Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Your Go-To Guide For All Things Jewelry

Before becoming engrossed in the world of jewelry, ask yourself what it actually means to you personally. Do you know what different kinds of jewelery are, or how to find a good piece? These tips should help you understand the complex world of jewelry. Take the advice given here to determine how to care for, buy, and get great deals on your jewelry. Take a polishing cloth to each piece of jewelry in your collection. A polishing cloth is a very gentle way to get a good shine on all your pieces. Use this two-sided cloth on your jewelry as though you were cleaning glass. Use the side that is designated for polish, and the other to make it shine. When shopping for diamonds, it's best to comparison shop. Look at what you like close up, and compare them to other pieces you have seen. Beware, there are many tricks to enhance the look of a sub-par diamond. Study current jewelry trends prior to shopping for a piece. It is one thing to get a gorgeous bauble, but it is another to get it on sale! When purchasing jewels, you should understand which type of stone you are getting. Gems are divided into three main categories: imitation, synthetic and natural. Natural stones and synthetic gems are both real, but imitation gems are probably just colored glass or plastic. Natural comes from the ground, while synthetic ones are created in a lab. You should wear the jewelry for a few days to see how it feels and if it is comfortable. This will also let you know how the piece holds up in every day environments. You need to know how to care for each piece in your jewelry collection. Various settings, types of metals, and gemstones need different types of care to protect them and make sure they get cleaned properly. What is beneficial to one stone or setting may hurt another. If you are uncertain what the best practice is for caring for a particular piece of jewelry, ask your jeweler. Now that you have undoubtedly learned some new and interesting facts about jewelry, you can be more confident in your selection and appraisal of lustrous gemstones, sparkling diamonds, colorful beads and gleaming metals like silver, gold and platinum. Use the advice you've learned here to make your jewelry an investment that you will treasure for years to come.