Jewelry is a hot commodity among many shoppers today. Jewelry is fashionable and works as an accessory for many outfits. For some, choosing the right piece of jewelry to fit your wardrobe is easy, but for others, it is not. Use the advice below when choosing jewelry for yourself or someone else.
Take a polishing cloth to each piece of jewelry in your collection. This will give your jewelry shine and luster without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. To clean your jewelry, obtain a soft two-sided cloth and gently rub in a circular motion. Use one side of the cloth for polishing, and reserve the other side for shining it afterward.
If you have metal allergies, make sure to purchase nickel free jewelry. Nickel is a common alloy that is mixed in with precious metals such as sterling silver to make them more pliable. Silver itself is very liquid in its original state and therefore not substantial enough to be properly molded into jewelry. Oftentimes, another alloy such as nickel is added. Make sure you check what you are purchasing to make sure it is nickel free.
Vintage jewelry can actually make great fashion accessories. It doesn’t have to be your granny’s jewelry any longer. Make a statement piece by displaying a vintage necklace or a pair of vintage earrings. Vintage seems to be all the new rage and almost every store out there seems to be selling vintage inspired pieces. Why buy “inspired pieces” when you can buy the real thing for a fraction of the cost?
When storing your fine jewelry in a chest or case, wrap each piece in a small piece of velvet cloth. That way harder gemstones will not scratch softer gemstones and metals. It also helps pieces not get tangled with themselves and the velvet helps to keep the pieces safe from excess moisture.
Essential to anyone buying jewelry for reclamation purposes is a pocket-sized gram and carat scale. While a scale can’t determine the purity of the gold and silver you encounter in your jewelry hunting, a pocket scale can at least give you a basic starting point to determine fair pricing and valuing of your jewelry finds.
Sites like Etsy have a wide selection of handmade jewelry. You can find many unique, one of a kind pieces, but be careful. Some sellers may use pendants or other findings that can be widely purchased in bulk or from craft stores. Read reviews or search for similar items to make sure you’re getting the best value.
If you’re buying an item of jewelry for your wife, pick something that says love. There are so many pieces of jewelry that have a story behind them, like an infinity band or hugs and kisses pendant. Items that are called “forever”, typically with diamonds, will show her you want to spend the rest of your life with her. Beautiful!
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.
If you find yourself putting off wearing a bracelet because you wear a watch, buy a bracelet that matches your watch in style and color, and wear it on your other wrist. Bracelets are fun and are one of the only pieces of jewelry that you can see on yourself when you’re wearing them. Wear one on your wrist without a watch, or simply get rid of your watch altogether.
Wear the jewelry around for a day or so to be sure that it fits right and is comfortable. It will also allow you to test the piece’s durability.
If your jewelry is causing skin irritation, there are certain steps you can take to minimize it. You can use a small amount of powder on the skin in the area the jewelry will be touching. This helps absorb moisture, which will then lessen the chances of allergies or irritation.
When purchasing diamond jewelry such as engagement rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, knowing the 4 C’s of diamonds are important. The 4 C’s include: Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat. Some jewelers also like to add a fifth C which is Certificate and it is the grading report on the quality of the diamonds in your piece of jewelry. Knowing the C’s of diamonds will make you a more knowledgeable customer.
When buying jewelry, stay away from well-known name brands. Without any difference in quality, just adding the name of a particular business to an item, could increase the price by as much as 80 percent. Try browsing styles that you like at these locations and then comparison shop at stores that are more likely to have sales.
Dress up your outfit with inexpensive cocktail rings! You can pick these up at garage sales, flea markets and discount stores for a fraction of the price of gold and silver jewelry. Rhinestones and faux pearls look just as striking, and you do not have to worry about losing or damaging an expensive piece of jewelry!
Use broken jewelry as well as odds and ends jewelry pieces to glue onto a picture frame to hold a special photo. A clear silicone is all that is needed to create a dazzling frame just perfect for a wedding photo or use old costume jewelry from the right era to surround a photo of a favorite grandmother. Jewelry-covered frames make gorgeous gifts too!
As stated before, many shoppers love jewelry. It is fashionable and accessorizes outfits. Some people find choosing jewelry to be easy, but others do not. If you follow the advice provided in the article, you should have all of the help you need when choosing jewelry for other people and yourself and lower the difficulty associated with choosing jewelry.
