Whether you have inherited jewelry, bought a piece for yourself or received one as a gift, you might be a little confused about the details of jewelry. Where should you look when it comes to finding knowledge about jewelry in relation to artistic tradition? This article is the first step to becoming an educated consumer.
Try cleaning your jewelry collection with a polishing cloth. With this method, you can simply shine it up and not deal with the hassle of using cleaners. Use a two-sided cloth to simply polish your jewelry as if it were composed of glass. Use one side of the cloth for polishing, and reserve the other side for shining it afterward.
This can dull your stones and the metal of the piece.
Precious Metals
Avoid using things like bleach, acetone, ammonia, turpentine, and other related chemicals to clean them with. This can dull your stones and eat away their enamel.
Jewelry should be stored in an area with low humidity. Air and humidity can tarnish metals of to tarnish. Precious metals can easily be polished, but non-precious metals coated with a finish will never get back to their previous state.
Know the distinctions between kinds of gems before you are buying with your jewelry.The types of gems available are synthetic, synthetic and natural. Natural gems and synthetic gems are real gemstones, while imitation is just basically colored plastic. Natural stones are dug up out of the ground and synthetic gems are created in a lab.
Arm yourself with a magnet and a magnifying glass when shopping for sterling silver jewelry. Jewelry made with non-precious metals will be attracted to the magnet, revealing any fakes. Sterling silver will always be hallmarked with a stamp such as .925, ster. or sterling. If there is no hallmark, watch its authenticity since it may be fake.
Costume jewelry is pricey and can retain its value in many cases, but an item that shows major signs of usage will be a poor investment of your time and money. A piece in good condition will increase in value.
Wear the jewelry piece for a day or so that it fits right and if it hangs right. This can also let you know how the piece holds up in every day environments.
Jewelry should last a life-time. When choosing jewelry, you should always buy from a reputable store or dealer, in order to ensure you only get high-quality pieces. A high-quality piece of jewelry should be well-made and show superior craftsmanship. Your jeweler should have all the information on the piece, including where it came from and who created it. You need to buy quality jewelry so that you can pass it down as an heirloom.
You should carefully consider how to best care for each piece in your jewelry collection. A technique that is safe for one type of gemstone may damage another kind. Ask a jeweler to make sure you know how to take care of your items.
Costume Jewelry
If you want to collect costume jewelry, concentrate on getting quality peices. Costume jewelry can be very expensive and a great investment, but a piece that shows too much wear and tear will not be worth the money or time. The most useful pieces in your collection are the ones that are in excellent condition.
You need to take special attention when caring for costume jewelry. Many embellishments on costume jewelry pieces are only secured with glue rather than set. You will need to avoid using strong chemicals or immersion baths on your costume jewelry. The best way to clean these pieces are to wipe them clean with a warm damp cloth and then dry with another cloth. This will make your current costume jewelry look dull.
You can pin it centered at the front-center of the belt or closer to your hip.
Give the jewelry a little test drive and wear it for a little bit to see if it is comfortable and lays right. In this way, you will be able to tell if the item will withstand normal wear.
When selling jewelry via the Internet, make sure you present it in the best possible way. This is very important because a customer cannot handle the jewelry in an online transaction.
A small but well-cut diamond with high clarity are often times more important than how big it is. You want the personality and preferences of the gift recipient.
Pay attention to the quality and type of gemstones in a piece when you’re looking at buying new jewelry. The right stone will enhance your skin tone and make a statement about your personality. Also think about what color clothing you wear often, and chose a neutral color that will match many of the outfits in your closet. It will be of no value to you to purchase jewels that are not easy to incorporate into your lifestyle.
This applies to dry and steam saunas. Many types of jewelry will suffer damage if they are exposed to extreme temperatures and moisture levels.
Every diamond is unique in both its beauty and has individual flaws. Some flaws may not bother you.
One key thing to remember is to only put your jewelry on after you’ve applied your makeup. Putting jewelry on prior to applying makeup or hairspray allows gunk and grime from your beauty products to settle on the jewelry, leaving it dull and potentially harming the finish. This is even more necessary for earrings and necklaces.
If you do decide to purchase an expensive item of jewelry, choose one which you will enjoy for many years. Quality pieces are often accompanied by a hefty price tag, but style and fashion also come into play.Something that is cool and trendy at this time may not look so great several years from now. Look into buying something that will stand the test of time and trends.
As you can see, jewelry has an amazing array of aspects to it. Yet, when you arm yourself with the proper knowledge through research, you are well on your way to ensuring you can both purchase quality pieces and care for those pieces properly. Welcome to the exciting, and always changing, world of jewelry. Get the most from your next jewelry shopping spree by following these tips.
Make sure you look into the history of your gemstone, especially if it was treated at all. Care for your gemstone is different, depending on how it was previously treated. Cleaning a treated gem using the wrong chemical might damage it.