Rings

Cubic zirconia, also known as CZ, has gotten to be an extremely popular choice for a wedding or an engagement rings. Prices start around $30 for a silver cz ring with a .25 carat stone and get as high as several thousands of dollars for platinum cz engagement ring with a 5 carat stone. Regardless of your budget, you will be able to find a cz rings in every kind of shape, color and base metal. Since the gemstone cuts are identical to those of traditional diamonds, cubic zirconia is a very wearable and beautiful choice, since they have great clarity and nice faceting. They can also be quite colorful and work well with everything from a wedding dress to jeans. You can find matching pieces such as cz earrings and there are even mens cz rings out in the marketplace.

If you're looking for a wedding or engagement ring, try to narrow down your options by first selecting from one of the main gemstone cuts.

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The two main cuts for cubic zirconias are the step cut and the brilliant cut.The step cut has parallel facets and is shaped in a rectangle.  It's reputation is that it is elegant and glass-like. The emerald cut is a variation on the step cut, and has similar facets except that it has corners that are rounded off. Gemstones that are brilliant cut tend to be brighter and have more sparkle to them because they have 58 different facets. One of the most popular choices for wedding rings is the round brilliant cut solitaire.

Once you have figured out what cut you want, next you will want to pick out a shape for the stone.  Below are a few examples of some of the most popular shapes that are used in engagement and wedding rings.

Baguette: This stone is usually a rectangle and has stepped down facets going from the center down the side. This tends to be a very clear shape.  They are both understated and a little bit unusual in wedding jewelry.

Emerald: The emerald cut is similar to a rectangle but with its corners rounded down.  Its facets are rectangular in shape and have an unusual sparkle. The length to width ratio is 1.65:1.

Marquise: This is an elegant cut of cz that is sometimes referred to as a "football" shape.  It is slender with ends that are tapered and the length to width ratio is 2:1.

Princess:  This shape features sharp corners and is usually square. It either has 50 or 58 facets. Since it has corner angles, you have to make sure that it doesn't snag on your clothing.

When you look at cz rings, make sure that the stone is perfectly centered in its setting from both the top as well as bottom. Also, look for symmetry within the stone.  Lastly, make sure that the center of the top facet is flat..