CZ Sterling Silver Jewelry Shopper

At Fine Living, they made a great point about buying cubic zirconia jewelry from reliable online sellers.  With the amount of research you’re able to do before making a cz or other jewelry purchase, there’s no reason you can’t find exactly what you want.  Authenticity with cubic zirconia gemstones is not as much of an issue as it is with diamonds, as there isn’t a popular cz counterfeit gemstone market.   However, it’s still critical that you purchase your jewelry from a reputable seller to ensure the quality of the precious metals.    As cz rings and other jewelry are made in extremely high end settings including sterling silver, platinum and 18k gold, quality materials are still essential.

The article warns:

“Brass CZ jewelry is pushed as gold, steel as sterling silver and cattle bones often fill-in for ivory on the spurious websites selling online. So when you logon with an intention to buy CZ or any kind of jewelry for that matter, try to do so from reliable and credible sites like EBAY, Amazon, etc. or do so from a seller of international repute. It is a good idea to go through the feedbacks, reviews and ratings that the buyers of an online seller post about him.”

How to choose a reliable online seller of CZ jewelry – Fine Living.

I pity jewelry lovers born in May.  That’s because if you want birthstone jewelry, the gemstone for May is emerald.  Emeralds are ridiculously expensive and rare, and not a feasible jewelry option for most people.  Enter cubic zirconia.  The wonderful thing about cubic zirconia is that it comes in every color of the rainbow.   So you’ll find cubic zirconia gemstones that closely resemble emeralds at 1/1,000 the price.  Simulated birthstone jewelry is a very popular line of cubic zirconia, and you’ll find birthstone necklaces, earrings, bracelets for every month of the year.  Now, you don’t need to spend money on rubies in July or sapphires in September to have the gorgeous look of your birthstone.

There are many reasons that cubic zirconia jewelry has become so popular.  Its beauty, affordability, and durability has made cubic zirconia gemstones a billion dollar industry that continues to grow exponentially.  It is becoming a real threat to the diamond industry.

Diamond giant De Beers is losing diamond market share, but is trying to keep prices high.  They have lobbied courts to have stones like cubic zirconia labeled as “artificial diamonds.”  (Not the most favorable description). However, “cultured” diamonds (like cultured pearls) is the term being used for CZ instead.

This article discusses the divide between the economic realities and those involved in the diamond industry.  Here’s why De Beers is worried:

“Indians believe that a flawed diamond can wreck a person’s life. But it’s a flawless gem that has De Beers, the world’s largest diamond company, worried. De Beers, which at one time controlled more than 96% of the global supply of diamond roughs — stones before they are cut and polished — saw its share slip to 70% last year, according to a KPMG India report.

This was primarily because Australia’s Argyle and Russia began selling rough diamonds independently, instead of routing them through De Beers’ Central Selling Organisation. Another reason was a steady rise in popularity of laboratory-grown cultured diamonds, which are different from CZ (carbonate zirconium) and other varieties of artificial stones commonly referred to as American diamonds.”

Cultured diamonds may overwhelm the real ones – dnaindia.com.

High-quality sterling silver is an essential part of your cz piece.  The .925 indicator is a sign you’re getting pure silver.  But many product descriptions of cz sterling silver rings, earrings, and pendants often mention that the sterling silver is “rhodium-plated” or “rhodium electroplated.”and wonder if this is good for the jewelry piece or not.

Rhodium is a precious metal that is quite shiny.  So, when it is applied to white gold, it helps preserve the finish and adds a shine that white gold does not always have on its own.  Sterling silver has abundant shine, however the rhodium-plating helps to prevent the silver from tarnish and scratches.

Rhodium-plating can be a good way to protect your sterling silver jewelry.  However, it does not last forever. With frequently-worn rings such as a wedding band, you’ll find that the rhodium-plating wears off in 1-3 years. When this happens, simply take your piece to a jeweler to have it plated again.  This small investment will help preserve your jewelry for years to come.

There are few things that can accent outfits like jewelry can. Diamonds in particular are highly prized for their ability to accent virtually every look, bringing a touch of class and style to even the humblest wardrobe choices. However, due to their cost, it is usually wise to only wear diamonds out for formal occasions, as the price of replacing a lost diamond earring or ring can be extremely high.

There is an alternative, Cubic Zirconium/Zirconia(CZ), but they have something of a spotty reputation. Much of the poor reputation CZs have, has little to do with CZs and more to do with the choices CZ buyers make. With a little forethought and planning, the cost advantage of CZs can be leveraged to achieve the benefits of real diamonds. There are three main considerations(beyond the four Cs), size, metal pairing, and quantity. Paying attention to these three things can lead to near diamond quality results with regards to CZs impact on the wardrobe and your overall look.

We’ll start with Size. Size is quite possibly the most important thing to consider when purchasing CZs. All too often, CZ buyers will purchase their ‘dream size’ earrings, rings, pendants, etc. That is, they purchase the size they wish they could have in real diamonds. The problem with this is, it usually isn’t believable. If you’re a multi-millionare, then people aren’t going to think twice about you wearing 2 carat flawless diamond earrings on any given day. If you’re one of us regular people, the size will cause people to wonder if and/or conclude the earrings are fakes. Obviously that’s not what you want people thinking about when they look at you.

One of the best ways to avoid this, is to purchase CZs in a size range that doesn’t require a huge stretch of imagination for people to believe you could afford if they were real. This will depend on the intended use of the CZs. For example, you can get away with larger CZs for formal events, because it is common for people to have expensive jewelry they don’t wear daily that they do wear for formal events. Even then, you still need to stay within the bounds of realism. If you make 30k a year and show up somewhere wearing earrings that would cost 10k if they were real, people will wonder about them and you don’t want that. You only want them thinking how great you look.

Metal pairing, or, the type of metal the CZ is set in can also make or break a look. Consider this: You pick a nice believable 1/4 carat set of earrings, but you get some gold plated/filled alloy that turns green the third or fourth time you wear them. Worse, it turns green in a public place and you don’t notice it at first. Purchasing CZs in a precious metal setting not only eliminates this concern, but can also greatly enhance the look and elegance of the CZ itself. Your options here range from sterling silver to platinum and everything in between. A good budget choice is gold, platinum, or rhodium plated sterling silver, though a nice gold or platinum setting is outstanding if it is within your budget. Sterling silver should be plated to avoid problems with tarnishing, although tarnish is a lot easier to deal with than turning green. You don’t want people thinking about jewelry that is tarnishing or turning green when they look at you. You only want them thinking you look great.