Shopping for jewelry can be lots of fun; however, this can also be extremely stressful if you’re aiming to purchase an expensive jewelry piece. There are many different types of materials used to make jewelry, and they are all worth varying amounts of money. An inexperienced jewelry shopper might end up paying too much. Use these following tips to help you purchase jewelry wisely.
You can keep the jewelry in your collection sparkling by using a special polishing cloth. This easy technique can make your jewelry bright and shiny without the use of harsh solvents and chemicals. Use the dual-sided cloth to gently buff your jewelry as you would a delicate glass. First use the polishing side, and finish with the other side to make it shine.
Don’t use acetone, bleach, ammonia or turpentine to clean copper. These can erode both the color and the materials of your jewelry.
Precious Metals
Keep your jewelry stored somewhere that is free from humidity or air. To keep your jewelry properly protected, store it in a drawstring bag or jewelry box. Air and humidity can tarnish metals of all types. Precious metals, through some work and polish, can be restored to their original condition. Non-precious metals are coated, which means that polishing will allow copper metal to come through.
When you are shopping for jewelry in sterling silver, be sure to examine the piece closely, and take along a magnet for metal testing. When you do this, you become able to find fake pieces of any type of sterling jewelry. You can use the magnet because non-precious metals actually are attracted by magnets. Another way to tell if a metal is sterling silver is to check for a hallmark stamp, for example .sterling, .ster, or .925. Be wary of pieces that lack any silver hallmarks, as this is an indication that they’re not genuine sterling silver.
You need to know the type of gem that you are purchasing. The three different types of stones are natural, imitation and synthetic. While natural and synthetic stones are the real deal, imitation stones are made to look like a real gemstone, but could be anything from colored glass to plastic. Natural gems are those that are actually from the earth, whereas synthetic ones are made in labs.
A piece of jewelry should be long lasting. Always purchase pieces from reputable jewelers in order to make sure you are getting quality pieces. High quality jewelry is well-crafted and made of exceptional materials. Make sure the jeweler is able to tell you the history of the piece, including who created it and where any stones come from. It is important that your pieces are high-quality if you want them to last a long time.
Now that you’ve come to the end of the article, you are armed with the knowledge you need when shopping for that next great piece of jewelry. You’ll be able to save both time and money when you follow the advice you’ve learned here.
