Jewelry has long been fascinating to people, so it’s no surprise that there are nearly endless options in designs. The tips in this article are a good introduction to help you in selecting your favorite jewelry.

Steer clear of ammonia, bleach or other strong chemical solvents when you need to clean these items. Harsh chemicals can destroy the enamel, and ruin the stones in your jewelry.

Jewelry should be a purchase that truly lasts a lifetime. When choosing jewelry, you should always buy from a reputable store or dealer, in order to ensure you only get high-quality pieces. High-quality jewelry items will have superior craftsmanship and pleasing, aesthetic designs. The person selling the piece should know its history, including who made it and the source of the stones. Making sure that it is high-quality will ensure that it lasts forever.

Do they prefer to wear over-sized pieces or more delicate styles? Yellow gold or silver? Just paying attention to what they wear now will make buying for them much easier than asking a salesperson.

Taking proper care of your jewelry requires careful consideration. 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. Your jeweler can give you instructions on proper handling if you are not sure.

Costume Jewelry

Costume jewelry needs special care. Costume settings are often glued-in as compared to set-in. Don’t submerge costume jewelry in water or clean it with harsh chemicals. The best way to clean these pieces are to wipe them clean with a damp cloth and dry immediately with another cloth. This will ensure that your costume jewelry looks perfect.

Know what you want to do with jewelry prior to purchasing it. There is no need to spend your money on a bauble that you cannot see yourself wearing. Consider specific outfits and styles when making your selections.

A diamond with brilliant clarity and a perfect cut can be more attractive, not to mention more valuable, than a stone that is larger but flawed. Most important of all, make sure that the piece you choose complements the nature of the intended receiver.

Jewelry sets can make a great present if you are looking for a creative gift for someone. Many jewelers offer deals on jewelry sets. You can divide up the set into individual pieces and give them out one at a time. It will not only ensure you will always have a gift ready, it will also show the person that you care a lot about them.

Inspect the clasps of your necklaces and bracelets. You risk losing your necklace, and the expensive stones attached to it, if your clasp fails. You can get a safety clasp to keep costly necklaces and bracelets from falling off and becoming lost. You could even have more than one clasp installed on your most prized items.

Robe Hooks

To conveniently hang your necklaces, try using robe hooks. You can keep your necklaces organized by length, color or material when you install a row of robe hooks on a wall or right on the inside of your closet door. This will avoid ever having to untangle balls of necklaces in your jewelry box again. Also, the necklaces will look nice hanging up.

Don’t buy a piece of jewelry based solely on the brand. Not many people will be familiar with the brand, and if you allowed yourself to be persuaded by the jeweler to buy that brand, you more than likely paid far too much for the piece. There are many different manufacturers, that make high quality jewelry, without the huge markup for the brand name.

If you really want to be flashy and turn heads, wear onyx or crystal jewelry. Be kinder to your wallet and you’ll probably like the results.

It can be very hard to tell a natural ruby or sapphire from a synthetic one. Synthetic stones cost much less than high-quality ones that come from a mine, and their physical and chemical properties are virtually identical. If you’re going to purchase a natural sapphire piece, have it inspected by a gemologist or third-party jeweler for inclusions.

A lot of people are starting to combine silver jewelry with yellow gold jewelry when they pick out pieces to wear. When you want to create this look, wear at least one jewelry piece that weaves the two colors together. Otherwise, you’ll have a mismatched and outdated appearance.

It is possible to wear daintier, childhood necklaces by layering them between newer, modern necklaces and pendants. Adding a heart or a religious pendant to a cluster of necklaces can make the jewelry more personal and sophisticated.

Consider your price range before you go engagement ring shopping. Diamond shopping is an emotional experience. You can easily get distracted by it all and forget your planned budget.

There are specially-formulated silver cleaners out there, but the toothpaste makes a decent substitute if nothing else is available to you. Use a soft cloth or a paper towel to apply the toothpaste. Gently polish the piece with the paste, especially in heavily tarnished areas, and rinse the jewelry with water when you finish. It might not be exactly perfect, but it will not have tarnish.

If you clean your jewelry in a sink, be sure that you have a stopper in the plug at all times. A soapy piece of jewelry is hard to hold on to. If you cover your drain, you don’t have to worry about having to dig jewelry out of it.

Don’t just consider how your jewelry looks when choosing it as part of an outfit. You should consider what you need it to do as well. Is your outfit or the jewelry making the statement, meaning is your jewelry going to be front and center, or is it going to be more subtle and in the background complementing the outfit?

The information above will give you guidance for the next time you go out shopping for jewelry. Getting the facts on jewelry can help you narrow down the millions of choices.