What is the Bow-tie effect?
The bow tie effect, visible to the naked eye, is often observed in marquise, oval, pear and some heart-shaped diamonds. The bow tie looks like two triangular dark shapes joined at a point in the centre of the stone. It is caused by variations in the pavilion facet angles that are longer than wider. If prominent, it is considered a negative factor. In a well-cut diamond its appearance should be minimal or absent and certainly not a distraction. Back to top What is a Cubic Zirconia? Cubic Zirconia stones are a man-made diamond simulants with optical characteristics very close to natural diamonds. On the mohs scale of 1-10 for hardness, a CZ is 8.5 – 8.9, while a diamond is 10. Sand or dirt will not scratch a CZ or a diamond, but CZs and diamonds will both scratch glass. A CZ weighs more than a diamond, and this is a principal way to tell them apart. Back to top What are “synthetic” diamonds? Real diamonds have been created naturally through intense levels of heat and pressure deep within
