There is no such thing as knowing too much about jewelry. You could waste money if you make a poor purchasing decision. Here are some safe and reliable tips for jewelry selection and care. The following tips will help you understand how to choose and care for beautiful jewelry pieces, while preventing some common mistakes.

Keep your jewelry looking like new by wiping it with a polishing cloth. You can keep your items shiny without using chemicals. All you do is polish it like you would a glass with the two-sided cloth. Use a two-sided cloth to clean your jewelry, one for polishing, and the other for shining.

Don’t use harsh chemicals like turpentine or bleach to clean jewelry. You can turn your stones this way and it will eat away the enamel on the pieces.

Take care when you are storing your jewelry in the same place. It is better to use boxes, compartments, holders, and hooks for keeping pieces separate. Avoid simply piling them on top of each other in a box. This not only harms the fragile pieces, but it can also cause items, such as necklaces, to get badly tangled up with the other pieces of jewelry.

To distinguish between real and fake, bring a magnet when you shop for sterling silver jewelry. Magnets attract non-precious metals, and you can use this fact to detect fakes. You can generally tell genuine sterling silver by its stamp, which will look something like “.925 ster.” If your silver is not marked, it could be because it is not real!

Pay close attention to the design and style of their earrings, which may be hoops, gauges, studs, or something new. He or she may also have a preference towards gold, silver, or a different material. Knowing their preferences will be an invaluable guide when you go out to buy them a special item of jewelry.

Ask about any insurance a jeweler may offer when you are buying jewelry. Insurance policies allow you to bring a defective or broken piece into the jewelry store for repair. You can even find insurance on jewelry pieces that were stolen or misplaced.

To help maintain its appearance, take good care of it to keep it from getting tarnished. Don’t wear jewelry near water. If you let some metals get wet too often, they can tarnish, rust or become dull. You can give your jewelry an additional layer of protection by applying a thin coat of clear nail polish to it.

Try out the jewelery by wearing it for a period of time, like a day, so you can see whether it’s uncomfortable or doesn’t hang as well as you hoped. This will also let you know how the piece holds up in every day environments.

Well, it’s easy when you know how. This article has just touched on a few of things that you should know about this very rewarding hobby. There is much to learn, but at least you’ve now got a few good ideas to put to work.