Shopping for jewelry within today’s market, can be a very exciting experience, but there are many things that you have to remember and take heed to. Start with these jewelry shopping tips and get a better idea of how to protect yourself while shopping wisely.
When looking to invest in jewelry containing sapphires, opals or rubies make sure that you understand what lab created means. Lab created gemstones are grown in a laboratory using scientific means. Jewelry that you see labeled as lab created such as sapphire has never seen Mother Nature. If you are looking for natural gemstones, you may be paying a higher price and spend significant time looking for a vendor outside of your local mall.
When going shopping for diamonds, make sure to set yourself a budget and stick to it. The world of diamonds can seem overwhelming and the prices vary a great deal. By keeping a budget in mind, you can cut down the vast variety, to a much more sensible variety to choose from.
When buying jewelry, don’t worry too much about current trends. Look for classic pieces that can be worn over several years. Something that’s too current will be quickly out of date. A stylish piece that you enjoy but isn’t the latest thing can be a part of your wardrobe for years to come.
If you’re trying to buy a diamond on a budget, look for one that has slight inclusions and is a less than perfect color of white. Often times, you cannot even see the inclusions and “off” color with the naked eye, but it can save you hundreds or thousands on the price of the stone.
Don’t discard your antique broach from Grandma, re-purpose it. If you put a chain through it, the broach instantly becomes a fashionable necklace. Vintage jewelry is extremely popular these days and finding a way to make it wearable makes it fashionable. Re-using is also a popular concept in our “green” society. That broach can serve you well with just a slight alteration to its use.
If you don’t know the ring size of the person you’re buying jewelry for, just get the size they have in stock – DON’T resize it based on your guess! You don’t want to be messing with a ring over and over again or you could affect it’s hardiness. When you give the ring to the recipient, let them know you will pay to have it resized.
To keep pearl jewelry looking like new, store it separately from other jewelry. While many gemstones are hard, pearls are quite soft and can be scratched easily. Try keeping your pearls in their own container with a soft lining. If you really want your pearls with the rest of your jewelry, try placing them in a soft bag first.
You do not have to spend a mint on your jewelry. Don’t underestimate a classy piece of costume jewelry as a perfect accent for your best outfit. There is a large variety of great stones that are inexpensive. If you keep your eyes open you can acquire gems at crystal prices.
Be sure to get your higher-end jewelry insured. You really never know what could happen and when. You can lose a gem because the prong gets weak or someone can just steal it. By getting it insured, you will have it protected and be able to replace it if something does happen.
Jewelry makes a great gift – and an even better surprise gift! A little foresight will ensure that appealing jewelry can be presented without consulting with the recipient beforehand. Pieces selected with the receiver’s taste and sizing taken into account are best. Just in case, the jewelry giver should know exactly how a surprise gift can be resized or exchanged.
If a piece of jewelry starts to darken or turn black, the problem may not be a matter of quality of the piece. This effect can actually be traced to a high acid content in the wearer’s skin. Often, but not always, a high acid content may also indicate a higher probability of an allergic reaction to metal alloys.
Make the presentation and pictures of your jewelry everything. Your customers won’t actually get to touch and feel the jewelry before they buy it, so having great pictures of your product will help sell it. It’s important that your customers know exactly what they are getting since they can’t physically see it.
Try using an aluminum pan, baking soda and boiling water to clean tarnished sterling silver jewelry. First, lay the jewelry in the bottom of the aluminum pan. Next, sprinkle a layer of baking soda over the jewelry. Once the jewelry is covered with baking soda, pour boiling water into the pan. Use a spoon to push the jewelry around in the pan. When the water cools, remove your jewelry and dry it off. Finally, polish it with a cloth to remove any remaining tarnish.
Shop early for wedding rings to avoid problems. Since wedding rings can typically take 6 weeks to arrive, the earlier, the better. If you are ordering custom-made jewelry it can take even longer. You may also choose to have the inside of the ring engraved, but be sure to add this to your order to avoid extra time delays.
Shopping today for jewelry, whether online or anywhere else can be very risky and can also, present great opportunities for savings. Take note to these wise shopping tips so you can shop safely, within your budget, and with the best practices in hand. You could find that jewelry shopping is much more than you ever imagined.
