The concepts surrounding the gift of jewelry are as lovely as the physical pieces themselves. Jewelry holds on to memories of important and happy occasions and pays respect to the owner and giver’s relationship. This article will teach you about jewelry, helping you to appreciate not only selling pieces, but purchasing them as well.
Don’t use harsh chemicals like turpentine or bleach to clean jewelry. This can cause the stones to lose their luster in addition to eating away the enamel on any of the pieces.
Be careful when storing all your jewelry together. You can protect your jeweled investments with hooks, boxes and holders that keep each piece intact and prevent tangles. Don’t throw piles into a box. 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.
Precious Metals
Never store your jewelry in open air or humidity. A box designed especially for jewelry gives the best protection, but a cloth bag can also work. Tarnish is a chemical reaction that happens when silver and other metals are exposed to moisture and air. Precious metals are able to be polished and retain their luster, but the non-precious metals have a coat, and polishing will cause the metal under it to show through.
A magnet is a useful tool when shopping for jewelry in sterling silver. Imitations will be attracted to your magnet. This is an easy way to recognize quality. True sterling silver will also have a mark on it to indicate its quality, such as “.925” or “ster”. If the piece that you are looking at is not hallmarked, this is usually the sign that it is a fake.
Watch to see whether they usually wear necklaces or bracelets, or if they prefer dangly earrings to studs. These answers should give you a reasonable starting point for your shopping.
Make sure that you learn about the jeweler’s insurance policy prior to making any purchases. This is so that if something happens to your piece, you can return it to have it replaced or repaired. You can even find insurance on jewelry pieces that were stolen or misplaced.
Keep your jewelry free of tarnish to make it look its best. Remove your jewelry if you plan on spending time in or near water. Water can cause some metals to lose their luster or to become tarnished or rusty. Painting a thin layer of clear-colored nail polish on your metal jewelry can add a protective barrier to it.
When buying new jewelry, carefully consider the stones. Try to select stones that are an extension of your individuality and that enhance the tone of your skin. Neutral colored stones go well with many different outfits. Do not buy anything that you cannot wear.
Costume Jewelry
Costume jewelry has different, specific care requirements. Costume settings are often glued-in as compared to set-in. Don’t submerge costume jewelry in water or clean it with abrasives. To clean your jewelry, dampen a cloth with warm water and gently wipe the item. Then use a clean, dry cloth to dry the jewelry. This will ensure that your costume jewelry looks perfect.
Selling, owning or buying jewelry means you are investing in something that is nearly priceless, which in itself is the memory. Perhaps it symbolizes great memories from the past or even great times to come; jewelry is always emotional.