Unique
Handmade Jewelry
By: Blue Crockatt
Handmade Jewelry
In
our modern society it's so common to go for that perfect ring which
was molded by machines. But more and more people are turning to
handmade jewelry. There are many good reasons for that. Mostly people
don't want to wear the same ring as millions of others. Makes it
a lot less sentimental & valuable when you get to run into other
women with the exact same ring all the time. Handmade jewelry may
have small imperfections some times but it does prove that it was
really handmade & unique.
Handmade
jewelry is often personnalized to suit perfectly the person who
wear it. Adding a small detail to it like a small cat face or frog
or some fetish to it can often make it your #1 jewelry piece. Often
you can choose your gemstone yourself within a selection. Most people
choose either their birthstone or their favorite color. Also you
can add initials or words... The plus side is that it makes no sense
to steal it unless the person has the exact same initials. Also
if you ever find somebody wearing your unique ring, you know it's
yours & you can claim it back easyer.
Seems
like so many people want the exact replica of their favorite star.
But stars also turn to handmade jewelry. Conforming to the style
of non-conformists is sometimes pretty hard. While jewelry makers
can reproduce anything you should consider something similar in
style but unique itself too.
The
best thing about handmade jewelry is that anything is possible!
The sky is truely the limit & as long as you know what you want
you can get it! I truely hope more people will turn to unique jewelry
& stop buying massively produced jewelry. We are not clones
each of us is truely unique & we should not forget that.
Author
Bio
It would be my pleasure to make you your unique piece of jewelry
too. Take a look at my gallery & let me know what you would
like! sterlingsilverart.com
Silversmithing artist Blue Crockatt invites you to see her latest
handmade jewelry at sterlingsilverart.com
_________
Buying
Jewelry Online: How To Choose The Right Company
By: Jill Renee
For anyone looking to purchase fine jewelry, online shopping can
be a great way to find the right piece at the right price. There
can be many advantages to buying fine jewelry online - with savings
being one of the major factors. Reputable online jewelers usually
have much lower overhead costs, and can pass those savings on to
the consumer. Another advantage of buying fine jewelry online is
convenience - you need travel no further than your computer to choose
your jewelry and make your purchase. This being said, there are
things you need to consider in order to make your fine jewelry purchase
a positive experience.
Choose
a Jeweler You Trust
The first thing you need to do is find an online jewelry store that
you can trust. You will have to do a little bit of detective work
in order to eliminate the less desirable companies and end up with
a list of jewelers that you feel confident doing business with.
Find
out if the website is secure. The jeweler's website should have
128bit SSL security. This is an absolute must when you are purchasing
online, since you will most likely be using a credit card or supplying
your bank account information. Somewhere along the line you will
be supplying information about yourself, and the 128bit SSL security
will ensure that no unauthorized party can get access to your information.
Also,
any diamond you buy, whether it is online or from a store, should
come with a diamond certificate. The Gemological Institute of America
independently certifies diamonds providing information on a diamond's
characteristics such as color, clarity and size. This is your best
way of knowing the quality of the diamond you are buying.
The
Online Jewelry Store Should Provide Excellent Customer Service
This cannot be stressed strongly enough. Before you make a fine
jewelry purchase from a website consider contacting the jeweler's
customer service department by email and by phone. When talking
to a customer service representative, ask questions and pay close
attention to the responses you receive. If the rep seems irritated
with your questions or is spending the entire phone call trying
to rush you into buying a product, consider that a "red flag".
If
you contact them by email, check to see how quickly they reply.
It should take them no longer than 48 hours during the business
week - within 24 hours is the ideal. Look for professionalism and
a helpful attitude in their emails.
The
Website Should Be Informative
The jeweler's website itself should have information on how to buy
a quality diamond, the different types of precious metals, etc.
They should have a wide variety of choices, and be able to help
you find what is right for you. By providing you with information
the company is helping you make an educated purchase.
Look
for Quality Craftsmanship
What the Internet can offer you is the chance to shop several stores
without having to drive all over town; this allows you to choose
a company whose fine jewelry shows attention to detail and craftsmanship.
The
Return Policy Can Be Important
What if you receive the jewelry and are dissatisfied? Review the
company's return policy before you buy so you know what rights you
have if you want to return your fine jewelry purchase.
See
If They Offer Extra Perks
Things like free shipping add up to big savings. If the online jeweler
is located outside of the state you are buying from you pay no sales
tax. Free shipping combined with no sales tax can make a big difference
in your bottom line. Some companies offer a discount on your next
purchase. This can also save you big money. If a company is offering
these or other incentives, they will likely have this information
throughout the site and in their shopping cart.
Your
Jewelry Purchase Should Provide Good Value for the Money
When buying fine jewelry, you are getting a piece that will last
a lifetime and become a family heirloom. Look for fine jewelry that
offers the best value which is not only determined by how much the
jewelry costs but by the quality of the piece and the materials
used.
Online
jewelry shopping offers convenience, selection and value. Consider
the factors above when making your next fine jewelry purchase so
you find the online jeweler that is right for you.
Author
Bio
Jill Renee is the president of Danforth Diamond, an online jewelry
store specializing in fine jewelry and diamonds - on the Web at
www.danforthdiamond.com/
____
How
to Store Jewelry
A guide to storing jewelry so that it is protected and easy to find.
© Maire Loughran
Jan
6, 2007
Irritated
because it takes forever to find the exact piece of jewelry you
want to wear in your jewelry box? Find out how to store and preserve
jewelry.
If you design or collect jewelry you more than likely have a lot
of jewelry, partially finished jewelry and jewelry components in
your house and studio. Without a simple storage system it would
take forever to find what piece of jewelry you are looking for.
Additionally, without careful storage procedures your costume, bridge
and fine jewelry can be needlessly damaged.
To
follow is a very simple method for storing jewelry - purchase a
cheap, plastic three-drawer organizer for your sterling silver and
gold filled (rolled gold) jewelry. They cost about US$2 at one of
those discount stores like Big Lots. And, they seem to last forever.
One
drawer is used for storing necklaces, one for bracelets and one
for charms and rings. Each individual piece of jewelry is then stored
in it's own small plastic Ziploc bag with an anti-tarnish strip.
The plastic bag serves to both protect the piece of jewelry and
retard tarnishing. You can buy plastic jewelry bags with the anti-tarnish
strip built in.
It's
just a whole lot cheaper to make your own anti-tarnish bag. First,
buy small plastic bags in the crafts department of a store like
Wal-Mart. You can buy anti-tarnish strips from Fire Mountain Gems,
cut them into individual pieces and just throw them in the bag with
the jewelry. Every nine months replace all the anti-tarnish strips
and you wilI have no problem with maintaining your sterling silver
jewelry.
If
you are fond of earrings store all your earrings (karated gold,
gold filled and sterling silver) in another three-drawer organizer
dividing the earrings between drawers according to type. Karated
gold chains can be hung on pegs to keep them from kinking. Karated
gold does not tarnish so it is not necessary to store karated gold
in plastic bags.
After
wearing make sure every piece of jewelry is wiped off with a damp
cotton cloth and allowed to dry prior to being put back into it's
plastic bag - or in the case of karated gold chains hung back on
the peg.
Two
to three times a year use silver glaze on the sterling jewelry and
jeweler's rouge on the gold filled and karated gold. Take care that
you do not get any silver glaze or jeweler's rouge on any gemstones,
pearls or coral that is a part of the piece of jewelry.
