Zirconium dioxide jewellery. Like diamond, cubic zirconia has a cubic crystal structure and a high index of refraction. Visually discerning a good quality cubic zirconia gem from a diamond is difficult, and most jewellers will have a thermal conductivity tester to identify cubic zirconia by its low thermal conductivity (diamond is a very good thermal conductor). This state of zirconia is commonly called "cubic zirconia", "CZ", or "zircon" by jewellers, but the last name is not chemically accurate. Zircon is actually the mineral name for naturally occurring zirconium silicate (ZrSiO). Zirconium dioxide Zirconium dioxide (), sometimes known as zirconia (not to be
Cleavage (crystal) octahedral parting, the rhombohedral parting of corundum and basal parting in pyroxenes. Cleavage is a physical property traditionally used in mineral identification, both in hand specimen and microscopic examination of rock and mineral studies. As an example, the angles between the prismatic cleavage planes for the pyroxenes (88–92°) and the amphiboles (56–124°) are diagnostic. Crystal cleavage is of technical importance in the electronics industry and in the cutting of gemstones. Precious stones are generally cleaved by impact, as in diamond cutting. Synthetic single crystals of semiconductor materials are generally sold as thin wafers which are much easier to cleave. Simply