Learn some tips that can help you become smarter about buying or selling jewelry. You can figure out everything you need to not fall for scamming “jewelers” and how to not lose money when trying to price and sell your jewelry pieces. It’s not so scary once you know the basics.
Try adding a special personal touch to your pieces by getting them professionally engraved. You can add just about anything and it makes it a more special and memorable piece to you or somebody you care about. You can get names, initials, small messages, symbols, etc. finely carved into your pieces to truly make them one-of-a-kind.
Jewelry consignment stores are a great place to sell your jewelry. Consignment stores will sell your jewelry for whatever you think is a fair price, and they take a certain percentage of the sales when the item sells. They will usually display it for about 3 months and then you have the option of either picking it up or selling it to the store. Occasionally the store will keep it on display for longer if you ask.
When looking to invest in fine jewelry, understand the different price ranges different metals and gemstones fall into. For example, understanding that opal is very expensive, you can already figure out if you see someone selling it for under twenty dollars, it is a fake. Knowing that sterling silver is a lot cheaper than white gold, but quite similar in appearance, can help narrow down your price when looking to invest in a nice pair of earrings.
When buying a new piece of jewelry, be sure to check on the current fashion trends. Price a variety of similar items before buying an expensive piece.
Use an egg to antique your sterling silver jewelry. Just boil the egg, chop it up, and put it in a bag with your silver piece. In a few hours your jewelry will change colors and then you can polish it to a beautiful antiqued look. This is an effective method because egg contains sulfur, and sulfur causes the reaction when mixed with sterling silver.
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.
When selling a piece of jewelry online, you should aim to present the stone in the best way you can. You need to be very creative to sell the piece. If there’s any unique feature, be sure to include that feature. However, you must make sure that any metaphysical claims you make are not claimed to be scientific facts.
You can safely clean your jewelry at home. Mix a small amount of mild detergent in water. Allow your dirty jewelry to soak for several minutes and then gently scrub it with a soft toothbrush. Finish the cleaning by rinsing your jewelry in clean water and allowing it to air dry.
When you are working with any kind of silver there is one word that you should always keep in mind – polish! If you polish your silver regularly it will keep it shiny and beautiful for much longer. This helps to extend the life of the piece as well as look newer for longer.
If you have nice jewelry, chances are you will want to clean it from time to time. You will want to use a mild soap and warm water, rinse, and then use a soft cloth to polish it. Always dry your gold and silver jewelry before you store it to keep it from tarnishing and to prevent water stains.
When you are making a jewelry purchase, it is important to feel a level of trust and understanding with the salesperson you are working with. If you do not feel comfortable with the salesperson helping you or they are not grasping the concept of what you are looking for, do not hesitate to ask for someone else to assist you with your purchase.
When it comes to taking care of your jewelry be sure to not transfer it between a wide range of temperatures in a short amount of time. This is important so that you do not cause stress fractures in your jewelry. Metals naturally expand with temperature change, however damage can occur if the change happens quickly.
Before deciding to start a home jewelry business you want to make sure that your skills are up to par. Typically, people who purchase from jewlwers do so because they expect unique, high-quality goods. You will not be able to make too many sales if your pieces look unfinished and fragile.
Have you ever had a gold or silver chain knot up and kink? It’s difficult to get them to go back to normal, and often this requires a jeweler’s expertise. However, before you call up that jeweler, try using a little cooking or baby oil to try and get those kinks out of your necklace. It works!
Gold jewelry can be effectively cleaned with one teaspoon of ammonia, one teaspoon of dish soap, and one cup of water. The dish soap will act as a de-greaser, while the ammonia has an oxidation quality. You can use this as your regular cleaner for gold jewelry, but never use it on precious stones.
As you can see, buying or selling jewelry isn’t nearly as difficult as it may appear. It just requires doing research, some legwork, asking questions, getting certificates and other related jewelry material. The work will pay off once you see how it can help you with your jewelry buying and selling goals.