Thanks to all of you who read my last blog about “How to buy Jewelry the right way”
In the last 29 years I have been involved mostly in the fine jewelry side of the Jewelry business. There are only really 3 kinds of metals that are used to make fine jewelry, gold, platinum and silver. Today we are going to talk about the features and benefits of Silver Jewelry.
First it is significantly less expensive than the other 2 metals. I don’t want to quote numbers because they change daily, but it is substantial. You will see a lot of bigger bolder pieces in silver, sometimes because of the better price tag, and sometimes because it is the preferred metal by the designer.
Silver does have a tendency to oxidize and turn black.
This can be removed by polishing or some form of silver dip.
This is where I am going to give you a tip: Don’t ever get in the habit of leaving silver soaking in any liquid. Any dip, is just that, a dip, not a bath, and may end up taking the black off, leaving the metal looking gray and stained, or ALL black. Even
cleaning solutions should not be used for soaking
If you don’t like the fact that silver tarnishes, there is a solution called Rhodium plating. Rhodium is a silver colored metal that does not oxidize, and is used to plate over silver and white gold jewelry by some manufacturers. It has a distinct look to it, and once you have seen a piece that has it, you will be able to recognize it easily. Next time you are shopping for silver jewelry; ask to be shown a piece that is Rhodium plated next to a piece that is not. Rhodium has its good points and bad. It stops tarnish, but it can wear off too. If it does wear off in spots, you will have a piece that tarnishes in one spot, but not in another, and will be very noticeable. It works really well for earrings, and pendants, but not as well for rings and bracelets because of the difference in wear (we discussed this in my last blog).
Silver has recently been mixed with gold and diamonds in such jewelry as David Yurman and John Hardy. Their jewelry is not rhodium plated, and in my opinion these guys are genius!
They have made the design of their jewelry such that when it does oxidize, it actually looks better. It brings out the highs and lows in the design and makes them more definite. The twist in the David Yurman cable becomes more defined as the years go by, like
a good pair of jeans that age just right! This type of jewelry needs to be given to a professional for cleaning.
Please read my previous blog and leave comments on both!
Thank You,
Mike the Jeweler
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How to Buy Jewelry the Right Way
Hi, I am “Mike the Jeweler”, as seen on the Style Network’s reality show “Who’s Wedding is It Anyway”. This is my very first blog on a subject of jewelry buying, a subject I know as well or better than anyone else on the planet.
I want to protect and serve the retail public. I want to arm you with knowledge about jewelry buying, so you can buy jewelry right! I want to be accessible!
Did you ever buy jewelry from a total stranger, and then take it to some other stranger, or better yet, someone you “know, and trust” someone you didn’t buy the piece from in the first place, and ask the age old question “Did I get a good deal”? What if the answer is “no”? Why didn’t you buy from the expert, or someone you know and trust? You can ALWAYS “DO BETTER”, but there is a cost to THAT TOO!
I don’t mean to imply there is no room to purchase that one of a kind piece you saw on vacation and had to have. The impulse piece you fall in love with and cannot get from your normal “jewelry guy”.Ironically
that piece is the one you have to have no matter how “good of a deal” you are getting. You rationalize your way through the sale.
You can find a piece of jewelry for almost any price. Let’s talk about the “right piece” of jewelry instead of making it all about price, and a good deal.
Does the piece fit your lifestyle? If you garden with your jewelry on, I would not want you to do it with an Emerald ring and a bracelet to match. Have you ever had a jeweler tell you they would NOT sell you a thousand dollar piece of jewelry because they knew you would be “sorry later”, and lose the sale? I have done that multiple times in my 29 years in jewelry retail, and it feels good, and people trust me! Do you think all jewelers have that kind of practical approach, or have the integrity to tell you the truth with the loss of the sale looming? No way!
What is an “everyday piece” and what is not?
The classic every day piece is a diamond engagement ring. The minute you get “creative” and decide you want to have an Emerald, an Amethyst, or an Opal, or almost any other semi-precious stone in the center to be different, your “last forever”piece will become very temporary.
The above stones mentioned are very soft, brittle, or just plain fragile.
A ring lives on you hands and is subject to much knocking, scratching, hitting, and so on. Unless it has a Diamond, Sapphire, or a Ruby as the center stone, I would hesitate to call it an everyday ring. This also goes for Bracelets. Bracelets take as much or more wear than rings, and have more of a tendency to be worn with other bracelets they may knock into and wear against.
Stones in earrings are almost always safe. There is very little wear and abuse to an earring unless you wrestle, or are a circus performer. Earrings usually have their vulnerability in the structure of the metal, but the stones are usually safe. I would group pendants with earrings , the stones in these pieces are usually safe as well.
Diamonds are great! Such as ones that are found in Engagement rings. They are expensive, but they are DURABLE, and beautiful. They are used in Bridal jewelry because they represent love and longevity because they have been around for millions of years, and if you are married, it may seem like it has been millions of years (sorry, just being funny).
I have just written some of the important things I think you should know. Now I want you to tell me what YOU need to know by replying back.
Buy right!
“Mike the Jeweler"
I want to protect and serve the retail public. I want to arm you with knowledge about jewelry buying, so you can buy jewelry right! I want to be accessible!
Did you ever buy jewelry from a total stranger, and then take it to some other stranger, or better yet, someone you “know, and trust” someone you didn’t buy the piece from in the first place, and ask the age old question “Did I get a good deal”? What if the answer is “no”? Why didn’t you buy from the expert, or someone you know and trust? You can ALWAYS “DO BETTER”, but there is a cost to THAT TOO!
I don’t mean to imply there is no room to purchase that one of a kind piece you saw on vacation and had to have. The impulse piece you fall in love with and cannot get from your normal “jewelry guy”.Ironically
that piece is the one you have to have no matter how “good of a deal” you are getting. You rationalize your way through the sale.
You can find a piece of jewelry for almost any price. Let’s talk about the “right piece” of jewelry instead of making it all about price, and a good deal.
Does the piece fit your lifestyle? If you garden with your jewelry on, I would not want you to do it with an Emerald ring and a bracelet to match. Have you ever had a jeweler tell you they would NOT sell you a thousand dollar piece of jewelry because they knew you would be “sorry later”, and lose the sale? I have done that multiple times in my 29 years in jewelry retail, and it feels good, and people trust me! Do you think all jewelers have that kind of practical approach, or have the integrity to tell you the truth with the loss of the sale looming? No way!
What is an “everyday piece” and what is not?
The classic every day piece is a diamond engagement ring. The minute you get “creative” and decide you want to have an Emerald, an Amethyst, or an Opal, or almost any other semi-precious stone in the center to be different, your “last forever”piece will become very temporary.
The above stones mentioned are very soft, brittle, or just plain fragile.
A ring lives on you hands and is subject to much knocking, scratching, hitting, and so on. Unless it has a Diamond, Sapphire, or a Ruby as the center stone, I would hesitate to call it an everyday ring. This also goes for Bracelets. Bracelets take as much or more wear than rings, and have more of a tendency to be worn with other bracelets they may knock into and wear against.
Stones in earrings are almost always safe. There is very little wear and abuse to an earring unless you wrestle, or are a circus performer. Earrings usually have their vulnerability in the structure of the metal, but the stones are usually safe. I would group pendants with earrings , the stones in these pieces are usually safe as well.
Diamonds are great! Such as ones that are found in Engagement rings. They are expensive, but they are DURABLE, and beautiful. They are used in Bridal jewelry because they represent love and longevity because they have been around for millions of years, and if you are married, it may seem like it has been millions of years (sorry, just being funny).
I have just written some of the important things I think you should know. Now I want you to tell me what YOU need to know by replying back.
Buy right!
“Mike the Jeweler"
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