At one level, selecting and owning jewelry is a visceral, natural experience. Jewelry is supposed to be beautiful. So, all you need to do is pick pieces that appeal to your taste or the taste of their intended recipients. There is a deeper level to jewelry, though. Buying, selling and caring for your jewelry are all processes that can be improved by learning a few handy tips. This article will give you those tips.
Make sure to store your jewelry away from humidity and air. Store jewelry in a sealed box or drawstring pouch for the best protection. Humidity and air tends to cause precious and non-precious metals to tarnish. It is possible to polish precious metals, but polishing non-precious metals will damage the coating, which makes the copper that metal was covering show.
Create wire jewelry. There are so many resources available to help you get started. You can buy the supplies almost anywhere, charms, beads, dangles, special clasps plus much more. It does take quite a bit of practice, but it can be a fun hobby or even a career if you perfect it.
Know which kind of stone you are buying with your jewelry. Natural gems and imitation gems have been joined recently by synthetic gems, making three main categories. Imitation gems are made out of glass or plastic; natural and synthetic gems both consist of real gemstone. Synthetic gems are grown in a lab, natural gems are dug out of the Earth.
To keep your jewelry from overpowering you, select pieces that compliment your body type. If you’re petite, it’s best to stick to smaller pieces with more simplistic shapes. Tall or larger women may want to choose a powerful statement necklace to create a striking visual look. Whenever you choose a new piece of jewelry, think about your proportions and how well that piece will work with them.
If you’re trying to buy a diamond on a budget, look for one that has slight inclusions and is a less than perfect color of white. Often times, you cannot even see the inclusions and “off” color with the naked eye, but it can save you hundreds or thousands on the price of the stone.
When cleaning silver, it is best to invest in a jeweler’s rouge cloth. It has a polishing compound on the red side which is safe to use with all gemstones, and the yellow side is intended for giving a polish that will sparkle. This will keep your jewelry looking gorgeous for a long time to come!
Diamonds are the perfect gemstone to buy for your wedding jewelry. The beauty of these stones is not only how they look, but also that they can be worn again for almost any occasion. Long, dangle earrings can be used for any dressy occasion, as can a diamond tennis bracelet.
When making a jewelry purchase, make sure that you educate yourself about it. It is especially important when you are buying any types of gems and especially diamonds. By educating yourself, you will be able to understand what the jeweler is telling you and you will be able to make a decision based on your knowledge and not what the jeweler tells you is best.
Purchasing a piece of jewelry is a rather hefty decision based upon the price tag of the item. When you are in the market for a piece of jewelry, take the time to figure out what you are looking for, the budget you are allowing yourself, and what overall quality you seek in the item.
You should not wear your jewelry if you plan on going for a swim or if you plan on going in any other body of water that may contain harsh chemicals. These sorts of things can cause your jewelry to age much more quickly. Protect your jewelry and be conscientious.
When you are wearing pearls you have to make sure not to expose them to any harsh hair sprays, perfumes, or other chemicals. They tend to lose their luster very fast if they are exposed to these chemicals because the nacre (skin) of the pearl will start to peel off.
If a piece of jewelry starts to darken or turn black, the problem may not be a matter of quality of the piece. This effect can actually be traced to a high acid content in the wearer’s skin. Often, but not always, a high acid content may also indicate a higher probability of an allergic reaction to metal alloys.
There’s nothing worse than losing a piece of jewelry due to a delicate clasp. Some gold jewelry will have a weak clasp in order to keep the integrity of the piece (soft gold), but you can sacrifice a little bit of gold on your necklace or bracelet and have a jeweler put a sturdier clasp on to ensure safety.
Give the gift that allows you to keep on giving. Add-a-pearl and add-a-bead type necklaces and bracelets along with charm bracelets make gift-giving easy! Start your loved one off with the basic chain or bracelet necessary and perhaps a pearl, bead or charm to commemorate the occasion, and with every holiday, birthday or special event in the future, use those opportunities to add to it with additional charms and beads.
With the increasing acceptance of wearing timepieces alongside formal wear has come the rise of decorative watches as jewelry. They now come in gold plate or studded with diamonds. Some are ringed with pearls or enameled in glorious colors to match any outfit you choose. They no longer must be kept in one’s purse, so show off your good taste with a jeweled watch.
Using such methods, you can improve the entire experience of owning or giving jewelry. Every piece of jewelry matches someone’s particular tastes, and finding the right one for you requires no education. But when you learn a little about the non-aesthetic considerations, you can make your experiences of buying, giving and owning jewelry more economical and longer-lasting.
