Caring for CZ Jewelry: Does Cubic Zirconia Tarnish?
Posted by Deven Davis on
Caring for CZ Jewelry: Does Cubic Zirconia Tarnish?
Keyword(s): does cubic zirconia tarnish
Did you just invest in a beautiful cubic zirconia ring, bracelet, necklace, or other piece of CZ jewelry? If so, you're probably already looking forward to wearing it out and showing it off.
CZ jewelry pieces have turned into excellent alternatives to diamond jewelry pieces. They often shine just as bright as diamond ones do while costing just a fraction of the price.
You will, however, need to be ready to take great care of CZ jewelry pieces. The answer to the question, "Does cubic zirconia tarnish?", is, unfortunately, "yes."
But as long as you carry out the proper jewelry cleaning and use the right jewelry storage techniques, you should be able to stop CZ jewelry from tarnishing and/or showing other signs of wear and tear. Discover more about how to care for CZ jewelry below so that you're able to keep your new cubic zirconia piece looking its absolute best for the foreseeable future.
Does Cubic Zirconia Tarnish?
As we just alluded to, the answer to the question, "Does cubic zirconia tarnish?", is "yes." But we would like to clarify this just a little before talking about what can leave it looking tarnished and breaking down how you can stop it from tarnishing.
In reality, it isn't going to be the cubic zirconia itself that will tarnish. It'll actually be the metal that surrounds it that can tarnish and begin to look the worse for wear. More often than not, this metal will be sterling silver that'll start to lose its luster if you aren't careful about what you expose it to and how you take care of it.
That being said, tarnished metal can obviously take a toll on the appearance of CZ jewelry as a whole. The cubic zirconia in your jewelry won't look that great if it's surrounded by tarnished metal that is dragging it down.
What Causes Cubic Zirconia to Tarnish?
Now that you have some clarity on the answer to the question, "Does cubic zirconia tarnish?", let's get into talking about what it is that leaves CZ jewelry looking tarnished. There are a handful of things that can cause cubic zirconia jewelry to get tarnished over time.
Most of the time, something as simple as the air that surrounds you and, more importantly, the moisture in this air can lead to a layer of corrosion forming on CZ jewelry. This will result in your CZ jewelry getting tarnished and most likely having to be replaced.
But believe it or not, your skin could also be to blame for your CZ jewelry tarnishing in some cases. More specifically, the acidity of your skin and the sweat and oils that your skin can produce may leave your CZ jewelry looking tarnished. It's why you'll need to get into the habit of taking good care of your skin if you're going to wear this kind of jewelry regularly.
How Can You Stop Cubic Zirconia From Tarnishing?
If you're going to purchase cubic zirconia jewelry or any jewelry for that matter, you'll need to make it your mission to work hard to prevent tarnishing from occurring. There are lots of different steps you can take to stop your CZ jewelry from tarnishing in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Take a look at the steps that you'll want to take when you invest in CZ jewelry below.
Avoid Wearing Cubic Zirconia Jewelry All the Time
When you first get your hands on a piece of cubic zirconia jewelry, you might be tempted to wear it pretty much all the time. You'll want to showcase it early and often, so you might not ever think to take it off and give it a break.
You can get away with doing this for the most part. But there are certain times when you might put your CZ jewelry at risk of tarnishing if you're not careful.
For instance, if you wear CZ jewelry when you're working out, you're going to expose it to entirely too much sweat. This sweat could do a number on your CZ jewelry and cause it to tarnish.
If you wear CZ jewelry when you're swimming in a pool, you're going to expose it to potentially dangerous chemicals. These chemicals could wreak havoc on your CZ jewelry and cause it to tarnish.
You might even end up causing your CZ jewelry to tarnish if you sleep with it on. This could expose it to sweat and oils from your skin, which could result in your CZ tarnishing in no time at all.
With all these things in mind, you should try to steer clear of wearing your CZ jewelry 24/7/365. In a perfect world, you'll only want to put it on when you know it won't be put at risk of tarnishing at any point.
Keep Chemicals Away From Cubic Zirconia Jewelry
When you're wearing cubic zirconia jewelry, you might not think twice about spraying some perfume on yourself or putting on lotions and creams. You will, after all, want to make sure you're smelling your best when you're looking your best with your CZ jewelry on.
But you should know that perfumes, lotions, creams, and other products might cause your CZ jewelry to tarnish. You should, therefore, be careful about putting these types of products on and having them come into contact with your jewelry.
You should also shy away from wearing CZ jewelry when you're cleaning since many cleaning products contain chemicals that could do harm to your jewelry. Generally speaking, you should keep any and all liquids away from CZ jewelry since they could contain chemicals that can cause this jewelry to tarnish.
Clean Cubic Zirconia Jewelry on a Regular Basis
The best way to stop cubic zirconia jewelry from tarnishing is to make sure you're cleaning it properly every so often. The more you're able to clean your CZ jewelry, the more it should continue to shine as you move forward.
This is the cubic zirconia jewelry cleaning process that you should follow to keep your jewelry as clean as possible:
- Wipe down your cubic zirconia jewelry with a soft cloth to remove residue from it
- Use warm water and mild soap to clean hard-to-remove dirt and grime from CZ jewelry
- Allow CZ jewelry to air dry before placing it back in storage until you're ready to wear it again
It wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to clean your CZ jewelry every few days or even after every time that you wear it. You'll be able to get so much more life out of it when you make it a point to clean it routinely.
Store Cubic Zirconia Jewelry in the Right Way
When you're not wearing your cubic zirconia jewelry, you don't want to simply toss it on your dresser until the next time you're ready to put it on. Instead, you'll want to store it properly so that no damage can be done to it when it's in jewelry storage.
First and foremost, this will mean storing cubic zirconia jewelry in a place that's both dry and cool. This place should also be away from any direct sunlight that could potentially damage it.
You might even want to go as far as to stick CZ jewelry into airtight containers or bags so that the air in your home isn't able to get easy access to it. Taking these steps should provide your CZ jewelry with all the protection it'll need when you don't have it on.
Buy High-Quality Cubic Zirconia Jewelry From the Beginning
There is one more thing you can do to stop your cubic zirconia jewelry from tarnishing. You can invest in high-quality CZ jewelry from the start and set it up for long-term success.
Just about all jewelry stores and department stores sell cubic zirconia jewelry these days. But not all of this CZ jewelry is going to be built to last. The last thing you want to do is purchase low-quality CZ jewelry that'll start to tarnish almost as soon as you put it on.
You're going to find that the answer to the question, "Does cubic zirconia turn green?", will end up being "yes" if you only buy and wear low-quality CZ jewelry. You'll be so much better off when you buy CZ jewelry from a reputable store that you can trust to supply you with some of the best and most beautiful cubic zirconia pieces around.
Shop for Great CZ Jewelry Here
Would you like to get your hands on gorgeous cubic zirconia jewelry that'll you love? Roma Designer Jewelry can provide you with a wide range of CZ jewelry pieces.
Even though the answer to the question, "Does cubic zirconia tarnish?", is technically "yes," you should find that our CZ jewelry won't tarnish as long as you take all the advice we've provided for you here and apply it. It'll ensure your CZ jewelry lasts for a long time and never loses its luster.
Shop for great CZ jewelry on our website and contact us with any questions you might have about it.