With so many different retailers all offering the best deals and most beautiful jewelry, shopping for the perfect piece can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, this handpicked selection of tips and suggestions is sure to leave you more enlightened when it comes to finding the best rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

To make a patterned outfit really stand out, pair it with a neutral necklace. A neutral piece in a complimentary tone will anchor your ensemble and make you look more coordinated. Try choosing a piece that offsets your outfit in some way. For example, if you’re wearing a vintage floral top, a modern neutral necklace can give your look some balance.

When purchasing a silver plated piece of jewelry, immediately paint it with a coat of clear nail polish. Doing this will extend the life of the piece. It can also prevent those tiny scrapes and scratches that are so easy to get. Re-paint the piece once every few months for best results.

When buying jewelry as a gift, buy something that can be worn every day. Diamond stud earrings are an excellent choice as they go with anything. Watches are also a very utilitarian option, just make sure it’s classy but casual enough that she could wear it to work. Neutral colors are also an excellent choice.

When buying jewelry, the most important thing to consider is what you like and feel comfortable in. Even if bracelets or dangling earrings are in fashion, something that you dislike or don’t feel comfortable in never looks fashionable. When you’re uncomfortable, it shows. When you’re comfortable and like your look, it shows!

To open a jump link when making chain jewelry, hold the jump link steady with pliers your left hand, and grip the opposite side of the opening with pliers in your right. Gently twist your hands towards each other. This twisting action helps the jump ring maintain its circular shape without distortion, which will occur if you try to push the sides together without twisting.

When you are buying jewelry as a gift for someone else, be sure to figure out what their preferences are. Many people only like gold or silver, not both. Look at the recipients wardrobe choices and current jewelry to find what jewelry type they would be most likely to enjoy and actually wear.

When selling jewelry online, you should aim to offer as many alterations as you can. A customer may love a certain piece, but it is nine inches long instead of the eight inches he or she desires. If you don’t have an alteration to that piece, you could lose that customer. Therefore, you need to have foresight in your design stage in order to be able to accommodate your customers.

Avoid letting your jewelry come into contact with chemicals, such as those found in hairspray, lotion, perfume and other products. Some chemicals can stain or otherwise damage precious metals and stones. Porous stones like pearls, opal or turquoise should not be submersed in water for long, either, to prevent damage.

To keep jewelry safe, avoid putting it all in a jewelry box that sits out as a decorative piece in your home. Nothing says, „Come grab me, I am filled with expensive stuff!“� to thieves quite like a displayed jewelry box. If you want more access to your jewelry than a safety deposit box allows, and a professionally installed wall safe isn’t an option, get creative and hide your jewelry within objects not likely to even be touched by thieves. Air-tight containers can be be tucked inside plant pots or diaper pails, hollow out a book to form a secret compartment, or stash a small case at the bottom of a box of tampons! You need to think like a thief to avoid being taken advantage by a thief.

When making any type of jewelry purchase, first consider the amount in which you are looking to spend and then formulate the high and low end of your budgets. Once you go to a jewelry store, do not feel pressured to go over your budget regardless of how good the deal the jeweler is presenting to you. If it seems too good to be true, chances are it is.

When buying turquoise jewelry, make sure you’re getting the real thing. Some of the things you can check for are that the color is uniform throughout and that the stone tends more toward opaque than clear. Also, the presence of veins or splotches, ranging from white to black, are a good indication of a real turquoise rather than a fake one. Most important, buy from a reputable dealer and ask for written authentication of the value. Unfortunately, with all the enhancements done to fake turquoise stones, sometimes it’s hard to tell the real thing from an imitation.

Store your jewelry in the same way you wear it. This means hanging necklaces and earrings, and storing rings on padded sticks. Not only does this protect your jewelry from becoming tangled, knotted, or damaged, it also allows you to easily see what jewelry you have and what matches well together.

When selling jewelry online, you should make sure you provide information about yourself using an artists statement or a written presentation. You want to include your background, training, awards, organizations you belong to, and more. You need to make a personal connection with your customers because this connection will make it more likely that they purchase an item from you.

If you have extra beads left over after a jewelry project, use them to make a pair of earrings. Earrings are generally less time-intensive than other jewelry options, and you will not need as much material to complete them. A simple option is to thread bicone crystals and small seed beads, alternating the different types, and then attaching the ends of the thread to an earring finding.

With the advice in this article, you should have no problem finding the best deals, the most reputable sellers, and the most gorgeous and valuable pieces of jewelry. Remember these tips and you are sure to come out on top with an amazing bauble that will undoubtedly wow its intended recipient.