You need to learn how to take care of jewelry and buy and sell it responsibly, whether you are giving jewelry gifts, receiving them, or inheriting family heirlooms. This article offers advice on all aspects of jewelry ownership.
If you are shopping for sterling silver jewelry, you’ll need a magnet and an eye for the real thing. Use the magnet to detect fake jewelry; real silver will not be attracted to the magnet, but the cheaper metals will. True sterling silver will also have a mark on it to indicate its quality, such as “0.925” or “ster”. Silver jewelry that lacks a hallmark may be a fake or composed of other metals.
Don’t use acetone, bleach, ammonia or turpentine to clean copper. These can erode both the color and the materials of your jewelry.
Always keep your jewelry in a place that doesn’t experience extreme temperatures or humidities. Trying putting them in a box with a tight-fitting lid or a bag that has a drawstring closure. Humidity and air tends to cause precious and non-precious metals to tarnish. It’s possible to restore precious metals through polishing, but lesser-quality metals may suffer permanent damage.
Ask about a jeweler’s insurance policy before buying anything. If something happened to your jewelery, you can take it back and see if they will fix it! There are jewelers who offer insurance for misplaced or lost jewelry, too.
One way to ensure that your jewelry stays clean is to put it only after you have applied your make-up and it has had time to set. Putting jewelry on prior to applying makeup or hairspray allows gunk and grime from your beauty products to settle on the jewelry, leaving it dull and potentially harming the finish. This tip is especially important when it comes to earrings and necklaces.
Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, you are better equipped to select the perfect gemstones, beads or fine metals in jewelry. Jewelry is the gift that keeps on giving for years to come, both in style and in economic value.
