Most people love to wear and own fancy jewelry, but not everyone knows how to properly maintain that jewelry. It’s important that you learn how to care for it if you don’t want to have to replace your jewelry. This article compiles some advice to give you a starting point on maintaining your jewelry.
Save some of your most fragile jewelry for special occasions only. Some fragile stones like opal and peridot should only be worn for special events and then carefully stored until the next occasion. This may seem irritating since you want to be able to wear your best pieces, but it can prolong their life if you avoid exposing them to harm too often.
You can easily create your own special charm bracelets. You can purchase blank charm bracelets at almost any jewelry store you can think of. The best part is putting on your own charms. Don’t be boring or bland by buying a pre-made charm bracelet. Display your private personality and memories with charms that mean something to you. Collect charms from different places you love to visit or take apart vintage pieces of mismatched jewelry that no longer serve a purpose. Making your own charm bracelet is not only a fun pastime, but also proves to be a fashion statement.
To make create a simple, feminine look, try layering thin necklaces. The delicate appearance of a thin chain necklace can soften your draw and look attention to your face. To only wear necklaces with a very similar style, although when layering necklaces, it’s best to make each layer a different length.
Cure the green skin of copper jewelry easily. When you wear jewelry that has a copper base you may soon find yourself turning into a martian. The green is caused by the metal oxidizing. Stop it in its tracks by applying clear nail polish to any jewelry surface that will be touching your bare skin.
If you plan on swimming, beware of wearing hemp jewelry. Though hemp jewelry can be very appealing and beautiful when you are dry, you can quickly find yourself in dire straights. Hemp shrinks when wet and can quickly become too tight for you. Be especially wary of hemp choker style necklaces.
Always clean all of your jewelry, both after and before using it. This will help you to remember to keep it polished before storing it for a long period of time. Keeping jewelry clean and safe will extend the life of all types of pieces, including metals and all types of stones.
But hate the irritation it causes, then you may want to examine the metals in the jewelry, if you love wearing jewelry. Higher karats of gold are less likely to cause irritation so opt for 14 or 18 karat. You could also try platinum or even palladium as both of these metals are harder and stronger than gold.
Buying used jewelry is an option to consider, as well. Used jewelry can be found in consignment and pawn stores, art galleries, estatesales and jewelers, or in some cases, yard sales. Before you consider used jewelry, research the type of piece you think you are looking for, so that when you see it at one of these places, you will be able to determine if the item is indeed legitimate or just a reproduction.
Congratulations on finishing the article! Now you have a starting point on how to keep your jewelry looking great for years to come. Hopefully you’ve learned something new along the way. If you’re still not sure how to maintain your jewelry properly, there are tons more pieces of advice out there for you to find.