Tips On How To Care For Your Jewelry

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Tips On How To Care For Your Jewelry
Buying or selling jewelry requires a lot of research and understanding to get what you want or what you need. It might be difficult to know where to begin your research, into buying and selling jewelry.

Jewelry should be stored in an air-tight and humid free area. To ensure it is protected, keep your jewelry in a drawstring bag or a jewelry box that is closed. Tarnish is a chemical reaction that happens when silver and other metals are exposed to moisture and air. You will be able to polish precious metals to remove tarnish, but non-precious metals may lose their coating, showing the copper metal beneath.

If you are shopping for sterling silver jewelry, you'll need a magnet and an eye for the real thing. Imitations will be attracted to your magnet. This is an easy way to recognize quality. You will always find a hallmark stamp such as ".925" or "STER." on genuine sterling, or alternately, it might simply say, "STERLING". If there is no marking on the piece, it may not be sterling silver.

When purchasing jewels, you should understand which type of stone you are getting. Gems can be natural, imitation or synthetic. Both synthetic and natural gems are real however, imitation is simply plastic. The difference here, however, is that synthetic is man-made in a laboratory while natural is found buried in the earth.

Always compare prices before purchasing any diamonds. Look at what you like close up, and compare them to other pieces you have seen. Look out for tricks that make the diamond look better than it is.

It's great that you love costume jewelry, but make sure you evaluate the condition of any piece you plan to buy. This type of jewelry can be extremely expensive and makes an incredible investment. However, this type of piece can have a lot of wear and tear, which wouldn't be worth your money or time. A piece that is free of any defects or wear not only looks better, but is also a better investment.

Clearly, buying and selling jewelry successfully requires ample amounts of research and effort. If you remember the tips listed above, you are sure to be successful.