You can never be too well-researched when it comes to purchasing jewelry. Knowing about valuable jewelry is especially important if you want to ensure you get a fair price on every piece. Here are some great tips about jewelry. This information will help you choose and take care of your jewelry pieces and avoid some of the more common mistakes.
Keep your whole jewelry collection sparkling with a polishing cloth. This is a fairly simple way to achieve shine without dealing with solvents and chemicals. Use the dual-sided cloth on your jewelry just as you would clean a glass. First, use the polishing side to polish it up, then use the other side to shine it.
Sterling Silver
Try to avoid cleaning it with harsh chemicals like ammonia or turpentine. Harsh chemicals can destroy the enamel, and ruin the stones in your jewelry.
If you are looking to purchase sterling silver jewelry make sure that you have a magnet with you and a good eye. You can detect fake sterling silver with the magnet, since non-precious metals are drawn to magnets. You can generally tell genuine sterling silver by its stamp, which will look something like “.925 ster.” If a particular piece is not stamped, you should be cautious of its authenticity.
Separate your jewelry for storage to avoid getting pieces tangled. You can protect your jeweled investments with hooks, boxes and holders that keep each piece intact and prevent tangles. Don’t just box all the pieces together in a pile. This does damage to jewelry pieces, which are often fragile. Necklaces lumped together can get tangled up into a knotted ball.
Do some research on the gem in your new piece of jewelry before you buy. There are basically three distinct types: natural gems, synthetic gems and imitation stones. Natural stones and synthetic gems are both real, but imitation gems are probably just colored glass or plastic. A natural stone is mined from the earth, and a synthetic is a lab-created gem.
When purchasing jewels, you should understand which type of stone you are getting. You have three options as far as the type of gem: natural, imitation and synthetic. While both natural and synthetic stones are still real, imitation is just glass or plastic made to look like the natural stone. The only difference between natural and imitation gemstones is where they are made. Natural occur naturally, while synthetic stones are grown in labs.
Do some price comparisons before you commit to buying a piece of diamond jewelry. Take a very close look at the piece you like, and then make the comparison to any others on your favorites list. Some diamond sellers use misleading practices to try to increase the apparent quality of their merchandise, so you should be wary of these tactics.
Always check with your jeweler about insurance policy options before buying anything. This is to avoid any future complications. If anything were to happen you have yourself covered and to avoid complications with that jeweler in the future, they can replace or fix it for you if you run into problems. Many jewelers also have insurance for lost or stolen pieces.
Make sure that you learn about the jeweler’s insurance policy prior to making any purchases. Look for a good policy that lets you return damaged items. Some jewelers even offer insurance for jewelry pieces that have been misplaced or stolen.
If you want to collect costume jewelry, concentrate on getting quality peices. Collecting costume jewelry can get expensive, but it is also an investment worth your time, so avoid any pieces that have too many flaws. Compare pieces for quality, because good ones stay high or even grow in value over time.
Prevent your jewelry from tarnishing so that it keeps looking great. For example, avoid taking your jewelry somewhere it can get wet. Metals will often tarnish or rust when in contact with water. Clear nail polish, applied in a thin coat, can give jewelry some added protection.
Research the proper methods for cleaning your jewelry. Each kind of setting, metal, and stone has its own particular maintenance need. What works for one piece of jewelry could dull or damage another. For the best information on how to look after your jewelry, you should talk to a jeweler.
It is a good idea to determine the best approaches for jewelry care. There’s an ideal way to clean every different type of setting and stone. Along the same lines, enhancing different stones and settings requires you to take different steps. Ask a jeweler to make sure you know how to maintain your items.
If the person you are shopping for is a unique individual, consider choosing a one-of-a-kind piece crafted specifically for them. A unique ring, necklace or bracelet conveys respect for and appreciation of the recipient’s creativity and personality.
Costume Jewelry
This will accent the belt, and will add a lot of visual interest. Either put it near your hip or near the middle of your waist.
Costume jewelry needs to be handled carefully. A fair amount of costume pieces are set with glue. Costume jewelry should never be submerged in liquid, nor cleaned with chemicals. The best care is to wipe with a warm damp cloth and then dry with another cloth. This will ensure that all of your costume jewelry looks like it did the day you bought it.
Makeup isn’t for jewelry. Let your makeup dry before you put on a piece of jewelry. Any kind of spare dust or oil will attach itself to your jewelry, so putting it on before makeup will just make it look a little dirty. This is especially true when earrings and necklaces are concerned.
When buying jewelry for a one-of-a-kind person, buy them something equally unique. Look for something that fits their personality. Besides affection and admiration, an ideal jewelry gift expresses creativity and thoughtfulness. A custom-made piece selected to suit the recipient’s personality is an excellent way for you to demonstrate these feelings.
When deciding on which jewelry pieces to buy, look through the sales advertisements. Jewelry sales offer big savings. Check ads in the newspaper, on the Internet, and in stores for the best deals. Sometimes, buying fashions that are out of style can save you more than half of their original price.
The brooch will call attention to your belt and make it more interesting to look at. Try pinning it at the center of your waist or near your hip.
You should always know what you plan on doing with jewelry when purchasing it. There is no point in filling your jewelery box with things you cannot wear. When you are picking the jewelry out, think about the clothes you will be wearing.
If you are in the market for jewelry, always seek out sales. If the deal is good, you may be able to save some serious money! Use the resources at your disposal like the Internet, newspapers, and even window shopping to find the best sales. You could get great jewelry at discounts close to 50%, especially when it comes to styles that are being phased out.
It is important to pay attention to how the diamond is cut, and the clarity of the stone. To some people this is more important and appealing than the actual size. You must think of the person who will be wearing the jewelry.
Have a purpose in mind for a piece of jewelry before you buy it. What’s the fun in buying jewelry you never actually wear? Think about what type of clothing you will wear with the jewelry before deciding what to buy.
You need a good clasp for any necklaces and bracelets. It is extremely easy to lose your valuable chains, pendants and stones with jewelry that has a flimsy clasp. For especially valuable necklaces and bracelets, adding a safety clasp to the piece is a good way to safeguard them. For added protection, you may choose to use an additional clasp beyond the one you already have.
Dry saunas and steam rooms can cause damage to jewelry. The reason for this is that the heat and the moisture can taint the jewelry and cause problems.
Never swim with your jewelry on. The chlorine in pool water will corrode your jewelry and remove its shine. Salt water is similarly abrasive to some jewelry. Take your jewelry off first to keep it from becoming damaged or tarnished.
Don’t just buy a piece of jewelry because of what the brand is. Not only is most jewelry not brand-recognizable, but you are also going to pay more just for the name. Remember that there is top-quality jewelry available under any number of different brands.
You will want to avoid necklaces getting tangled, which can damage them. Try to find some attractive-looking hooks to hang them. Try hanging the hooks on the wall in your bedroom or on the back of the door, then put all your necklaces on them in the fashion that works for you. Hanging your necklaces will keep them looking nice, keep them from becoming tangled together and can work as a beautiful display as well.
Gold Jewelry
It’s a real challenge to pick out a natural ruby or sapphire from an artificial one. These fancy stones might look physically and chemically identical, but the fake ones are much cheaper in cost compared to the natural and flawless gems. Before purchasing jewelry that is claimed to be natural sapphire, you should hire an expert gemologist to look over it for you.
The price of gold is a major limiting factor to being able to afford beautiful gold jewelry. However, you can still have a nice piece of gold jewelry at a lower price if you opt for lower karats. Eighteen karats means the piece contains seventy-five percent of gold: this remains affordable and looks like a luxury item.
Alexandrite is often times overlooked, but it is a beautiful jewelry stone. The stone’s color morphs from green to purple, changing based on whether you are inside a building or standing outside. It looks stunning in necklaces, rings and bracelets.
You can earn a little cash from your solid gold necklaces and bracelet without selling them. Carefully remove an inch or two from the piece, then sell that section. Just be sure to leave enough length so that you can continue to wear it. If what you have truly is real god then with just a few chains the potential to make money is there. You can actually make around a few hundred when you shorten these type of pieces.
IF you want to sell some jewelery, take it to a gemologist or a reputable appraiser. This gives you a baseline price against which you can evaluate offers from potential buyers.
Well, it’s easy when you know how. This article has just touched on a few of things that you should know about this very rewarding hobby. There is much to learn, but at least you’ve now got a few good ideas to put to work.
If you want your diamond to appear large and shiny, consider an illusion setting. Prior to the diamond being affixed to the ring, this type of setting includes attaching a mirrored plate to the piece. The diamond is mirrored as you wear it and made to look huge and super sparkly. This type of special setting can be harder to repair, which is a potential drawback.