Purchasing an expensive, and special piece of jewelry, can be a thrilling experience, but may cause you some stress. The many different materials used in jewelry making can greatly influence the price of a piece. When a shopper is lacking the knowledge to recognize the appropriate prices for the different materials, they may pay much more than necessary. These tips can help you be more knowledgeable about all aspects of purchasing jewelry.
When purchasing sterling silver, take along a good magnifying glass, along with a small magnet. Magnets attract non-precious metals, and you can use this fact to detect fakes. Another way to tell if a metal is sterling silver is to check for a hallmark stamp, for example .sterling, .ster, or .925. If there is no marking on the piece, it may not be sterling silver.
Make sure you know what kind of gem you are getting when you are buying jewelry. You have three options as far as the type of gem: natural, imitation and synthetic. Imitation has little value, as it is generally plastic, while synthetic and natural are considered to be real gems. While natural gems come out of mines, synthetic ones come out of laboratories.
Compare lots of diamonds before you settle on one to buy. Take a very close look at the piece you like, and then make the comparison to any others on your favorites list. With diamonds, you need to have a keen eye because of the many tricks people will use to enhance it.
See what types of earrings they wear, what color, if they wear ankle bracelets, etc. Knowing their preferences will be an invaluable guide when you go out to buy them a special item of jewelry.
Before you make a final jewelry-buying decision, take a look at what’s new and trendy. The only thing that beats getting a new piece of jewelry is getting it for a discounted price!
Costume Jewelry
You should ensure the quality of the pieces of costume jewelry that you purchase for your collection. Quality costume jewelry may cost more, but a cheaply made piece will fall apart and will quickly become unusable. A piece in good condition will be much more resourceful to you in the future.
Do some research on the best way to clean your particular piece of jewelry. You should know that different materials require different maintenance. Not all jewelry should be cared for in the same way. Your jeweler can give you instructions on proper handling if you are not sure.
Whatever type of jewelry you are planning to buy, be sure to research it properly. You will now know the key to success having read this article. These helpful tips will save you both time and money.