When it comes to jewelry, it is practically impossible to overload on information. You could lose a lot of money through easily-avoided mistakes, if you don’t cultivate at least a little bit of jewelry know-how. Here are some safe and reliable tips for jewelry selection and care. This information can guide you in selecting and caring for jewelry pieces, and help you avoid some common pitfalls.
Never store your jewelry in open air or humidity. To ensure it is protected, keep your jewelry in a drawstring bag or a jewelry box that is closed. Humidity and air tends to cause precious and non-precious metals to tarnish. It is possible to restore precious metals to their previous state, but it’s better to avoid damaging them in the first place.
When you are shopping for jewelry in sterling silver, be sure to examine the piece closely, and take along a magnet for metal testing. By using the magnet you can quickly determine if the jewelry item is made of a cheaper metal and not sterling silver. True sterling silver will also have a mark on it to indicate its quality, such as “.925” or “ster”. If the piece of presumed silver is not marked, be skeptical that is real silver. It could very well be a fake.
Know which kind of stone you are buying with your jewelry. Gems are divided into three main categories: imitation, synthetic and natural. Synthetic and natural are real stones, while the imitation ones are plastic that is colored. Natural stones are dug up out of the ground and synthetic ones are grown in a lab.
Do some shopping around when you are looking to buy some diamonds. Take a look at the diamonds up close, then put it next to other pieces you are interested in. Keep an eye out for deceptive tricks to cause you to think a diamond is better than it actually is.
Before adding a piece of jewelry to your collection, research current trends. Purchasing a new trinket to add to your collection is always delightful, especially if you find it on sale.
Costume Jewelry
If you are interested in collecting costume jewelry, be sure to stay conscious of the condition. 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. A piece in good condition will be much more resourceful to you in the future.
It is a good idea to determine the best approaches for jewelry care. Different metals, stones, and settings have different needs to ensure proper maintenance. Something that may help one piece of jewelry might hurt another one. If you are uncertain what the best practice is for caring for a particular piece of jewelry, ask your jeweler.
Well, it’s easy when you know how. This article has just touched on a few of things that you should know about this very rewarding hobby. There is much to learn, but at least you’ve now got a few good ideas to put to work.