Possibly, you have had worn pieces of metal jewelry that have tarnished, turned green, or made your skin green. Thereafter, while getting a piece of Cubic Zirconia made jewelry, consciously you would want to know does cubic zirconia turns green as well or not.
Thence, let’s read ahead and find out the reasons and explanations concerning this topic about Cubic Zirconia turning green.
Does Cubic Zirconia Turn Green?
The genuine Cubic Zirconia doesn’t turn skin green. But low-quality Cubic Zirconia will turn the skin green because those are mixed with brass and copper. Also, some Cubic Zirconia has bands plated with gold, rhodium, and silver, so when the plating wears away, it tarnishes and turns skin green.
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Cubic Zirconia is considered a great for making jewelry that is made by melting the Zirconium Oxide with stabilizers. And keep in mind that, the authentic Cubic Zirconia absolutely does not tarnish on it’s own, neither doesn’t make skin green nor causes skin irritation.
However, in recent times many jewelers are spotted mixing brass and copper with Cubic Zirconia while making jewelry that degrades the quality of Cubic Zirconia. Therefore, jewelry made of such Cubic Zirconia turns skin green and gets tarnished as well.
Additionally, a large number of Cubic Zirconia-made pieces of jewelry are being thinly plated with gold, platinum, silver, and rhodium.
So if such a piece of jewelry is worn on a daily basis, the layers of plating will wear away making the Cubic Zirconia tarnish quickly and the skin green.
But it’s harmless to skin anyway. And it’s suggested to purchase authentic Cubic Zirconia jewelry to avoid turning it green.
Does Genuine Cubic Zirconia Turn Your Finger Green?
Genuine Cubic Zirconia made any pieces of jewelry don’t turn your finger or any part of skin green.
As the term “genuine Cubic Zirconia” itself is implying that it is 100% authentic, so it clearly indicates that genuine Cubic Zirconia is high-quality and pure, and doesn’t get tarnished, neither do turn your finger green.
Besides, genuine Cubic Zirconia is not adulterated at all with any kind of other cheap metals such as brass or copper.
It’s a 100% cubic crystalline form of the Zirconium Dioxide and Zirconium Oxide is melted with stabilizers. So it is a top-notch quality one that never will make your finger or any other part of your skin green, no matter how much you wear it.
To add to that, genuine Cubic Zirconia is not either thinly plated with any other metal like gold, silver, rhodium, or platinum. So there is no absolute chance of wearing away of any thin layers of plating that can make genuine Cubic Zirconia turn your finger and skin green.
Thence, it can be rightfully claimed that genuine Cubic Zirconia will not make any part of your skin and finger green.
Does Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Turn Green?
Cubic Zirconia sterling silver can turn skin green, however, the possibilities of turning skin green are lower.
Sterling silver is a composition of 92.5% pure silver. To say specifically, it’s considered authentic silver. So it’s the sole reason why it’s always suggested to purchase Cubic Zirconia sterling silver jewelry as the chances of turning skin green is very less.
However, as mentioned Cubic Zirconia is being mixed with copper, so even though it’s a Cubic Zirconia sterling silver jewelry, it can turn skin green due to copper. As sweat is acidic and copper oxidize when it comes in touch with acidic sweat.
Besides, if the Cubic Zirconia is authentic, still Cubic Zirconia sterling silver ring can turn green, and the reason is the same, copper.
Sterling silver has 7.5% copper in it, thence, if frequently Cubic Zirconia sterling silver comes in contact with acidic sweat, the copper in sterling silver loses electrons and turns skin green.
However, know that just because Cubic Zirconia sterling silver can turn green, doesn’t cite that your skin will turn green.
5 Reasons Why Cubic Zirconia Turns Green?
As it’s known by now that Cubic Zirconia can turn skin green, therefore, among all the reasons the main 5 potential reasons are clarified below.
Fusing Of Brass And Copper:
Many jewelers in recent times are blending brass, copper, and similar metals with Cubic Zirconia while making jewelry with it. As a result, a fusing of brass and copper automatically is degrading the quality of Cubic Zirconia making the jewelry a literal low-quality one.
Thereafter, the regular wearing of such poor quality Cubic Zirconia makes it tarnish, oxidize, and turn the skin green.
Gold/Silver/Rhodium/Platinum Plating:
Cubic Zirconia-made jewelry also comes with thin gold/silver/rhodium/platinum plated bands. So when these pieces of jewelry are worn regularly, soon they lose the layer of thin gold/rhodium/silver/platinum plating from the band.
And usually, the bands are made of brass or copper, so with the plating gone, brass or copper is exposed to skin and makes Cubic Zirconia to turn skin green.
Reaction Between Acidic Sweat And Copper:
Our sweat is acidic. Also, it’s said before that Cubic Zirconia comes with copper, and copper is a reactive metal. So when copper comes in contact with acidic sweat it reacts on the skin and oxidizes. Therefore, it Cubic Zirconia leaves green marks on the skin.
Metal Abrasion:
More or less everyone applies petroleum jelly, lotions, and perfume. The chemicals in these products are fast in reacting with jewels, and it’s another cause that causes Cubic Zirconia to turn skin green.
pH Level Of Body:
The pH level of the body varies. So when the pH level is higher, the skin turns green when it comes in contact with Cubic Zirconia mixed with cheap metal such as brass/copper.
How Do You Keep Cubic Zirconia From Turning Green?
Some Cubic Zirconia turns the skin, you must have known it by now. But there are a few ways that can help you prevent the Cubic Zirconia-made jewelry from tarnishing or turning the skin green.
Here, 4 such effective ways have been described to help you keep your Cubic Zirconia from turning green.
Don’t Buy Low-Quality Cubic Zirconia:
Low-quality cubic Zirconia is the one that turns the skin green after a while. So the first way of preventing Cubic Zirconia is to stop purchasing low-quality Cubic Zirconia. Cubic Zirconia with gold/silver/platinum/rhodium plating.
Take Off Cubic Zirconia Before Exercising:
As copper in Cubic Zirconia reacts with acidic sweat. So before exercising take off your Cubic Zirconia jewelry to keeping it from turning your skin green and oxidizing.
Take Off Cubic Zirconia Before Applying Lotion:
Cubic Zirconia reacts to the chemicals used in lotions as well as perfumes, petroleum jelly. So while applying any of these products to your body, take Cubic Zirconia jewelry off your body so that it doesn’t turn your skin green.
Clean And Polish Cubic Zirconia Regularly:
Another most effective way of preventing Cubic Zirconia from turning skin green is regular cleaning and polishing of this jewelry. Because regular cleaning and polishing will leave no room for Cubic Zirconia to begin the oxidation procedure.
What Is Cubic Zirconia Made Of?
Cubic Zirconia (CZ) is the cubic crystalline form of Zirconium Dioxide (ZrO2) and this form crystalline form of Zirconium Oxide is made by melting Zirconium Oxide with stabilizers like Calcium and Magnesium at a temperature of 4.982° Fahrenheit.
And when the crystal is formed and stabilized properly, they are polished and cut to give certain shape.
So basically Cubic Zirconia is a manmade mineral and every laboratory makes it according to their own method.
Does Cubic Zirconia Turn Colors?
Cubic Zirconia turns color if the crystal form of Zirconium Dioxide comes in contact with very high heat while cutting the crystal form. Or else, if Cubic Zirconia is exposed frequently too intense UV rays, it can turn color too.
Moreover, Cubic Zirconia is porous, so frequent absorbance of body oils can make it cloudy over time.
What Is The Best Way To Clean Cubic Zirconia?
The best manner of cleaning and removing dirt from Cubic Zirconia is cleaning it by using a small delicate bristle brush and warm soapy water.
Take warm water and add a few drops of very mild dish detergent, and create a soapy form of water.
Then dip the Cubic Zirconia into the soapy water for a couple of minutes and gently scrub it with a soft bristle brush. Or you can directly take the soapy mixture in your brush and scrub the Cubic Zirconia lightly to remove all dirt.
Then wash Cubic Zirconia nicely with normal water and pat with a soft cloth until the jewelry is moisture-free. But remember that while cleaning Cubic Zirconia, you should not air dry it to prevent any damage.
Final Thoughts:
As long as genuine Cubic Zirconia is used, it’s very less likely to turn the skin green or gets tarnished due to frequent wearing. However, if the Cubic Zirconia is made along with metal such as brass and copper or it has gold/silver/rhodium plated bands, it will turn the skin green.