Whether thinking of a gift for your beloved or a cherished personal item, it is perfectly understandable to be passionate about jewelry. Given that there is a diverse array of jewelry on the market, and each involves special tips for care and wearing, it is helpful to have a bit of information. The tips provided here will help you gain valuable knowledge that you can apply as needed.

Always keep your jewelry in a place that doesn’t experience extreme temperatures or humidities. To protect your jewelry it is important to secure it in a small bag with a drawstring, or in a jewelry box that remains closed a majority of the time. Being submitted to extreme humidity and temperature can cause your pieces to tarnish. 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 want to buy sterling silver pieces, use a magnet and examine the jewelry very carefully. If the piece you are examining is not silver and is made from non-precious metal, it will be attracted to the magnet. Another way to tell if a metal is sterling silver is to check for a hallmark stamp, for example .sterling, .ster, or .925. If there is no marking on the piece, it may not be sterling silver.

Check to see if your jeweler offers an insurance policy before purchasing an item. Look for a good policy that lets you return damaged items. You might find some jewelers who are willing to insure it against loss and theft.

If you want to maintain the look of your jewelry, you should prevent it from becoming tarnished. Try to keep your jewelry away from water. Metals will often tarnish or rust when in contact with water. Painting a thin layer of clear-colored nail polish on your metal jewelry can add a protective barrier to it.

When shopping for jewelry, think about the stones in the pieces. Try to choose a stone that meshes well with your taste or personality. Also, consider what looks good on you. Think about how the stones will work with your style, and pick neutral colors that go with everything in your wardrobe. Having a beautiful piece of jewelry is pretty worthless if you cannot wear it.

To keep your jewelry looking clean, only put it on after your make-up is applied and set. Any kind of spare dust or oil will attach itself to your jewelry, so putting it on before makeup will just make it look a little dirty. This is even more necessary for earrings and necklaces.

Before you purchase gemstone jewelry, you should first determine if and how the stone was treated. Gemstone treatment can affect the type of care the piece needs. If your gem was treated you have to find out how to clean it properly.

Jewelery is such a complex world that everyone finds themselves overwhelmed by choices, prices or occasions at least once. You will hopefully feel a little more confident when you tackle your next jewelry decision, thanks to this article’s tips.