Developing your jewelry collection can take some real knowledge and experience. Learning what is truly worth buying and what looks really good on you is a process. Finding just that right piece of jewelry can take some effort but hopefully these tips will make it a little easier.
When dealing with precious and fragile stone jewelry, take them to get professionally cleaned. This is much better than scratching or destroying them yourself with regular jewelry cleaners. Even the jewelry cloths may be too much for some stones. Make sure though that they are not cleaned too often as this can be very counterproductive and actually weaken the stones.
Consider buying a small barrel tumbler. If you wear a lot of jewelry or just want to keep the pieces you own in good condition, you probably clean it on a fairly regular basis. You might want to get a small barrel tumbler for polishing. They are inexpensive and do a thorough job.
When trying to showcase jewelry, either for sales or for bragging rights, you need to take high-quality photographs of them. Nothing showcases their beauty like a great photo of the piece. Make sure that you use a good background and stick with darker colors; lighter colors take away from the jewelry’s shiny qualities.
Vintage jewelry can actually make great fashion accessories. It doesn’t have to be your granny’s jewelry any longer. Make a statement piece by displaying a vintage necklace or a pair of vintage earrings. Vintage seems to be all the new rage and almost every store out there seems to be selling vintage inspired pieces. Why buy “inspired pieces” when you can buy the real thing for a fraction of the cost?
A great source for unique and inexpensive jewelry pieces are local thrift shops. Local thrift stores can be a treasure trove for antique and truly unusual pieces. Often, these establishments do not have the staff, training or time, that is necessary to check for hallmarks or gold and silver content. A few dollar’s investment can often yield, not only some really unique pieces of jewelry, but also some pieces that may be, quite valuable.
The best tool for any jewelry hunter, whether searching for personal treasure or for the profit in reclaiming gold or silver, is a jeweler’s loupe. Jeweler’s loupes are small, but powerful magnifying instruments designed specially for use in examining jewelry at very close range. Some jeweler’s loupes also have a built-in, battery-powered light which can be very handy if examining pieces in a dimly lit area. Most jeweler’s loupes are extremely economical in cost and can help you make the most of your jewelry-buying dollar, especially when buying from second-hand sources.
Do not use ultrasonic cleaners and jewelry cleaning liquids on your precious and semi- precious gemstones. Most gemstones are easily damaged and their properties become corroded by the chemical properties in jewelry cleaning liquids. Ultrasonic cleaners can shake the gemstone settings apart and deteriorate the glue used to secure the gemstone in the setting.
When choosing earrings, test the weight in the store. You can’t–and shouldn’t–try them on, but holding them in your hand may be able to tell you if they’re too heavy for all-day wear or just too heavy. Heavy earrings will eventually become painful. No matter how nice they look, you won’t want to wear them if they’re not comfortable.
A jewelry collection is very personal; what you have really will depend on what you like. There are tips however that are pretty universal in selecting what jewelry is worth the expense. These tips should lead you in the right direction to learn what you like and what is worth the money.