Making your own jewelry is a fun and profitable way to make extra money. Many stores sell beads, clasps, and kits for designing your own jewelry. Older pieces can also be found at yard sales and taken apart to make stunning new pieces. This article will give you some ideas for designing your own pieces of jewelry.
Only purchase jewelry from well known retailers. If you are looking to purchase gold, silver or platinum make sure that the retailer has a professional set up and that their products come with a guarantee. Do not purchase from unknown vendors who claim that the jewelry they are selling at a discount price is made from real precious metals or gemstones, they are often imported fakes.
When getting body jewelry, find a licensed piercer who uses a needle. Even when piercing ears, it’s best to avoid piercing guns. Piercing guns are not as sterile, can lead to infection, and may damage skin and tissue. Avoid these risks, and look for a licensed piercing shop no matter what you’re getting pierced.
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 Something that’s too current will be quickly out of date.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.
In order to save money on the purchase of jewelry you should consider looking at local antique shops. Many people sell their antique jewelry to the shops when they are in need of money or if they have inherited it and just don’t want it. There is no reason to pay the high markups that come with jewelry.
Never use solutions or chemicals on emeralds. Chemicals, especially ammonia, will degrade emeralds to the point that they are unrecognizable. Emeralds are especially porous gemstones, so make sure to take great care when cleaning and storing these precious stones. If you are not careful with these, they will quickly lose their worth.
You should keep your pearl jewelry in room temperature environments. These sorts of environments can help keep your pearl jewelry from drying out and becoming brittle. At room temperature, your pearls will be able to hold on to moisture in the most efficient manner. Keep your pearls healthy when you follow this tip.
Jewelry Box
When storing your jewelry, be sure that you store it in a place with low humidity and free of open air. A box designed especially for jewelry gives the best protection, but a cloth bag can also work. Air and humidity can cause the metals that the jewelry are made of to tarnish. Precious metal jewelry can be polished to fix tarnish, but non-precious metals coated with a finish will never get back to their previous state.
If you would like to buy a pair of earrings for a loved one, make sure they have pierced ears first! It is a major faux pas to pick up a pair of gorgeous baubles only to find out they’re unwearable. If you can, check her jewelry box, or ask someone close to her who might know like her Mother.
Jewelry Stores
It is sometimes hard to stand out from the crowd or find a meaningful piece of jewelry. Jewelry stores usually sell the same type of designs that prove to be a bore after a while. Go bold and purchase handmade artisan jewelry instead. Handmade jewelry will always be a success due to its one-of-a-kind nature. You will never see anyone else wearing the same thing as you and you will also be supporting an artist instead of an import company relying on low wage labor.
Look for jewelry stores that are accredited members of the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, as well as the Jewelers of America. You are assured the best quality at the lowest price by stores with these certifications. You will find these certifications held by most big chain type outfits.
As stated at the beginning of the article, making your own jewelry can be a fun and profitable past time. Finding pieces to design your jewelry with, can be just as fun as making the jewelry its self. Hopefully this article has given you some great ideas, and you will be on your way to designing unique, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry in no time.