What are Gemstone Simulants?

Gemstone simulants are man-made gems made from glass, cubic zirconia, or leaded glass (crystal). There are several companies that stand out when people think of these gemstones, like Jablonex™ for fire-polished glass beads, Diamonlux™ for Cubic Zirconia beads, and Swarovski® for leaded glass (crystal) beads. Each of these types of simulants have their pro's and con's, and it is our intent to explain these as well as help you understand the processes involved in each ones production.

We'll start with a photo comparing the two types of gemstone simulants which ARE SAFE FOR CHILDREN, being Jablonex™ Fire-Polished Czech Glass beads, and the obviously superior Diamonlux™ Cubic Zirconia beads. The photographs shown below are untouched, and the beads are criss-crossed to show focus on both sides of the image. You should pay attention to the sharp, clean facets of the Diamonlux™ Cubic Zirconias and crystal clear edges. Also, see how the light reflects off of each surface and the highlights and shadows are much more intense on the Diamonlux beads. We will discuss the process of making each type of bead below so you can understand why they turn out the way they do, but it always helps to see a photo first.

Now the beads above are all 4mm in size. The difference even becomes more evident in even smaller sizes, as used in children's jewelry -- take a look at the photo below of 3x2mm beads. Again, this photo is untouched, you can even still see the dust fibers and dust specs on the photo.These two beads are both clear, but show a dramatic difference in quality, for one, the color is much more white for the Diamonlux Cubic Zirconia, whereas the Jablonex clear is yellowish. The transparency of the Diamonlux is also much better and sharper clarity than the Jablonex bead on the right. You can see why there is so much more light, sparkle, and fire reflected in the Diamonlux beads versus the Jablonex beads.

Let's Take a Closer Look at Each Type of Gemstone Simulant

Fire Polished Glass Beads (Popular Brand Name: Jablonex™)

Fire-Polished Glass Beads Process

Note: Many people refer to these molded glass beads as Czech glass, as most of this type of glass is created in the Czech Republic.

This type of glass beads are not individually cut from glass, but rather molded in a machine to resemble a glass bead with facets, but when molding a bead, the glass comes out of the mold with a matte finish, so in order to polish the beads quickly and efficiently, the Czech glass makers use heat to slightly melt the bead which makes it then look polished. Although they now look more polished, the heat has also damaged the bead by rounding out the straight sharp lines of the facets, making it look much more like plastic and deminished brilliance and fire properties. (see image below)

Why don't they just cut them like crystal or cubic zirconia?

There are several reasons they do not cut glass beads. First, the material is brittle and extremely difficult to cut the traditional way -- adding lead to the glass makes it more soft and easier to cut, but then it would be classified as crystal (leaded glass). Secondly, cutting the beads takes much longer than molding them in mass, so the beads are more attractive to buyers who do not have a lot of money to spend.

What to watch out for

Lead, maybe. If you are buying children's jewelry, make sure you receive name brand czech glass where you can verify that the company uses no lead content. Some factories accept recycled glass that may or may not include leaded glass or crystal, or add a small amount of lead (6-8%) to make products easier to mold or handle.

Fire-Polished Beads Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Easy and quick to manufacture in mass quantities
• Cheap alternative for craft-quality projects
• Cons
• Fire polishing severely lessens "brilliance" and "fire"
• Rounded edges on facets look and feel cheap, very similar to clear plastic

Cubic Zirconia Beads (Our Exclusive Brand: Diamonlux™)

Cubic Zirconia Beads Process

It is a difficult process to create cubic zirconia due to the extreme heat that is required to create the chemical change necessary in the raw materials. First dry powder form of zirconium oxide is mixed with a stabilizer, either yttrium or calcium oxide, and is then packed into a cup shaped form of copper pipes where water is pumped through to provide cooling. Heated upwards of 2750°C, the powder becomes molten and cubic zirconia is formed. The molten material is gradually allowed to cool, and then put into an annealing oven at 1400°C and tempered to remove any stress on the internal crystalline structure. There are NO heavy metals (such as lead or cadmium) used in the production of this material making it completely safe for children's jewelry.

Fun Fact: Most popular name brand being Diamonlux™, this material has long been used as a diamond simulant gemstone since its characteristics closely match those of a real diamond, and in one instance (light dispersion) actually surpasses the quality of a diamond (see chart below). Due to its extreme hardness, this material, just like a diamond, must be hand-cut and polished as there currently are no machines able to cut this material. Cubic zirconia is not extremely brittle like glass, and cuts without cracking or breaking problems associated with other gemstone simulants. Most importantly, cubic zirconia is safe for children.

What to watch out for

Safe. There is nothing to watch out for. Although, if you want consistent color and cut, use a well-known brand name like Diamonlux.

Diamonlux™ Cubic Zirconia Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Superior hand-cut and polished surface compared to fire-polished glass
• Superior inherent refractive index (brilliance) and light disspersion (fire)
• Completely safe for children
• Higher on Mohs' Hardness Scale
• Cons
• Higher Cost
  

Quality Factors Compared

The following table shows the differences between the gemstone simulants quality characteristics.