You need to learn how to take care of jewelry and buy and sell it responsibly, whether you are giving jewelry gifts, receiving them, or inheriting family heirlooms. This article has most of the tips you need to learn how to keep your jewelry looking brand new.
Use a polishing cloth to keep your jewelry clean and free from damage. This is a natural way to shine all of your jewelry without relying on abrasives or other harsh chemicals. Polish your jewelry with a two-sided polishing cloth as you might buff a lovely glass. Polish jewelry with one side of the cloth, then flip it over and shine jewelry with the other side.
Don’t use things that contain harsh chemicals like bleach, ammonia, acetone or turpentine, to clean your jewelry. These can erode both the color and the materials of your jewelry.
Be careful when storing all your jewelry together. A better idea is to keep the pieces separate by using boxes, hooks, compartments or holders. Tossing all of your jewelry into the same box is a bad plan. Not only can this harm the fine and fragile pieces, but things like necklaces can get severely tangled up with other necklaces or other jewelry.
Be sure that you store all of your jewelry safely away from air and humidity. Store jewelry in a sealed box or drawstring pouch for the best protection. Metals will become tarnished when exposed to air and humidity. Silver polishes work well to remove tarnish, but certain metals, such as bronze, may not polish well. The polish may remove the surface coating and then the metal underneath, such as copper, becomes visible.
Sterling Silver
If you are looking to purchase sterling silver jewelry make sure that you have a magnet with you and a good eye. As a precious metal, silver should never be attracted to a magnet. Sterling silver always has some sort of stamp to indicate it is sterling. If there is no hallmark, watch its authenticity since it may be fake.
You should expect good jewelry to last the rest of your life, and possibly beyond. When you look for a piece of jewelry, always use a dealer with a good reputation, ensuring that the piece you choose is of high-quality. A truly high-quality piece is one that is well-constructed and of superior workmanship. The jeweler should tell you about who made the piece and the origin of the stones. When you chose a high-quality piece, you know your jewelry will last forever.
Well-cared-for jewelry is immensely valuable, both in terms of memorable sentiment and real economic worth. By learning what you need to do to properly care for your jewelry, you are working to protect memories and the money invested in it. There’s always more to learn, and as long as you keep discovering about the delight of jewelry, there’ll be more to enjoy.
