These gorgeous Sterling Silver studs have a beautiful sparkly Cubic Zirconia stone as their centrepieces. These studs look beautiful on! They are 13x8mm and the stone is 2.5mm. Clearly marked 925 for Sterling Silver on the reverse.
A matching (though larger) pendant is also available.
Cubic zirconia, as a Diamond substituent and jewel competitor, has been seen as a potential solution against conflict Diamonds and the controversy surrounding the rarity and value of Diamonds. This is attributed to confirmed evidence that there were price-fixing practices taken by the major producers of rough Diamonds, in the majority attributed to De Beers Company known as holding a monopoly on the market from the 1870s to early 2000s. However, De Beers and Co do not have as much power over the market, the price of Diamonds continues to increase due to the increased demand in emerging markets such as India and China. A closely related issue to this monopoly was the emergence of conflict Diamonds. It has been shown that the Kimberley Process is not as effective in decreasing the number of conflict Diamonds reaching the European and American markets as intended. A 2015 study from the Enough Project, showed that groups in the Central African Republic have reaped between US$3 million and US$6 million annually from blood Diamonds. Diamond substituents, therefore, have become an alternative to boycotting altogether the funding of such unethical practices. However, concerns from mining countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are that a boycott in purchases of Diamonds would only worsen their economy. Therefore, it is argued that in the short term Diamonds substituents could be an alternative to reduce conflict around the market of Diamond mining but a long term solution would be to establish a more rigorous system of identifying the origin of these stones.
Sterling Silver Jewellery pieces that are not worn for extended periods of time can corrode and tarnish as well. You must ensure your jewellery is clean and dry before storage; since any moisture, dirt, oils or other residual chemicals will accelerate the tarnishing. Clean silver after wearing with warm water and dry with a soft cloth, and store silver items in an airtight container with a piece of chalk or a silica pack; the little bags you find in shoe boxes etc.