Cubic zirconia is so optically close to diamond that only a trained eye can easily differentiate the two. There are a few key features of cubic zirconia which distinguish it from diamond, some observable only under the microscope or loupe.
Dispersion: With a dispersive power greater than diamond (0.060 vs. 0.044) the more prismatic fire of cubic zirconia can be seen by even an untrained eye.
Hardness: Cubic zirconia has an 8.5 to 9.0 on the Mohs hardness scale vs. a rating of 10 for diamonds.
Specific gravity: Cubic zirconia crystals are heavyweights in comparison to diamonds; a cubic zirconia will weigh about 1.7 times more than a diamond of equivalent size.
Flaws: Contemporary production of cubic zirconia is virtually flawless, whereas most diamonds have some sort of defect, be it a feather, included crystal, or perhaps a remnant of an original crystal face (e.g. trigons).
Refractive index: Cubic zirconia has a refractive index of 2.176, compared to a diamond's 2.417.
Cut: Under close inspection with a loupe, the facet shapes of some cubic zirconias appear different from diamonds.
Color (or more precisely, the lack. thereof): Only the rarest of diamonds are truly colorless, most having a tinge of yellow or brown to some extent. By comparison, cubic zirconia can be made in most cases entirely colorless: equivalent to a perfect "D" on diamond's color grading scale.
Thermal conductivity: Cubic zirconias are thermal insulators while diamonds are among the most efficient thermal conductors, exceeding copper.
This makes telling the difference between diamond and cubic zirconia quite easy for those with the right instruments.
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