A great way to dress up a simple outfit is with a piece of metallic jewelry. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a dramatic piece that everyone notices. You can find necklaces and bracelets at outlets and big box stores that will work but are not fine jewelry. When you decide to invest in quality jewelry, like sterling silver 925 however, you want to make sure you are getting something authentic.
If the piece you are looking at is stamped with a . 925, 92.5, or 925 hallmark, that is a good indication that you have real sterling silver. This is only true however, if it is an American piece. The stamp indicates the presence of ninety-two and a half percent silver. The remaining percentage is some other metal, usually copper, to strengthen the piece.
Another way to determine the quality of a piece is to look for the word plated. When you see this on the description or price tag, you should not expect to pay very much for it, if you choose to purchase it at all. Plated means that the piece has a covering of a precious metal instead of actually being made of it. It has been produced using something cheaper like nickel or copper.
You can check the overall quality of any piece in a variety of ways. You can examine the clasp to see how secure it is. The clasp should not be difficult to open. Chains need to be free of kinks and bends in the metal. When you are looking at new jewelry, it should be shiny, not tarnished. Used or vintage pieces are often tarnished. This is not a reason to avoid them or presume they are inferior pieces.
You may find nice pieces in department stores, but experts warn that the markup can be extremely high. That's one reason the stores are able to able to have such great sales. Independent jewelers, on the other hand, normally don't markup up their jewelry in the same way. They seldom have the same kinds of sales for that reason.
If you love vintage metallic jewelry, antique shops, thrift stores, and flea markets are great places to find them. Sometimes you can find rare and unusual pieces for a fraction or what you would pay for new ones. Older jewelry can be a lot more interesting than their modern counterparts. When you see a person with a striking piece of jewelry, you might ask where they got it.
You can find anything online if you look long enough. You need to be careful if you decide to buy expensive jewelry from a seller you don't know though. Since you can't physically examine it, you have to depend on the seller's word. The description and return policy will tell you a lot.
There is nothing wrong with buying cheap, trendy jewelry. If you are going to purchase the real thing however, you need to know what to look for. It's easy to end up spending a lot of money on an imitation.
If the piece you are looking at is stamped with a . 925, 92.5, or 925 hallmark, that is a good indication that you have real sterling silver. This is only true however, if it is an American piece. The stamp indicates the presence of ninety-two and a half percent silver. The remaining percentage is some other metal, usually copper, to strengthen the piece.
Another way to determine the quality of a piece is to look for the word plated. When you see this on the description or price tag, you should not expect to pay very much for it, if you choose to purchase it at all. Plated means that the piece has a covering of a precious metal instead of actually being made of it. It has been produced using something cheaper like nickel or copper.
You can check the overall quality of any piece in a variety of ways. You can examine the clasp to see how secure it is. The clasp should not be difficult to open. Chains need to be free of kinks and bends in the metal. When you are looking at new jewelry, it should be shiny, not tarnished. Used or vintage pieces are often tarnished. This is not a reason to avoid them or presume they are inferior pieces.
You may find nice pieces in department stores, but experts warn that the markup can be extremely high. That's one reason the stores are able to able to have such great sales. Independent jewelers, on the other hand, normally don't markup up their jewelry in the same way. They seldom have the same kinds of sales for that reason.
If you love vintage metallic jewelry, antique shops, thrift stores, and flea markets are great places to find them. Sometimes you can find rare and unusual pieces for a fraction or what you would pay for new ones. Older jewelry can be a lot more interesting than their modern counterparts. When you see a person with a striking piece of jewelry, you might ask where they got it.
You can find anything online if you look long enough. You need to be careful if you decide to buy expensive jewelry from a seller you don't know though. Since you can't physically examine it, you have to depend on the seller's word. The description and return policy will tell you a lot.
There is nothing wrong with buying cheap, trendy jewelry. If you are going to purchase the real thing however, you need to know what to look for. It's easy to end up spending a lot of money on an imitation.
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