A theoretical and experimental study of isolated nanoparticles of II-VI semiconductor materials has been done. Using the framework of the effective mass model, the optical absorption spectrum of distributions of spherical quantum dots, freestanding, and under compressive or tensile stress, has been examined theoretically. The theoretical results allow one to foresee the absorption spectra of quantum dots made of a series of materials and having any size. The syntheses of colloidal quantum dots of CdS and CdSe has also been performed through wet chemical routes and characterized by means of optical techniques. The values of the strains in the synthesized quantum dots were inferred from a correlation established between the theoretical and the experimental results.