Jewelry has existed as a form of ornamentation for centuries. There are an almost limitless number of designs to choose from. The tips below can be used to begin picking out great jewelry that you’re proud to wear.
Clean all of your jewelry with a polishing cloth. You can keep your items shiny without using chemicals. You just have to polish each piece the same as you would polish glass using the two-sided cloth. Use one side of the cloth for polishing, and reserve the other side for shining it afterward.
Store your jewelry carefully. For best results, separate different pieces into different boxes, compartments or hooks. Don’t just put them in one huge, unorganized pile. This not only harms the fragile pieces, but it can also cause items, such as necklaces, to get badly tangled up with the other pieces of jewelry.
Jewelry is best stored in an area with low humidity. To maximize protection, put your jewelry in a jewelry box or a small drawstring bag. Both air and humidity can lead to tarnished metal. It’s possible to restore precious metals through polishing, but lesser-quality metals may suffer permanent damage.
Sterling Silver
If you are looking to purchase sterling silver jewelry make sure that you have a magnet with you and a good eye. Metals that aren’t precious will connect to the magnet, signaling that it is fake. Sterling silver will always be hallmarked with a stamp such as .925, ster. or sterling. Silver jewelry that lacks a hallmark may be a fake or composed of other metals.
See what types of earrings they wear, what color, if they wear ankle bracelets, etc. By doing this you should have a good idea what to buy them.
Inquire about insurance for your jewelry when you purchase it from a jeweler. This is to avoid any future complications. If anything were to happen you have yourself covered and to avoid complications with that jeweler in the future, they can replace or fix it for you if you run into problems. Some jewelers have insurance policies that cover lost of stolen jewelry, also.
Give the jewelry a test-run by wearing it for a day. Does it feel comfortable and hang properly? You will also have the knowledge that the piece is not going to fall apart the first time the receiver wears it.
To preserve the pristine look of your jewelry, apply your make-up first, wait for it to set, then put on your jewelry. If you put on makeup after you put on your jewelry, dust and particles from the makeup will migrate to the jewelry, which makes it dirty quite quickly. This is particularly important with necklaces and earrings.
The tips above have hopefully cleared up some of the questions you have about jewelry. It should help you pick out just the right piece. There is a vast array of jewelry pieces available making it a bit of a challenge to select, give or care for one properly. Reading up on jewelry is a useful way to spend a little time educating yourself.