Shopping for jewelry can be very exciting. It can also be very expensive. It is best to take some time to learn terms that are used in the jewelry industry in order to make an educated decision. A little research can help you best asses the quality and value of the jewelry you are shopping for regardless of whether you are shopping online, in a catalog or at a store.
Make sure to regularly polish your metal jewelry. Over time it begins to collect dirt, oil and dust and that affects its sheen and overall appearance. This makes the jewelry look worn and old. Go ahead and refresh those pieces using some simple polish to make them look like brand new again.
Keep jewelry stored safely and away from both air and humidity. Ideally, you should keep them in drawstring bags or in a jewelry box. Humidity quickly tarnishes both precious and non-precious metal. Precious metal jewelry can be polished to fix tarnish, but non-precious metals coated with a finish will never get back to their previous state.
Create wire jewelry. There are so many resources available to help you get started. You can buy the supplies almost anywhere, charms, beads, dangles, special clasps plus much more. It does take quite a bit of practice, but it can be a fun hobby or even a career if you perfect it.
If you are a seller of jewelry, make sure you include some photos of what it should look like when its worn. Jewelry tends to look much different when you actually see it in use versus just sitting on a tabletop. Try getting a photo of a mannequin wearing it or have yourself, your staff or even your customers submit “modeling” photos of the pieces in use. This provides all of your customers a view into how things look with their sizing and how things dangle.
Stay away from cheap glass jewelry. Borosilicate and lampwork glass jewelry are a new rage. Many styles of this type of jewelry are popping up in malls all over the country. However the products labeled as high quality lampwork glass are nothing more than cheap imported glass goods. Such glass products are usually not kiln annealed which means that there is a high chance that the product can shatter, cutting your skin while you’re wearing it. Purchase glass jewelry from local artisans or reliable vendors that you know are selling quality products. If it’s too cheap, you know it is too good to be true. Good glass costs anywhere from the low forty dollar range up into the hundreds.
Don’t purchase used earrings without disinfecting the posts or ear hooks. Other people have been wearing them, especially true for vintage pieces, and there are plenty of germs lying around. Take some lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide, squeeze some onto a cotton swab and run it over the ear pieces of the earrings. This will kill the germs, making it safe to wear the earrings.
When buying what some people consider to be the most important piece of jewelry in a relationship, the engagement ring, make sure that it is of high quality and has great design. You want a ring with a lot of hand detail which shows fine craftsmanship.
Personalized jewelry will never fail as a gift, especially for Mother’s Day. A ring with the birthstones of all her children will make a Mom beam with delight. You could also get a bangle bracelet with her childrens’ names engraved on the inside. My favourite is a ring with “I Love You” engraved on the inside.
Understanding the terms used to describe jewelry and the processes involved in jewelry making can be invaluable when shopping for jewelry for you or for others. With a little time and research you can become an educated savvy shopper who can identify quality and value when looking for good jewelry pieces.