cubic zirconia

[don_willard]

I have heard that they take zirconium oxide, which is in a certain crystal form and heat it up so that it changes to the isometric(aka cubic) crystal structure, and then they add a little calcium and I think neodynium and then cool it off. The additive stabilizes the crystal so that it doesn’t go back through the phase change into the less pretty crystal form, resulting in the beauteous gems that are so underrated and mocked. But where can I find out exactly what they do add and if it is the neodynium that makes the color-change type of cz’s that are blue under one kind of light and pink under the other. Also, what do they add to get all the colors for the colored ones? A well, sharply cut cz has more dispersion than diamond, meanng flashes from its clear interiors sharp rainbow colors. 3) The jewel people seem to be the only ones on the internet who have anything on cz’s but, like all business jewel people, they don’t know what their material is made of and they don’t care. This leaves internet entries on how cz is used in industry because it can be made into crucibles for high heat jobs, I think.