Jewelery helps you show your feelings to the people who count on you. Even something small can be appreciated greatly. This article can teach you more about jewelry, for yourself or for a gift.

Always keep your jewelry in a place that doesn’t experience extreme temperatures or humidities. Ideally, you should keep them in drawstring bags or in a jewelry box. Air and humidity can tarnish metals of all types. While precious metals can be polished back to their original luster, non-precious metals are only coated in which case polishing causes the copper metal underneath to show through.

Sterling Silver

If you are shopping unmarked sterling silver jewelry, then by all means bring a magnet. Jewelry made with non-precious metals will be attracted to the magnet, revealing any fakes. You can generally tell genuine sterling silver by its stamp, which will look something like “.925 ster.” If the piece is not hallmarked in any way, be leery of its authenticity because oftentimes it is a sign of a fake.

Always be aware of the type of stone you’re buying when dealing with gems. Three different kinds of gems are available for purchase: imitation, synthetic and natural. Natural gems and synthetic gems are real gemstones, whereas imitation is just an item of plastic with gemstone colors. Synthetic gems come from a lab and natural ones are found in the ground.

Be sure to pay attention to details like type of metal and shape. This should give you a grasp of their tastes, and some ideas about what to buy for them.

Test it out by wearing it yourself; you don’t want to give a piece that will be uncomfortable or awkward for the recipient. This can also help you see whether the piece is durable enough to last.

You should always make an effort to properly care for all of your jewelry. Depending on the metals and stones used in your jewelry, along with how they are set, you will need different maintenance methods. A technique that is effective for one type of stone or metal may actually cause damage to another. If you are uncertain what the best practice is for caring for a particular piece of jewelry, ask your jeweler.

Esoteric people like to have handcrafted specialty pieces for presents. Purchasing a unique piece that matches his or her personality demonstrates how thoughtful and creative you are. This is what you should be expressing to someone you love enough to purchase jewelry for.

When you are looking for new jewelry, the first thing to do is to check what is on sale. You can save a lot of money with the right sale. Check online, in the store windows, and in the paper for the greatest sales. If you buy the older fashions that are from the previous season, you can save a lot of money.

Plastic Wrap

Learn how to unravel a knotted necklace, even one with delicate loops. It’s easy to give up on some knotted metal mass; however, you should instead use plastic wrap. Put the necklace on the plastic wrap and cover it with a little baby oil. After the necklace has loosened, try to untangle it by hand. If this does not work, consider using a sturdy pin or needle. Be sure to use extra caution due to the slippery oil. Wash it gently with a bit of dish soap and then pat it dry.

A diamond’s cut, as well as its clarity, are considerably more important than size in determining value and appeal. Be sure to consider the type of person that you are presenting the diamond to.

Dry saunas and steam rooms can cause damage to jewelry. The amount of moisture and heat can damage the pieces.

When buying diamonds, remember to shop around. Every diamond is uniquely different from another, and they each have their own flaws. When you personally see the stone, some flaws can be less important. When it comes to flaws, each jeweler prices diamonds a bit differently. Look around and you’re sure to find the perfect diamond for you, at a price you can live with.

Keep your jewelry in place with a strong clasp or closure. If your chains and pendants with costly gems do not have secure clasps, you may lose them. It is a wise idea to add a safety clasp to any expensive pieces of jewelry to avoid having them slip off accidentally. For added protection, you may choose to use an additional clasp beyond the one you already have.

Always remove your jewelry before swimming. Chlorine in pools will damage your pieces causing them to lose their luster. Even ocean swimming is not good for jewelry. The salt is damaging. By removing all of your jewelry before entering the pool or swimming in the ocean, you can prolong its life and keep it looking brilliant.

To keep your necklaces tangle-free, look for pretty, embellished robe hooks. Try hanging the hooks on the wall in your bedroom or on the back of the door, then put all your necklaces on them in the fashion that works for you. Not only is this a decorative touch to your intimate spaces, but it will protect the necklaces from being damaged by excessive contact with other pieces in a small box.

As previously discussed, jewelry can be an ideal gift for more than one occasion. Small pieces of jewelry can be very sentimental. Of course, you have to know the right ways to take care of your own jewelry. Nevertheless, the pleasure that you receive from jewelry will increase tenfold when you follow the advice above.