How To Care For Your New Silver and CZ Items

Or your Existing one's

 If properly cared for, your Sterling Silver or CZ's will retain their luster and shine for years to come. Much like Fine Diamonds, your Silver and CZ's would love a little T.L.C. from time to time and this is what we suggest..

First, what is Sterling Silver? Silver is a precious metal and much like gold it is too fine to be made in a 100% from. To make it durable for jewelry, pure silver (999 fineness) is often alloyed with small quantities of copper (7.5%), thus becomes sterling silver (92.5% or .925). Copper is added to strengthen the silver and make it durable to be used as a decorative or in fashionable jewelry. That being said here are some tips on Silver Jewelry:

• Silver is resistant to scratches but not scratchproof, so remove your silver when you plan on doing heavy work with your hands
• Never immerse your silver jewelry in chlorine, salt water, mineral springs, or suntan lotion
• Do not expose your silver to intense light for prolonged periods of time
• Clean your silver with pads, felt or cloths that are specifically made for cleaning silver
• Avoid using tissue, abrassive mediums and liquid cleaners which can bleach silver jewelry
• Regular dishwashing soap and water will also help keep your silver looking good. Remember do not dry silver off with paper towels or tissues, always use a soft cloth

This is what we suggest for Cubic Zirconia Care, but first a little lesson as to what Cubiz Zirconia really is. Undoubtedly the best diamond simulant available today, CZ has been established as an affordable substitue as well as an important fashion staple in itself. The CZ story began in 1937, when the form of zirconim oxide, (CZ for short) was discovered by two German mineralogists. It was not until the 1970's however-when Soviet scientists learned how to "grow" this mineral in a lab that it gradually became popular with jewelry designers. Most people, even trained gemologists, can not tell the difference with the naked eye between CZ's and real diamonds. Here are our tips:

• Clean your Cubic Zirconia rings and jewelry with warm, soapy water and a soft cosmetic brush (like the type used to apply eye shadow)
• Be sure to dry the Cubic Zirconia stone to keep its brilliance and shine
• Remove your CZ's when doing heavy work such as gardening or moving.
• Keep your CZ's in a fabric-lined box for protection and keep other gold jewelry pieces away to prevent scratches.

Why Clean Your Fashion Jewelry?

• Soap scum, hair, dirt, skin and grease all collect into crevasses beneath the stones
• Many skin rashes due to an accumulation of unwanted dirt on jewelry can be avoided
• To look it's absolute best, jewelry should be cleaned regularly. CZ's are as beautiful as they are because of the way they reflect light, and jewelry cleaning is the best and only way to maintain this
• Skin oil, soap, grease or hand lotion will drastically decrease the brilliance of your jewelry. Cleaning will alleviate the problem

With these tips, your Sterling Silver and Cubic Zirconia jewelry should last you for many, many years. Enjoy your jewelry!