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95-597: A rhinestone , paste or diamante is a diamond simulant originally made from rock crystal but since the 19th century from crystal glass or polymers such as acrylic . Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine , hence the name, although some were also found in areas like the Alps (the source of the Rhine). Today the name "rhinestone" applies only to varieties of lead glass known as crystal glass . The availability of such products increased greatly in

190-472: A certain time period, their large production volumes ensured that all continue to be encountered with varying frequency in jewelry of the present. Nearly all were first conceived for intended use in high technology , such as active laser mediums , varistors , and bubble memory . Due to their limited present supply, collectors may pay a premium for the older types. The "refractive index(es)" column shows one refractive index for singly refractive substances, and

285-558: A complex rare-earth absorption spectrum, which is never seen in diamond. Also present in most diamonds are certain internal and external flaws or inclusions , the most common of which are fractures and solid foreign crystals. Artificial simulants are usually internally flawless, and any flaws that are present are characteristic of the manufacturing process. The inclusions seen in natural simulants will often be unlike those ever seen in diamond, most notably liquid "feather" inclusions. The diamond cutting process will often leave portions of

380-462: A cubic zirconia (SG 5.6–6) will be 1.7 times the expected weight of an equivalently sized diamond. Diamonds are usually cut into brilliants to bring out their brilliance (the amount of light reflected back to the viewer) and fire (the degree to which colorful prismatic flashes are seen). Both properties are strongly affected by the cut of the stone, but they are a function of diamond's high refractive index (RI—the degree to which incident light

475-427: A gem diamond is fairly constant at 3.52. Most simulants are far above or slightly below this value, which can make them easy to identify if unset. High-density liquids such as diiodomethane can be used for this purpose, but these liquids are all highly toxic and therefore are usually avoided. A more practical method is to compare the expected size and weight of a suspect diamond to its measured parameters: for example,

570-481: A gemstone since its discovery in the Ural Mountains in 1868; it is a noted feature of antique Russian and Art Nouveau jewelry. Titanite or sphene is also seen in antique jewelry; it is typically some shade of chartreuse and has a luster, RI (1.885–2.050), and dispersion (0.051) high enough to be mistaken for diamond, yet it is anisotropic (a high birefringence of 0.105–0.135) and soft (hardness 5.5). Discovered

665-439: A good polish; however, due to their much lower RI when compared to diamond (1.762–1.770 for sapphire, 1.727 for spinel), they are "lifeless" when cut. (Synthetic sapphire is also anisotropic , making it even easier to spot.) Their low RIs also mean a much lower dispersion (0.018 and 0.020), so even when cut into brilliants they lack the fire of diamond. Nevertheless, synthetic spinel and sapphire were popular diamond simulants from

760-450: A material must possess certain diamond-like properties. The most advanced artificial simulants have properties which closely approach diamond, but all simulants have one or more features that clearly and (for those familiar with diamond) easily differentiate them from diamond. To a gemologist , the most important of differential properties are those that foster non-destructive testing; most of these are visual in nature. Non-destructive testing

855-406: A mix of synth-pop, soul, rootsy country and roadhouse blues for a 12-song set that pulsates with real joy." Entertainment Focus awarded the album 4.5 stars and wrote, " Denim & Rhinestones isn't taking itself seriously; sometimes we just need to shake off a bad relationship, grab our pals and head out for a good time", also adding, "Standout songs on the album are the home-based ballad 'Burn',

950-466: A pair of battery-powered thermistors mounted in a fine copper tip. One thermistor functions as a heating device while the other measures the temperature of the copper tip: if the stone being tested is a diamond, it will conduct the tip's thermal energy rapidly enough to produce a measurable temperature drop. As most simulants are thermal insulators, the thermistor's heat will not be conducted. This test takes about 2–3 seconds. The only possible exception

1045-436: A particular type of iridescent coating, applied with vacuum metal deposition. Guy de Maupassant's short story " La Parure " from 1884 centers around a seemingly valuable diamond necklace which turns out, to the protagonist's chagrin, to have been made of paste. Liberal use of rhinestones was associated with country music singers, as well as with singer Elvis Presley and pianist Liberace . In 1974 David Allan Coe released

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1140-501: A perfect "D" in diamond color terminology. This "too good to be true" factor is important to consider; colored diamond simulants meant to imitate fancy diamonds are more difficult to spot in this regard, but the simulants' colors rarely approximate. In most diamonds (even colorless ones) a characteristic absorption spectrum can be seen (by a direct-vision spectroscope ), consisting of a fine line at 415 nm. The dopants used to impart color in artificial simulants may be detectable as

1235-556: A popular example being the so-called " Herkimer diamonds " mined in Herkimer County, New York . Topaz's SG (3.50–3.57) also falls within the range of diamond. From a historical perspective, the most notable natural simulant of diamond is zircon. It is also fairly hard (7.5), but more importantly shows perceptible fire when cut, due to its high dispersion of 0.039. Colorless zircon has been mined in Sri Lanka for over 2,000 years; prior to

1330-471: A positive review, writing, "She's stated the purpose of the album is to have fun, and she's having plenty of it. If the album's lyrics weren't so country themselves, the album would actually tread the line of rock and roll." The Nash News gave a positive review, saying, " Denim & Rhinestones seems to bring together all of Underwood's favorite influences: rhythmic pop, rock 'n'roll, and down-home country." Denim & Rhinestones debuted at number ten on

1425-533: A range for doubly refractive substances. The formulation of flint glass using lead , alumina , and thallium to increase RI and dispersion began in the late Baroque period. Flint glass is fashioned into brilliants, and when freshly cut they can be surprisingly effective diamond simulants. Known as rhinestones, pastes, or strass, glass simulants are a common feature of antique jewelry; in such cases, rhinestones can be valuable historical artifacts in their own right. The great softness (below hardness 6) imparted by

1520-407: A retaining "skin" under 1 millimeter thick. CZ was thus grown in a crucible of itself, a technique called cold crucible (in reference to the cooling pipes) or skull crucible (in reference to either the shape of the crucible or of the crystals grown). At standard pressure zirconium oxide would normally crystallize in the monoclinic rather than cubic crystal system: for cubic crystals to grow,

1615-582: A stabilizer must be used. This is usually Yttrium(III) oxide or calcium oxide . The skull crucible technique was first developed in 1960s France , but was perfected in the early 1970s by Soviet scientists under V. V. Osiko at the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow . By 1980 annual global production had reached 50 million carats (10,000 kg). The hardness (8–8.5), RI (2.15–2.18, isotropic), dispersion (0.058–0.066), and low material cost make CZ

1710-488: A thin metal layer and sold under various commercial names such as " rainbow glass," "aurora glass" and such. Rhinestones can be used as imitations of diamonds , and some manufacturers even manage to partially reproduce the glistening effect which real diamonds have in the sun. Typically, crystal rhinestones have been used on costumes, apparel, and jewelry. Crystal rhinestones are produced mainly in Austria by Swarovski and in

1805-421: A very 'sing into your hairbrush, in your house, in your room' kind of album." She later elaborated, saying, "When I walked in to start making this album, it was like, what do you want to do? My co-producer and co-writer, David Garcia, was like, 'What do you want to do?' And I was like, 'I just want to have fun.'" In April, Underwood spoke about the album's title track, saying, "The song 'Denim & Rhinestones'

1900-451: A while, if there's some other flavors that get in there, it just kind of expands on my brand of country music. I mean, that's all different parts of me. I feel like with this album, I was able to kind of explore more sides of myself — musically and as a writer — all in one album. It's all random, but it all works together." A deluxe edition of the album was released on September 22, 2023, including six additional tracks. The lead single for

1995-469: Is optic character . Diamond and other cubic (and also amorphous ) materials are isotropic , meaning that light entering a stone behaves the same way regardless of direction. Conversely, most minerals are anisotropic , which produces birefringence , or double refraction of light entering the material in all directions other than an optic axis (a direction of single refraction in a doubly refractive material). Under low magnification, this birefringence

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2090-443: Is a non-linear scale of common minerals ' resistances to scratching. Diamond is at the top of this scale (hardness 10), as it is one of the hardest naturally occurring materials known. (Some artificial substances, such as aggregated diamond nanorods , are harder.) Since a diamond is unlikely to encounter substances that can scratch it, other than another diamond, diamond gemstones are typically free of scratches. Diamond's hardness also

2185-406: Is a thermal insulator). CZ is made in a number of different colors meant to imitate fancy diamonds (e.g., yellow to golden brown, orange, red to pink, green, and opaque black), but most of these do not approximate the real thing. Cubic zirconia can be coated with diamond-like carbon to improve its durability, but will still be detected as CZ by a thermal probe. CZ had virtually no competition until

2280-545: Is able to reach higher temperatures (standard transfers require temperatures of up to 180–200 °C (350–400 °F)) while applying heavy pressures resulting in a more professional quality. [REDACTED] Media related to Rhinestone at Wikimedia Commons Diamond simulant The most common diamond simulants are high- leaded glass (i.e., rhinestones ) and cubic zirconia (CZ), both artificial materials. A number of other artificial materials, such as strontium titanate and synthetic rutile have been developed since

2375-555: Is also isotropic. But here again, its low hardness (2.5–4) and perfect dodecahedral cleavage preclude sphalerite's wide use in jewelry. Two calcium-rich members of the garnet group fare much better: these are grossularite (usually brownish orange, rarely colorless, yellow, green, or pink) and andradite . The latter is the rarest and most costly of the garnets, with three of its varieties— topazolite (yellow), melanite (black), and demantoid (green)—sometimes seen in jewelry. Demantoid (literally "diamond-like") especially has been prized as

2470-464: Is bent upon entering the stone) of 2.417 (as measured by sodium light , 589.3 nm) and high dispersion (the degree to which white light is split into its spectral colors as it passes through the stone) of 0.044, as measured by the sodium B and G line interval. Thus, if a diamond simulant's RI and dispersion are too low, it will appear comparatively dull or "lifeless"; if the RI and dispersion are too high,

2565-497: Is colorless scheelite . Its dispersion (0.026) is also high enough to mimic diamond, but although it is highly lustrous its hardness is much too low (4.5–5.5) to maintain a good polish. It is also anisotropic and fairly dense (SG 5.9–6.1). Synthetic scheelite produced via the Czochralski process is available, but it has never been widely used as a diamond simulant. Due to the scarcity of natural gem-quality scheelite, synthetic scheelite

2660-466: Is extremely evident in this body of work. These are musical influences that are all in me and working their way out, and I just decided this time not to get in their way. I think this whole album ended up being a big reflection of me as a person and as an artist." When asked about lead single, "Ghost Story", Underwood praised songwriters Josh Kear, Hillary Lindsey, and David Garcia, saying, "They are such talented, amazing songwriters who know me so well. From

2755-430: Is fairly soft (typically 6 or below) and can be scratched by a large number of materials (including many simulants); diamond has four directions of perfect and easy cleavage (planes of structural weakness along which the diamond could split) which could be triggered by the testing process; and many diamond-like gemstones (including older simulants) are valuable in their own right. The specific gravity (SG) or density of

2850-737: Is just below the melting point. The rod is slowly and continuously rotated and retracted, and the pulled mixture crystallizes as it exits the crucible, forming a single crystal in the form of a cylindrical boule. The crystal's purity is extremely high, and it typically measures 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter and 20 cm (8 inches) in length, and weighs 9,000 carats (1.75 kg). YAG hardness (8.25) and lack of brittleness were great improvements over strontium titanate, and although its RI (1.83) and dispersion (0.028) were fairly low, they were enough to give brilliant-cut YAGs perceptible fire and good brilliance (although still much lower than diamond). A number of different colors were also produced with

2945-428: Is moissanite, which has a thermal conductivity similar to diamond: older probes can be fooled by moissanite, but newer thermal and electrical conductivity testers are sophisticated enough to differentiate the two materials. The latest development is nano diamond coating, an extremely thin layer of diamond material. If not tested properly it may show the same characteristics as a diamond. A diamond's electrical conductance

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3040-402: Is more commonly used for apparel means, while PP (or pearl plate) is used for jewelry. Hot-fix rhinestones, also known as heat-transfer rhinestones, are mainly used for apparel. The flat bottom of the stone has a glue backing and, when heated, melts onto the surface of the clothing. These can be adhered using a regular clothes iron , although it is recommended to use a heat press . A heat press

3135-859: Is much more likely to simulate it than diamond. A similar case is the orthorhombic carbonate cerussite , which is so fragile (very brittle with four directions of good cleavage) and soft (hardness 3.5) that it is never seen set in jewelry, and only occasionally seen in gem collections because it is so difficult to cut. Cerussite gems have an adamantine luster, high RI (1.804–2.078), and high dispersion (0.051), making them attractive and valued collector's pieces. Aside from softness, they are easily distinguished by cerussite's high density (SG 6.51) and anisotropy with extreme birefringence (0.271). Due to their rarity fancy-colored diamonds are also imitated, and zircon can serve this purpose too. Applying heat treatment to brown zircon can create several bright colors: these are most commonly sky-blue, golden yellow, and red. Blue zircon

3230-419: Is no distracting doubling of facets as seen in synthetic rutile. Strontium titanate's only major drawback (if one excludes excess fire) is fragility. It is both softer (hardness 5.5) and more brittle than synthetic rutile—for this reason, strontium titanate was also combined with more durable materials to create composites . It was otherwise the best simulant around at the time, and at its peak annual production

3325-498: Is only relevant to blue or gray-blue stones, because the interstitial boron responsible for their color also makes them semiconductors . Thus, a suspected blue diamond can be affirmed if it completes an electric circuit successfully. Diamond has been imitated by artificial materials for hundreds of years; advances in technology have seen the development of increasingly better simulants with properties ever nearer those of diamond. Although most of these simulants were characteristic of

3420-490: Is preferred because most suspected diamonds are already cut into gemstones and set in jewelry , and if a destructive test (which mostly relies on the relative fragility and softness of non-diamonds) fails, it may damage the simulant—an unacceptable outcome for most jewelry owners, as even if a stone is not a diamond, it may still be of value. Following are some of the properties by which diamond and its simulants can be compared and contrasted. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness

3515-490: Is somewhat brittle and is soft enough to possess scratches after normal use in jewelry; it is usually internally flawless and completely colorless (whereas most diamonds have some internal imperfections and a yellow tint); its SG (5.6–6) is high; and its reaction under ultraviolet light is a distinctive beige. Most jewelers will use a thermal probe to test all suspected CZs, a test which relies on diamond's superlative thermal conductivity (CZ, like almost all other diamond simulants,

3610-517: Is strongly birefringent. This manifests as the same "drunken vision" effect seen in synthetic rutile, although to a lesser degree. All moissanite is cut with the table perpendicular to the optic axis in order to hide this property from above, but when viewed under magnification at only a slight tilt the doubling of facets (and any inclusions) is readily apparent. The inclusions seen in moissanite are also characteristic: most will have fine, white, subparallel growth tubes or needles oriented perpendicular to

3705-509: Is super fun, with a bit of a retro vibe – we just go together, like a sweet tea and a lemon, like denim and rhinestones. You have these things that are great on their own and then you put them together and they just fit. That's how this album feels." When the album's trailer aired on April 8, Underwood said, "We cover a lot of ground on this album. We have a lot of songs that have a bit of a "throwback" feel, but they sound super fresh. I grew up listening to so many different kinds of music and that

3800-405: Is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Carrie Underwood . The album was released on June 10, 2022, through Capitol Records Nashville . The album was recorded throughout the years of 2021 and 2022, with production from David Garcia , who previously produced Cry Pretty (2018) and My Savior (2021), with co-production from Underwood as well. The album entered the top ten in

3895-406: Is used to adhere the two halves together. The epoxy may fluoresce under UV light, and there may be residue on the stone's exterior. The garnet top of a glass doublet is physically fused to its base, but in it and the other doublet types there are usually flattened air bubbles seen at the junction of the two halves. A join line is also readily visible whose position is variable; it may be above or below

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3990-405: Is used, wherein yttrium oxide and aluminium oxide are melted and mixed together at a carefully controlled temperature near 1980 °C. A small seed crystal is attached to a rod, which is lowered over the crucible until the crystal contacts the surface of the melted mixture. The seed crystal acts as a site of nucleation ; the temperature is kept steady at a point where the surface of the mixture

4085-440: Is usually detectable as a visual doubling of a cut gemstone's rear facets or internal flaws. An effective diamond simulant should therefore be isotropic. Under longwave (365 nm) ultraviolet light, diamond may fluoresce a blue, yellow, green, mauve, or red of varying intensity. The most common fluorescence is blue, and such stones may also phosphoresce yellow—this is thought to be a unique combination among gemstones. There

4180-668: Is usually little if any response to shortwave ultraviolet, in contrast to many diamond simulants. Similarly, because most diamond simulants are artificial, they tend to have uniform properties: in a multi-stone diamond ring, one would expect the individual diamonds to fluoresce differently (in different colors and intensities, with some likely to be inert). If all the stones fluoresce in an identical manner, they are unlikely to be mined diamonds (although this result can occur with synthetic diamonds). Most "colorless" diamonds are actually tinted yellow or brown to some degree, whereas some artificial simulants are completely colorless—the equivalent of

4275-552: Is very popular, but it is not necessarily color stable; prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light (including the UV component in sunlight) tends to bleach the stone. Heat treatment also imparts greater brittleness to zircon and characteristic inclusions. Another fragile candidate mineral is sphalerite (zinc blende). Gem-quality material is usually a strong yellow to honey brown, orange, red, or green; its very high RI (2.37) and dispersion (0.156) make for an extremely lustrous and fiery gem, and it

4370-403: Is visually evident (under the microscope or loupe ) by its highly lustrous facets (described as adamantine ) which are perfectly flat, and by its crisp, sharp facet edges. For a diamond simulant to be effective, it must be very hard relative to most gems. Most simulants fall far short of diamond's hardness, so they can be separated from diamond by their external flaws and poor polish. In

4465-604: The Czech Republic by Preciosa and a few other glassworks in northern Bohemia. In the United States, these are sometimes known as "Austrian crystal." The rhinestone-studded Nudie suit was invented by Nudie Cohn in the 1940s, an Americanization of the matador 's " suit of lights ." Rhinestone material is often used as an alternative to sequins . A popular type of rhinestone is the AB (Aurora borealis) rhinestone. AB rhinestones have

4560-577: The Iowa State Fair on August 21, with 14,000 in attendance. On September 29, Underwood partnered with iHeartRadio to perform an hour-long concert that included new songs. In November, she appeared at the American Music Awards, performing "Crazy Angels" in an aerial cage. On June 9, 2023, Underwood released "Take Me Out" as a promotional single for the deluxe re-release of the album. On August 11, 2023, Underwood released "Give Her That" as

4655-491: The 18th century when the Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass (1701–1773) developed imitation diamonds by coating the lower side of lead glass with metal powder . Many European languages use the word strass (or equivalent) to refer to rhinestones. As opposed to the classic rhinestones, which had a metal-powder coating on the bottom side only, several companies have opted to mass-produce iridescent lead glass by reducing

4750-417: The 1920s until the late 1940s, when newer and better simulants began to appear. Both have also been combined with other materials to create composites. Commercial names once used for synthetic sapphire include Diamondette , Diamondite , Jourado Diamond' , and Thrilliant . Names for synthetic spinel included Corundolite , Lustergem , Magalux , and Radiant . The first of the optically "improved" simulants

4845-596: The 1960s, the rich green tsavorite variety of grossular is also very popular. Both grossular and andradite are isotropic and have relatively high RIs (around 1.74 and 1.89 respectively) and high dispersions (0.027 and 0.057), with demantoid's exceeding diamond. However, both have a low hardness (6.5–7.5) and invariably possess inclusions atypical for diamond—the byssolite "horsetails" seen in demantoid are one striking example. Furthermore, most are very small, typically under 0.5 carats (100 mg) in weight. Their lusters range from vitreous to subadamantine, to almost metallic in

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4940-429: The 1998 introduction of moissanite (SiC; silicon carbide ). Moissanite is superior to cubic zirconia in two ways: its hardness (8.5–9.25) and low SG (3.2). The former property results in facets that are sometimes as crisp as a diamond's, while the latter property makes simulated moissanite somewhat harder to spot when unset (although still disparate enough to detect). However, unlike diamond and cubic zirconia, moissanite

5035-604: The United States, and the top 40 in Scotland , Australia , and Canada . It failed to enter the UK Albums Chart , but entered at number one on the UK Country Albums chart. The cover and release date for the album were first revealed on April 7, 2022. Underwood revealed the tracklist for the album through social media the following day. The album contains twelve tracks, eleven of which were co-written by Underwood. It features

5130-463: The addition of dopants, including yellow, red, and a vivid green, which was used to imitate emerald . Major producers included Shelby Gem Factory of Michigan, Litton Systems , Allied Chemical , Raytheon , and Union Carbide; annual global production peaked at 40 million carats (8000 kg) in 1972, but fell sharply thereafter. Commercial names for YAG included Diamonair , Diamonique , Gemonair , Replique , and Triamond . While market saturation

5225-416: The advent of modern mineralogy , colorless zircon was thought to be an inferior form of diamond. It was called "Matara diamond" after its source location. It is still encountered as a diamond simulant, but differentiation is easy due to zircon's anisotropy and strong birefringence (0.059). It is also notoriously brittle and often shows wear on the girdle and facet edges. Much less common than colorless zircon

5320-418: The album The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy and referred to himself as The Rhinestone Cowboy again in the 1977 song "Longhaired Redneck." In 1975 Glen Campbell had a top hit with the song " Rhinestone Cowboy " and became known as the "Rhinestone Cowboy." That song served as the basis for the 1984 movie Rhinestone starring Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton . The British virtual band Gorillaz released

5415-441: The album received generally positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded it four stars and wrote, "It's a record where the shining surfaces are buffed so brilliantly, they're blinding. Such extravagance suits Underwood, who continues to demonstrate a masterly sense of control as a vocalist, able to milk the melodrama out of power ballads while also sounding defiant on arena-fillers and seeming convincingly tender on

5510-542: The album, " Ghost Story ", was released digitally on March 18, 2022. Underwood gave the debut performance of the single at the Grammy Awards on April 3, 2022. Underwood gave the second performance of "Ghost Story" at the 2022 CMT Music Awards , which aired on April 11. The album's title track, "Denim & Rhinestones", was released on April 8, 2022, as its first promotional single , alongside an accompanying lyric video. Another promotional single, titled "Crazy Angels",

5605-504: The case of strontium titanate, a much harder material—usually colorless synthetic spinel or sapphire—is used for the top half (crown). In glass doublets, the top portion is made of almandine garnet; it is usually a very thin slice which does not modify the stone's overall body color. There have even been reports of diamond-on-diamond doublets, where a creative entrepreneur has used two small pieces of rough to create one larger stone. In strontium titanate and diamond-based doublets, an epoxy

5700-504: The effect will be considered unreal or even tacky. Very few simulants have closely approximating RI and dispersion, and even the close simulants can be separated by an experienced observer. Direct measurements of RI and dispersion are impractical (a standard gemological refractometer has an upper limit of about RI 1.81), but several companies have devised reflectivity meters to gauge a material's RI indirectly by measuring how well it reflects an infrared beam. Perhaps equally as important

5795-572: The end of June, Underwood made multiple appearances in London to promote the album, including appearing on Lorraine . The track "Pink Champagne" was released as a promotional single in Australia. On August 19 and 20, she performed four shows at the Grand Ole Opry and included new songs, including "Ghost Story", "Velvet Heartbreak", "Hate My Heart", and "Burn". She included new songs during her set at

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5890-478: The first decade of the 20th century via the Verneuil or flame-fusion process, although spinel was not in wide use until the 1920s. The Verneuil process involves an inverted oxyhydrogen blowpipe , with purified feed powder mixed with oxygen that is carefully fed through the blowpipe. The feed powder falls through the oxy-hydrogen flame, melts, and lands on a rotating and slowly descending pedestal below. The height of

5985-583: The first time I heard it I knew I had to record it." In September 2022, Underwood spoke more about the album, saying, "The great thing about music right now is, it's so accessible and people have so many favorites of all types, all genres. It's easier than ever now to just consume that music, whatever you're feeling for the day. For me as an artist, being influenced by so many different kinds of artists and genres of music — they work their way in anyway, and I feel like it's just getting easier not to fight it. I love country music obviously. But I feel like every once in

6080-431: The girdle, sometimes at an angle, but rarely along the girdle itself. The most recent composite simulant involves combining a CZ core with an outer coating of laboratory created amorphous diamond . The concept effectively mimics the structure of a cultured pearl (which combines a core bead with an outer layer of pearl coating), only done for the diamond market. Denim %26 Rhinestones Denim & Rhinestones

6175-420: The growth of single-crystal CZ would require an approach radically different from those used for previous simulants due to zirconia's extremely high melting point (2750 °C), unsustainable by any crucible. The solution found involved a network of water-filled copper pipes and radio-frequency induction heating coils ; the latter to heat the zirconia feed powder, and the former to cool the exterior and maintain

6270-468: The latter term is reserved for human-made materials that can also be found in nature. Although a number of artificial garnets were successfully grown, only two became important as diamond simulants. The first was yttrium aluminium garnet ( YAG ; Y 3 Al 5 O 12 ) in the late 1960s. It was (and still is) produced by the Czochralski, or crystal-pulling, process, which involves growth from the melt. An iridium crucible surrounded by an inert atmosphere

6365-790: The lead means a rhinestone's facet edges and faces will quickly become rounded and scratched. Together with conchoidal fractures , and air bubbles or flow lines within the stone, these features make glass imitations easy to spot under only moderate magnification. In contemporary production it is more common for glass to be molded rather than cut into shape: in these stones the facets will be concave and facet edges rounded, and mold marks or seams may also be present. Glass has also been combined with other materials to produce composites. The first crystalline artificial diamond simulants were synthetic white sapphire ( Al 2 O 3 , pure corundum) and spinel (MgO·Al 2 O 3 , pure magnesium aluminium oxide ). Both have been synthesized in large quantities since

6460-471: The metal-coating thickness and applying it uniformly, not using metal powder with a binder but applying various forms of metal deposition (thin foil , vapor deposition , etc.). Such developments include Favrile glass by Tiffany in 1894, Carnival glass under the name "Iridrill" by Fenton in 1908, " Aurora Borealis " glass by Swarovski in 1956 and PVD-coated dichroic glass in the late 20th century, amongst many other decorative lead glasses coated with

6555-401: The mid-1950s, but these are no longer in common use. Introduced at the end of the 20th century, the lab-grown product moissanite has gained popularity as an alternative to diamond. The high price of gem -grade diamonds , as well as significant ethical concerns of the diamond trade , have created a large demand for diamond simulants. In order to be considered for use as a diamond simulant,

6650-447: The most popular simulant of diamond. Its optical and physical constants are however variable, owing to the different stabilizers used by different producers. There are many formulations of stabilized cubic zirconia. These variations change the physical and optical properties markedly. While the visual likeness of CZ is close enough to diamond to fool most who do not handle diamond regularly, CZ will usually give certain clues. For example: it

6745-465: The near-white stones were extremely popular if unreal stones. Synthetic rutile is also fairly soft (hardness ~6) and brittle, and therefore wears poorly. It is synthesized via a modification of the Verneuil process, which uses a third oxygen pipe to create a tricone burner ; this is necessary to produce a single crystal, due to the much higher oxygen losses involved in the oxidation of titanium. The technique

6840-466: The original crystal's surface intact. These are termed naturals and are usually on the girdle of the stone; they take the form of triangular, rectangular, or square pits ( etch marks ) and are seen only in diamond. Diamond is an extremely effective thermal conductor and usually an electrical insulator . The former property is widely exploited in the use of an electronic thermal probe to separate diamonds from their imitations. These probes consist of

6935-487: The pedestal is constantly adjusted to keep its top at the optimal position below the flame, and over a number of hours the molten powder cools and crystallizes to form a single pedunculated pear or boule crystal. The process is an economical one, with crystals of up to 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) in diameter grown. Boules grown via the modern Czochralski process may weigh several kilograms. Synthetic sapphire and spinel are durable materials (hardness 9 and 8) that take

7030-475: The recent past, the so-called "window pane test" was commonly thought to be an assured method of identifying diamond. It is a potentially destructive test wherein a suspect diamond gemstone is scraped against a pane of glass, with a positive result being a scratch on the glass and none on the gemstone. The use of hardness points and scratch plates made of corundum (hardness 9) are also used in place of glass. Hardness tests are inadvisable for three reasons: glass

7125-517: The second promotional single for the deluxe re-release. "Ghost Story" served as lead single for the album, released in March 2022, and peaking at number six on Billboard ' s Country Airplay in the fall, becoming Underwood's thirtieth top ten hit. " Hate My Heart " was released as the album's second single and impacted country radio on October 31, 2022. The song peaked at number 20 on Billboard ' s Country Airplay chart. " Out of That Truck ",

7220-467: The single " Rhinestone Eyes " in 2010. The closing track on Madvillain 's Madvillainy is titled "Rhinestone Cowboy." Carrie Underwood 's ninth album, released in 2022, is titled " Denim & Rhinestones ." Rhinestones are sized by using the term "ss," or stone size, following a number to indicate size (e.g. 8ss is equivalent to 2.3  mm diameter, 10ss is 2.8 mm). Many of the commonly used rhinestone sizes are slightly smaller than currency. SS

7315-401: The singles " Ghost Story " and " Hate My Heart ". A deluxe reissue of the album featuring " Out of That Truck " and several additional tracks was released on September 22, 2023. On March 18, Underwood first spoke about the atmosphere of the album, saying, "I feel like people are going to hear everything and [get] some warm fuzzies and hopefully it'll just make people happy to listen to. It's

7410-440: The stone's table. It is conceivable that these growth tubes could be mistaken for laser drill holes that are sometimes seen in diamond (see diamond enhancement ), but the tubes will be noticeably doubled in moissanite due to its birefringence. Like synthetic rutile, current moissanite production is also plagued by an as yet inescapable tint, which is usually a brownish green. A limited range of fancy colors have been produced as well,

7505-522: The sweeter melodies. Despite this gift, the best moments on Denim & Rhinestones are the ones that contain no subtlety: the overdriven '80s-MTV inflections of "Crazy Angels," the insistent taunt of the chorus on "Hate My Heart," the bubbly exuberance of "Pink Champagne," the exaggerated retro-chill vibe on "Wanted Woman," and the high-'80s throwback spirit of "Denim & Rhinestones." The Toronto Sun wrote "And after selling 66 million albums and winning more than 100 major awards, Underwood bounces through

7600-417: The table perpendicular to the optic axis to hide this property, merely tilting the stone will reveal the doubled back facets. The continued success of synthetic rutile was also hampered by the material's inescapable yellow tint, which producers were never able to remedy. However, synthetic rutile in a range of different colors, including blues and reds, were produced using various metal oxide dopants. These and

7695-595: The two most common being blue and green. Natural minerals that (when cut) optically resemble white diamonds are rare, because the trace impurities usually present in natural minerals tend to impart color. The earliest simulants of diamond were colorless quartz (A form of silica , which also form obsidian , glass and sand ), rock crystal (a type of quartz), topaz , and beryl ( goshenite ); they are all common minerals with above-average hardness (7–8), but all have low RIs and correspondingly low dispersions. Well-formed quartz crystals are sometimes offered as "diamonds",

7790-559: The usual sense because they are oxides rather than silicates , but they do share natural garnet's crystal structure (both are cubic and therefore isotropic) and the general formula A 3 B 2 C 3 O 12 . While in natural garnets C is always silicon , and A and B may be one of several common elements , most synthetic garnets are composed of uncommon rare-earth elements. They are the only diamond simulants (aside from rhinestones) with no known natural counterparts: gemologically they are best termed artificial rather than synthetic , because

7885-400: The usually opaque melanite, which has been used to simulate black diamond. Some natural spinel is also deep black and could serve this same purpose. Because strontium titanate and glass are too soft to survive use as a ring stone, they have been used in the construction of composite or doublet diamond simulants. The two materials are used for the bottom portion (pavilion) of the stone, and in

7980-400: The warning-song of 'Poor Everybody Else' and 'Wanted Woman', for the western-reference title and the upbeat electronic dance direction." Outsider gave a positive take, writing " Denim & Rhinestones is like Carnival Ride or Some Hearts , but matured like a fine wine. Truly, the beginning of a sparkly, shiny, bedazzled era for Carrie Underwood and fans alike." Riff Magazine gave

8075-486: The week of the 2022 CMA Music Festival , a pop-up exhibit called The Denim & Rhinestones Experience opened to the public. The exhibit features "interactive photo installations, wardrobe displays, and a retail boutique celebrating the music of Denim & Rhinestones ." On June 11, Underwood was the closing headliner for CMA Music Fest , with approximately 64,000 in attendance. On June 14, she performed "Pink Champagne" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . At

8170-451: Was 1.5 million carats (300 kg). Due to patent coverage, all US production was by National Lead, while large amounts were produced overseas by Nakazumi Company of Japan . Commercial names for strontium titanate included Brilliante , Diagem , Diamontina , Fabulite , and Marvelite . From about 1970 strontium titanate began to be replaced by a new class of diamond imitations: the "synthetic garnets ". These are not true garnets in

8265-467: Was GGG's tendency to turn dark brown upon exposure to sunlight or other ultraviolet source: this was due to the fact that most GGG gems were fashioned from impure material that was rejected for technological use. The SG of GGG (7.02) is also the highest of all diamond simulants and amongst the highest of all gemstones, which makes loose GGG gems easy to spot by comparing their dimensions with their expected and actual weights. Relative to its predecessors, GGG

8360-428: Was also where research into the synthesis of another titanium compound—strontium titanate ( Sr TiO 3 , pure tausonite)—was conducted. Research was done during the late 1940s and early 1950s by Leon Merker and Langtry E. Lynd, who also used a tricone modification of the Verneuil process. Upon its commercial introduction in 1955, strontium titanate quickly replaced synthetic rutile as the most popular diamond simulant. This

8455-434: Was due not only to strontium titanate's novelty, but to its superior optics: its RI (2.41) is very close to that of diamond, while its dispersion (0.19), although also very high, was a significant improvement over synthetic rutile's psychedelic display. Dopants were also used to give synthetic titanate a variety of colors, including yellow, orange to red, blue, and black. The material is also isotropic like diamond, meaning there

8550-575: Was invented by Charles H. Moore, Jr. at the South Amboy , New Jersey –based National Lead Company (later NL Industries ). National Lead and Union Carbide were the primary producers of synthetic rutile, and peak annual production reached 750,000 carats (150 kg). Some of the many commercial names applied to synthetic rutile include: Astryl , Diamothyst , Gava or Java Gem , Meredith , Miridis , Rainbow Diamond , Rainbow Magic Diamond , Rutania , Titangem , Titania , and Ultamite . National Lead

8645-506: Was never produced in significant quantities; it became more or less unheard of by the close of the 1970s. Commercial names for GGG included Diamonique II and Galliant . Cubic zirconia or CZ (ZrO 2 ; zirconium dioxide —not to be confused with zircon , a zirconium silicate) quickly dominated the diamond simulant market following its introduction in 1976, and it remains the most gemologically and economically important simulant. CZ had been synthesized since 1930 but only in ceramic form:

8740-596: Was one reason for the fall in YAG production levels, another was the recent introduction of the other artificial garnet important as a diamond simulant, gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG; Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 ). Produced in much the same manner as YAG (but with a lower melting point of 1750 °C), GGG had an RI (1.97) close to, and a dispersion (0.045) nearly identical to diamond. GGG was also hard enough (hardness 7) and tough enough to be an effective gemstone, but its ingredients were also much more expensive than YAG's. Equally hindering

8835-466: Was released on April 22, 2022. Underwood performed the two promotional singles, as well as "Ghost Story", during her set at Stagecoach Festival on April 30. A third promotional single, "She Don't Know", was made available to stream on May 20. On June 9, Underwood performed a concert inside Nashville, Tennessee 's historic Bell Tower, which included new songs from the album. On June 10, she performed two new songs on Good Morning America. During

8930-639: Was released to digital and streaming services on March 10, 2023, as a promotional single then was sent to country radio on June 5, as the album's third single. The song became a top 20 hit on Billboard ' s Country Airplay chart. On May 16, 2022, Underwood announced the Denim & Rhinestones Tour with special guest Jimmie Allen . The tour began on October 15, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina and concluded on March 17, 2023, in Seattle, Washington . Upon release,

9025-429: Was synthetic rutile (TiO 2 , pure titanium oxide). Introduced in 1947–48, synthetic rutile possesses plenty of life when cut—perhaps too much life for a diamond simulant. Synthetic rutile's RI and dispersion (2.8 and 0.33) are so much higher than diamond that the resultant brilliants look almost opal -like in their display of prismatic colors. Synthetic rutile is also doubly refractive: although some stones are cut with

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