No matter who you are buying jewelry for or why you are buying it, you must know how to responsibly purchase, sell and adequately care for it. This article is filled with useful advice on purchasing jewelry.

Try using a polishing cloth on all of the jewelry in a collection. This is a chemical-free method to maintain the appearance of your fine jewelry. Use the two-sided cloth to polish your jewelry as if you were cleaning glass. Use the one side designated for polish, and the other for making it shine.

Avoid harsh chemicals like bleach, ammonia and acetone that may permanently damage your jewelry. Chemicals can eat away the stones or enamel on your stones.

Find out more about the gems you look at. Ask about where they came from and to which category they belong. Jewels come in natural, synthetic and imitation forms. Natural and synthetic are both real, while imitation is just basically colored plastic. Synthetic gems come from a lab and natural ones are found in the ground.

Prevent your jewelry from tarnishing so that it keeps looking great. Avoid wearing your jewelry near water. Metals will often tarnish or rust when in contact with water. Clear nail polish, applied in a thin coat, can give jewelry some added protection.

Costume Jewelry

When collecting costume jewelry, pay close attention to the condition of any piece you are considering. Costume jewelry can prove to be a good investment, but also a costly one; keep in mind the pieces you wish to add to your collection don’t show too much wear. The most useful pieces in your collection are the ones that are in excellent condition.

Wear the jewelry around for a day or so to be sure that it fits right and is comfortable. This also helps you to see its durability.

You need to know how to care for each piece in your jewelry collection. Each kind of setting, metal, and stone has its own particular maintenance need. A technique that is effective for one type of stone or metal may actually cause damage to another. Speak with a knowlegeable jeweler if you do not know the best way to take care of your jewels.

One key thing to remember is to only put your jewelry on after you’ve applied your makeup. Putting jewelry on prior to applying makeup or hairspray allows gunk and grime from your beauty products to settle on the jewelry, leaving it dull and potentially harming the finish. This is especially true when earrings and necklaces are concerned.

Plastic Wrap

Untangle your knotted messes of delicate chains and necklaces. Don’t give up on getting the knots out, instead get a sheet of plastic wrap. Put your knotted chains on the plastic wrap and cover with a little baby oil. Gently untangle the knots with needles. When you are done, use soap and water to wash them.

Before you buy any item of jewelry, have a think about what your long term plans are for it. There is nothing worse than a box full of unloved jewelry. When you are picking the jewelry out, think about the clothes you will be wearing.

You can have a more beautiful diamond if it is cut correctly, as opposed to a diamond of a bigger size. In addition, consider the characteristics and traits of the recipient of this diamond.

Comparison shopping is vital to the diamond-buying process. Every diamond varies and has individual flaws. When you see the diamond in person, the flaws, of course, can become much less important. Furthermore, jewelers may be willing to extend a discount to compensate for certain types of flaws. Comparison shop between various jewelers to locate the best diamond in the price range that you can afford.

Jewelry sets are a great gift item to consider. Jewelry in sets comes with a discount at many jewelry stores. You do not have to give your loved one the entire set at once. You can present him or her with one piece as each occasion comes around. This way, you know that you are giving a present that perfectly matches something the person already has.

Jewelry is extremely valuable, economically and sentimentally. By learning what you need to do to properly care for your jewelry, you are working to protect memories and the money invested in it. There is much more information available, too; if you continue educating yourself you will learn how to get even more from your jewelry.