If you are looking to find jewelry to compliment your clothing, there are several easy ways to figure out what will work and what won’t. Check out the following tips on how to combine jewelry with clothing and how to shop around for pieces of jewelry that you will love wearing.
Stay away from cheap glass jewelry. Borosilicate and lampwork glass jewelry are a new rage. Many styles of this type of jewelry are popping up in malls all over the country. However the products labeled as high quality lampwork glass are nothing more than cheap imported glass goods. Such glass products are usually not kiln annealed which means that there is a high chance that the product can shatter, cutting your skin while you’re wearing it. Purchase glass jewelry from local artisans or reliable vendors that you know are selling quality products. If it’s too cheap, you know it is too good to be true. Good glass costs anywhere from the low forty dollar range up into the hundreds.
Do some shopping around when you are looking to buy some diamonds. Take a close look at a truly top notch diamond, and then hold everything else you consider to that standard. Look out for tricks that make the diamond look better than it is.
Buying jewelry for someone else can be challenging. Look at what they choose for themselves and try to find something similar. Avoid sized items like rings unless you know what their size is. If you guess, what’s going to happen if you guess wrong? It may help to go window shopping with them and see if they mention a certain store, brand, or even a specific item.
To keep your jewelry looking great, take steps to prevent it from tarnish. Do not wear jewelery around water. Lots of jewelry materials are dulled or tarnished by water exposure. A very light coating of clear nail varnish can be applied to some jewelry, and this will add an additional line of protection against the elements.
Create a vintage Victorian look with jewelry you already own. Layer several necklaces of different lengths and materials together. If you don’t have any long necklaces, consider fastening several shorter ones together end to end. Thread a piece of ribbon or lace through them and add a cameo pin clipped to one side to finish.
Buy your stones loose when you are creating your own jewelry designs. You will be able to pick out a stone that best reflects your desires. Once you find the perfect stone, your ideas for a perfect setting will be much easier to decipher. Any good piece of jewelry starts at the stone.
Make sure you give yourself adequate time when ordering a new jewelry piece. Most pieces have a turn around time of six to eight weeks. This can become a problem quickly if you need the jewelry for an important occasion. Make sure you give yourself extra time on top of the proposed time-frame.
Although it may seem obvious, never wear any type of jewelry when you are swimming. Not only is the water itself a bit difficult on the piece, but most swimming pools are treated with chemicals that will cause lasting damage to the piece, if it does not ruin it completely.
Any time that you are working on cleaning your house or any other place, you should first remove any pieces of jewelry that you are wearing. Not only is there a strong possibility of loss, but the cleaning chemicals can be very strong on your fine jewelry. Avoid these problems by first removing any jewelry.
The best way to clean your jewelry is with an ammonia and water combination. This can easily be done at home. The commercial solutions on the market contain ammonia and water as their main ingredient. Go the cheaper route and make your own jewelry cleaning solution at home and you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.
Ask your jeweler if they have the current equipment that is used to distinguish real diamonds from those that were created in a lab. Most of the older equipment can detect cubic zirconia, but sometimes they mistake lab diamonds for real ones. Making sure your jeweler has the correct testing equipment can save you from being a victim of fraud.
When it comes to taking care of your jewelry be sure to not transfer it between a wide range of temperatures in a short amount of time. This is important so that you do not cause stress fractures in your jewelry. Metals naturally expand with temperature change, however damage can occur if the change happens quickly.
When trying to think of new jewelry designs, just look around you! You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to find inspiration from nature and your surroundings. Take photos of things that inspire you to make your jewelry so that you can reference it with ease later. You can find inspiration for a number of things, including color palettes and shapes.
If you are planning to purchase a piece of jewelry for your wife or girlfriend but do not want to ruin the surprise, do some detective work. Stealthily, sneak a peek in her jewelry box or simply pay attention to the pieces that she wears the most. Take note of details like whether she favors gold or silver, thick or delicate chains, or diamonds versus colored stones or pearls. This information will help both you and the salesperson narrow down the selection.
Jewelry can make or break an outfit. Choosing a piece that is too gaudy can ruin a nice ensemble, and having something too understated can risk it being overlooked altogether. Following a few simple rules of fashion can ensure you don’t make any glaring mistakes when you need to look good.
