Is CZ sh*t?

[FireandBrimstone]

Please be kind, I don't post much and I'm not a snob! But I genuinely could do with some friendly guidance. I'm trying to decide if I've done a stupid thing today.
I've had a bit of 'treat money' (£100ish from a gift) set aside and had my heart set on buying a really nice, special but wear-everyday ring. I wanted a little bit of sparkle. I'll admit that having sat on the money for a while, by today it was burning a hole in my pocket and I set out with a total mindset to GET it today! I bought one that fits the bill, very pretty and it's absolutely lovely on. The sparkly bit is from cubic zirconia. There were others I looked at for the same money that were actual diamond, but just didn't suit me. I know ultimately it's about what it looks like, but obviously there are CZ rings around for a fiver and this was significantly more!
So, am I going to regret buying cubic zirconia...?

Absolutely nothing wrong with CZ! Most people other than experts can't even tell the difference between CZ and diamonds unless they're reallllly looking and know what they're looking for. Personally I wouldn't ever want to wear diamonds anyway as I think it's weird how their price is so artificially inflated for a shiny rock (and the ethics!) so I'd always rather CZ and the spare cash!

As long as the metal surrounding it isn't going to turn your skin green go for it :)

Nope, cubic zirconia is a hard stone (8-8.5 on the Mohs scale, up there with beryl and topaz) and actually makes more rainbows than diamonds (there is a technical term for this, dispersion.) I like things that make rainbows. It can be brittle, but so can other stones (I love amethyst but find that chips rather easily,) so be careful of the edges of the stone(s). There are varying qualities, but if you bought it from somewhere decent it will be of a good quality.
Last year I bought myself some lovely sterling silver and cubic zirconia rings, one with a princess cut stone (because I love that shape) and one with an asscher cut stone (because I didn't have anything like it in my collection. La-di-da at 'collection', I'm not that posh! Most of my jewellery is from Claire's and New Look!) They're very pretty and they make lots of rainbows.
Can we see what you got, pretty please?

I'm a big fan of Diamonique (QVC) which is CZ I think. Lovely and sparkly!

Oh thank you for your lovely, lovely answers! The ethical part definitely is a big bonus. (As are the sparkles ). This is it. www.thomassabo.com/GB/en_GB/pd/ring/TR1971.html

Sapphire you sound very knowledgeable and deserving of a 'collection' . I've learned another new thing out of this, never knew that particular cut was called an asscher (yes I googled). Beautiful.

That is a beauty. A Bobby Dazzler in fact. Lovely! Enjoy it, you'll wear it LOADS and get heaps of admiring glances.

Interesting, I've always been told that yes, it is shit, it's just lab made crap... sorry I would save up for a smaller real stone!

I lost my engagement ring. It was bound to happen because I was a sleep deprived new mum and always took my rings off to see to baby (quite a high setting) and would put them down somewhere and forget where...

In case it is ever found, and in case I lose the replacement, I bought a moissanite stone (similar to cz) and EVERYBODY compliments me on it. It is gorgeous.

Love your ring. Don't have a wobble!

Wow, I love that ring! It’s stunning.

Your ring is gorgeous. Very envious!

Ooh I have just looked at the ring and it is lovely - I'd say if you LOVE it, buy it!! Just don't expect it to become an heirloom

I have seen very similar rings in independent jewellers for £29. I'd do a bit of shopping about because there's no point in spending £100+ if you don't have to.

The rings I had seen had the choice of sapphire simulant, a cz, an onyx, mother of pearl or an amethyst in the middle but were otherwise identical.

That's lovely Fire! Who cares if it's CZ not diamond. You love it, you'll wear it and I bet it really sparkles.

If the metal and setting is good quality then get it! It’s not like you’re buying for resale - if you think you’ll wear it a lot, then it’s worth it! Just because it’s lab grown doesn’t mean it’s “bad”. It’s just not for real stone collectors or resellers, that’s all. Obv cz is more ethical too! I’d be more concerned about how the stones are set and make sure nothing is loose. Silver tarnishes and white gold often needs to be redipped if worn regularly (and shouldn’t be worn next to other metals). Purer gold is softer so not ideal for rings (highest I’d go on a ring is 18ct).

I've bought 3 Thomas sabo rings with either cz or rose quartz and they have always been beautiful rings.

I get complimented on them and they are fun to wear.
Sometimes you an get extra 10/20% discount so have a look out for codes

I love the style of the ring but my experience of silver/cz jewellery is this:

Silver will tarnish. Buy some silver cleaner and be prepared to clean it. It is unlikely to look like this in five yrs time.

CZ is great but it will go cloudy. There is a reason that dias are more popular and if you look at czs over time, you will see the differences.

As costume jewellery though, absolutely go for it! It is a beautiful ring.

Thanks all for your lovely comments, you've made me feel very reassured and a bit
Troll I can actually see myself becoming a bit of a 'ring person' (not at £150 a pop though) - so the other varieties you're mentioning would be interesting. If you've any links to the shops you've seen them in, please share.
And thanks for the care advice - tbh that's one of the things I was wary of but I guess I will have to just suck it up and be prepared in the longer term. I don't wear gold.

Look at silver by mail and silver island jewellery great for good silver and stones at cheap prices! You could get two or three rings for your £100!

Oh, that is a beautiful ring! (And they have a sapphire version, weee!) Anyway, I've found that silver doesn't tarnish if you wear it all the time, (I'm wearing a ring I've had since I was 17, so 12 years, and I've only ever washed it with warm soapy water. The stone in it is onyx.) Thank you, I'm a bit jewellery/gemstone obsessed! I didn't know about the asscher cut until last year when I was googling different ones, and I decided I wanted it. It is lovely.

I have a created sapphire ring (from Pandora) which is the most I've ever spent on a piece of jewellery, (£40!) but I'm getting my money's worth as I wear it all the time! It's on the finger next to the ring I mentioned above that cost £5. Created sapphire is the same chemically, structurally, and has the same hardness as natural sapphire, so I'm not worried about it.