A Simple Jewelry Guide

Jewelry has always been an important part of cultural expression. Today, it has become an industry and everything is done to create pieces that reflect the personality of the customer. Start with our tips, and find jewelry you will treasure and love to wear.

Try to avoid cleaning it with harsh chemicals like ammonia or turpentine. This could cause the stone to change color or become dull in appearance, and it may eat away at the enamel on the piece.

TIP! Do not use harsh chemicals such as ammonia, bleach, turpentine or acetone to clean them. Chemicals can eat away the stones or enamel on your stones.

When shopping for a diamond, it’s crucial that you do comparisons. See what you like up close, and then compare it to other pieces that you look at. Be alert, since there are various ways to deceive consumers into thinking a diamond is better then it really is.

Do some research on the gem in your new piece of jewelry before you buy. Gemstones now come in natural as well as synthetic and imitation types. Synthetic stones are lab created jewels, while imitation stones are normally colored glass. Natural gems are dug up from the ground, and synthetic gems are man-made in a lab.

TIP! You need to know the type of gem that you are purchasing. Gems are divided into three main categories: imitation, synthetic and natural.

Study current jewelry trends prior to shopping for a piece. If there is one thing better than a beautiful piece of jewelry, it’s finding that jewelry at a great price!

You need to pay attention to care and maintenance if you intend to build up a costume jewelry collection. Costume jewelry make good investments and they can be costly, but an item that shows major signs of usage will be a poor investment of your time and money. You’ll get more return on your investment later if you buy costume jewelry in good condition.

TIP! Look at the condition of costume jewelry before making a purchase. Quality costume jewelry may cost more, but a cheaply made piece will fall apart and will quickly become unusable.

Costume Jewelry

It is important to think about the most effective methods of jewelry care. Depending on the metals and stones used in your jewelry, along with how they are set, you will need different maintenance methods. What can be beneficial to one type of stone can actually cause harm to another. Ask a jeweler to make sure you know how to maintain your items.

TIP! Consider how you should best clean each piece of your jewelry. Each kind of setting, metal, and stone has its own particular maintenance need.

You need to pay special attention when caring for costume jewelry. Often, stones will be glued into their settings, which makes them more prone to falling out than regular jewelry. You want to avoid using strong chemicals or immersion baths on your costume jewelry. The best care is to wipe with a warm damp cloth and then dry with another cloth. This keeps dirt from building up and making your jewelry look dull.

You can use a brooch to make your belt stand out, since it is sure to be eye-catching. You can pin in at the front-center of the belt or near the hip.

TIP! A brooch will add an interesting aspect to the belt. Either put it near your hip or near the middle of your waist.

When you are ready to buy a piece of jewelry, think about what you are going to be doing with it. A big supply of jewelry that you never wear is of little use to you. When choosing a piece of jewelry, take into account what you will be wearing it with.

In order to make sure your jewelry is always looking clean, you should only put a piece on once you’ve applied your make-up. The small particles of powdered makeup can easily dull the shine of your jewelry. This is particularly important with necklaces and earrings.

TIP! Apply your makeup and let it set before putting on 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.

Selling jewelry online requires you to capture stunning images of the piece. An online buyer doesn’t get the opportunity to handle the jewelry, so photos of the piece have to speak for themselves. Make sure that the pictures focus specifically on the piece of jewelry with a background that enhances its beauty.

Before you buy, ask the jeweler if and how the gemstone was treated. Gemstone treatment can affect the type of care the piece needs. Cleaning a treated gem using the wrong chemical might damage it.

TIP! Before you purchase gemstone jewelry, you should first determine if and how the stone was treated. The kind of care your stone needs is dependent on what it was treated with.

Avoid both steam and dry saunas. The high temperatures and damp environment can corrode the surface of your jewelry and cause long-term damage to the piece.

This is true for all saunas. The high levels of moisture and heat are very damaging to the jewelry.

TIP! This goes for any type of sauna, whether it’s the dry type or the steam type. The moisture and heat can cause your jewelry to become damaged.

Make sure you look around for awhile when you decide you want to shop for jewelry. Each diamond is unique with its own individual flaws. When you see the diamond yourself, you may find certain flaws not to be that important. Furthermore, jewelers may be willing to extend a discount to compensate for certain types of flaws. Shop several different jewelers to find the ideal diamond in your price range.

It is crucial that all bracelets and necklaces have good clasps. 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. Actually, some people opt for an additional clasp on more expensive pieces.

TIP! A strong clasp is essential to any necklace or bracelet. If a clasp is not solid, you might end up losing your jewelry.

When you set out to buy jewelry, buy a piece because you love it, not because of who makes it. You’ll probably pay too much since a jeweler will be aware that you are probably buying the name and not the piece. Besides, many “regular” people won’t even recognize the brand when you wear it. Quality jewelry can be found across a variety of brands.

Don’t buy a piece of jewelry based solely on the brand. Not only is most jewelry not brand-recognizable, but you are also going to pay more just for the name. There are many different manufacturers, that make high quality jewelry, without the huge markup for the brand name.

TIP! You don’t need to focus too much on the brand when you purchase jewelry. You will often pay more for name brand jewelry, and it is unlikely that others will recognize the name associated with your new piece of jewelry unless you tell them.

You can earn a little cash from your solid gold necklaces and bracelet without selling them. Consider removing excess portions of gold or silver that will not affect the overall piece. For an item that is made of actual gold, clipping off several chains can bring in over a hundred dollars simply by reducing the length of the jewelry.

If you plan on buying a piece of jewelry which is very expensive, choose one which you will enjoy for many years. Quality pieces are often accompanied by a hefty price tag, but you should also carefully consider style and trends. Although the piece might be in style right now, it might be considered passe in just a few years. Look for something classic and timeless.

TIP! When you are purchasing expensive jewelry, you should remind yourself that this is an investment that you will want to wear for many years. Although you usually get high-quality jewelry when you spend a lot of money, you also need to consider the style of the piece.

After reading this article, you should have no problem finding the piece of jewelry that is perfect for you. If you read up about jewelry, it can make it much easier to choose a design.

These days of sky-high gold prices makes buying gold jewelry an expensive proposition. If you decide you must have real gold jewelry, you may want to save money on the karats instead. 18 karat gold is a popular option, being 75% pure the quality, as well as the price makes it an attractive choice for those in the market to purchase gold.

TIP! If you are considering a fine piece of real gold jewelry, you should be prepared to pay a high price. If you simply must have that gold ring, necklace or bracelet, be flexible in terms of karats.