There is no such thing as having enough information with jewelry. 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 a few sensible guidelines on the subject. The tips in this article will help you to select, maintain, and enjoy your jewelry for many years to come.
Use a polishing cloth to keep your jewelry clean and free from damage. This is a chemical-free method to maintain the appearance of your fine jewelry. Use the two-sided cloth to polish your jewelry as if you were cleaning glass. Use a two-sided cleaning cloth, one for polishing and one for shining.
Don’t use harsh chemicals like turpentine or bleach to clean jewelry. Natural acids won’t erode the enamel on your copper jewelry the way harsh chemicals can.
Watch how you store your jewelry when it isn’t being worn. Jewelry should be stored in an organized way in a box, a jewelry holder or hung on hooks. Tossing all of your jewelry into the same box is a bad plan. This can harm delicate parts, and tangle some pieces with others, like necklaces.
A magnet is a useful tool when shopping for jewelry in sterling silver. You can tell if a piece of silver is sterling or not by using a magnet. Sterling will not react to the magnet, but non-precious metals will be attracted. True sterling silver will also have a mark on it to indicate its quality, such as “.925” or “ster”. Be wary of jewelery without any kind of hallmark, as often it is fake.
Know the type of gem you’re buying, when you buy it. There are different types of gems, including imitation, natural and lab produced. Natural and synthetic gemstones are both actual gemstones, while an imitation gemstone is just a plastic mold made to look like a gemstone. While natural gems come out of mines, synthetic ones come out of laboratories.
Do your research before settling on one diamond. Look at the pieces up close before purchasing them, and be sure to compare them to others. Be careful of tricks that jewelers use to make a diamond look bigger or better.
Study current jewelry trends prior to shopping for a piece. The only thing better than picking up a gorgeous bauble is getting it on sale!
Be sure to at least inquire about the insurance that is available when you buy jewelry from a reputable jeweler. Insurance policies allow you to bring a defective or broken piece into the jewelry store for repair. There are even some jewelers that will cover the replacement if the piece has been lost or stolen.
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.