Nothing shows that you took the time and cared, quite like nice jewelry. It has always been, and always will be, the best gift to pick up on a moment’s notice. No one is ever sad or disappointed that they received jewelry instead of a card or picture. There are a few things that you should remember when shopping for jewelry and they are listed in this article.
Birthstone jewelry makes a great gift for anyone at any time of the year. They are incredibly popular and perfectly suited to birthdays though. There are so many kinds of styles and pieces that you can find or have easily made for yourself or someone you care about using a birthstone.
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.
If you don’t have any jewelry cleaner handy, try using toothpaste with baking soda to help clean tarnish off of your sterling or pure silver jewelry. Just rub the toothpaste on the tarnished area with a soft cloth and clean off. Make sure to dry the jewelry to prevent future tarnishing.
If wearing earrings makes your ears feel itchy or irritated, ensure that you buy nickel-free jewelry in the future. Nickel is often used in inexpensive costume jewelry, but it can be very irritating to some people. Look for earrings with solid gold or platinum posts for the most hypoallergenic option.
When making jewelry and you want to turn a bead into a linked piece, take an eye pin and thread it through the bead’s hole. Let the bead slide to the bottom of the eye pin. Directly above the bead, use your pliers to bend the eye pin approximately 45 degrees. Using wire cutters, trim this to about half an inch in length. Using small round pliers, grasp the tip of the wire and start looping it around the pliers tip. Don’t give up if your eye pin loop is not directly round – practice makes perfect!
When deciding on the jewelry for your wedding, check out the differences between purchasing and renting. If you are only planning on wearing these extravagant pieces once, then renting may be your best bet. However, if you feel you would wear it again, or want to keep it as a memento, buying may be the best choice.
When learning a new jewelry-making technique, use cheaper materials. For instance, if you are learning wire techniques, pick up some aluminum or copper wire from a local craft store, instead of using your sterling silver wire. This will help you get the valuable practice you need to master the technique, while sparing your pocketbook. If you mess up on your top-quality materials, they may become unusable.
Amethyst, quartz, and other purple stones can make any ring, necklace, or brooch appear luxurious and regal by conveying a sense of royalty and privilege. These richly colored gems look most striking against settings made of yellow gold, although more and more jewelry designers are pairing deep purple stones with pink-tinged rose gold.
If you have nice jewelry, chances are you will want to clean it from time to time. You will want to use a mild soap and warm water, rinse, and then use a soft cloth to polish it. Always dry your gold and silver jewelry before you store it to keep it from tarnishing and to prevent water stains.
The jewelry looks great on you, but the allergic reaction it causes, does not. If this is a problem that you have faced, you may want to try using clear nail polish. This gives a protective barrier from the metals that could irritate your skin. You just put a coat of polish, on the area of the jewelry that is most likely to come in direct contact with your skin.
If you are purchasing a gem, do not be tempted to get imitation jewelry. This is little more than plastic, and there are many affordable options that you can choose instead. Consider buying a synthetic piece of jewelry; although these are produced in a lab, they are real gems, and they are as beautiful as anything found in nature.
When soldering a wedding ring and an engagement ring together, make sure the jeweler polishes the rings. Engagement rings are often worn for some time before the wedding band is and it will look like the rings do not match if they are not polished to look new.
When it comes to taking care of your jewelry be sure that you take it off before taking care of your laundry. This is important because not only do you run the risk of losing it in your laundry, but you also may expose it to harmful cleaning chemicals.
Picking a good quality diamond is important when purchasing diamond jewelry. Ask to see the diamond under a jeweler’s loop or a diamond microscope. You should notice no visible flaws, fractures, cloudiness or black spots. Watch out for chips that are hidden under prongs as well.
Observe each piece carefully and do not purchase anything that you are not completely positive about. Follow the guidelines listed and you will be able to pick up something great that your loved one is guaranteed to enjoy for the rest of his or her life. You can’t go wrong when you go with jewelry.