Choosing jewelry can be difficult – even overwhelming. There is so much choice and so much you need to know; especially if you have never purchased much. The following tips will help you learn some useful things that you need to know about jewelry. When you know what things to look for it makes it more enjoyable.
The metals in jewelry can tarnish if exposed to humid air, so you will want to store them in a way that protects them. To keep your jewelry properly protected, store it in a drawstring bag or jewelry box. Humidity and air tends to cause precious and non-precious metals to tarnish. While precious metals can be polished back to their original luster, non-precious metals are only coated in which case polishing causes the copper metal underneath to show through.
When buying jewelry, make sure that you don’t just rely on really prestigious name brands. This can generally lead to you paying 80% more than that of another popular jewelry retailer. Most of the non-prestigious jewelry retailers, also offer very nice holiday and yearly discounts, so it’s an overall better deal to shop with them.
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.
When wearing jewelry, less is more. You don’t need to wear a necklace, earrings, bracelets, a watch, and rings to make your outfit look complete. Choose pieces that work well with your outfit and what you’re wearing. One well chosen bracelet or necklace will draw more compliments than multiple striking items.
If you would like to start collecting gemstone jewelry, make sure that you do your research first. It is important that you know what to look for in spotting fakes and what to look for to identify genuine gemstones. It can also be beneficial to know what different countries and areas different gemstones are indigenous to. This can help determine if what you’re looking at is real or fake.
Buying jewelry for someone else can be challenging. Look at what they choose for themselves and try to find something similar. Avoid sized items like rings unless you know what their size is. If you guess, what’s going to happen if you guess wrong? It may help to go window shopping with them and see if they mention a certain store, brand, or even a specific item.
When selecting jewelry for a child, make sure it is an item that can grow with them. You may have to have it sized up in time, but an item they would be happy to wear as an adult will last them a lifetime. Choose classic styles with timeless elegance.
Repurpose your jewelry to get the most wears out of each piece. Wrap a necklace around your wrist to fashion a new bracelet. Slip a pair of clip-on earrings onto a pair of pumps as shoe clips, and add a bit of sparkle to plain heels. Attach a pin or brooch to a necklace and update its look.
When purchasing high price jewelry, check with multiple stores and even online before buying. Comparison shopping is important because the price of jewelry can vary extensively from vendor to vendor. Comparison shopping also helps you to learn about the quality of the beautiful piece you’re hoping to purchase.
To keep silver jewelry tarnish-free between wearings, wrap the item in a jeweler’s polishing cloth and then seal the piece, cloth and all, in a plastic bag. Polishing cloths come in many sizes and are very economical. The cloth provides padded protection to even the most delicate chains and the plastic bag keeps air, which causes tarnish, from touching the jewelry. When ready to wear, give the piece a rub with the cloth for shine and you’re set to go!
If you love wearing jewelry, but hate the irritation it causes, then you may want to examine the metals in the jewelry. Higher karats of gold are less likely to cause irritation so opt for 14 or 18 karat. You could also try platinum or even palladium as both of these metals are harder and stronger than gold.
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.
The tips that have been provided should boost your self-confidence when it comes to jewelry buying and care. You now know what things to look for concerning jewelry, and having the knowledge should also give you the ability to talk to any jeweler with confidence.
