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Tips on Buying Jewelry

Tips on Buying Jewelry


Buying jewelry can be a difficult process if you're concerned about quality. There are a lot of imitators out there trying to sell you pieces that aren't worth what their price tag claims them to be.
If you're looking to buy jewelry then you need to educate yourself on what's out there and what quality actually looks like. Here are a few tips when it comes to purchasing jewelry...

Gold

Gold Jewelry

Gold is a soft metal, so it is usually mixed with other metals to for the sake of giving durability to the gold. To learn more about gold, check out what Wikipedia has to say about it. When purchasing gold one of the most important things to consider is the karat quality. The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with other metals. For instance, 24k signifies that the gold is 100% gold and not mixed with any other metals. It's gold in it's purest form and it will be more yellow in color and softer. 18K signifies that it's 75%, 14k 58% and 10k 42%.
Make sure that when you purchase gold, you are paying for the karat quality. Don't pay 24k prices for anything lower than 24k. Always make sure that your receipt reflects the karat weight of the item.



Silver


When purchasing silver, make sure that either “925” or “sterling silver” is properly marked. 925 represents 92.5% silver. Don't be fooled into buying “German silver” or “nickel silver” as these metals do not contain any silver. Be aware also that silver tarnishes very easy over time, but the tarnish can be removed with the use of special cleaners.

Diamonds


When buying diamonds make sure you take the time be educated on what's important to look for in a diamond. Learn the 4 C's of what defines the quality of a diamond: Cut, color, clarity and carat.
Cut indicates in which style the diamond is cut, color can be from colorless to yellow, clarity is how flawless the diamond appears to be and carat is the overall weight of the diamond.

Gemstones


When looking to buy colored gemstones, it's important to remember that there are laboratory created gemstones out there now. While these imitation gemstones look identical to natural stones, they are not and therefore hold less value. So, an important question to remember to ask when buying gemstones is if the stone in question is synthetic or natural. Never pay the same price for a synthetic stone as you would a natural one. The value of a natural stone is much higher than that of a fake.

Platinum


Like gold, platinum is a precious metal that is often mixed with other metals. It tends to be a pricier metal due to the fact that it requires expert craftsmanship. It is also a hypoallergenic metal, great for those that might be allergic to other metals.
When searching for platinum, look for these markings to indicate quality, authentic platinum: 900 Platinum,900, PT900, 900PLAT or 900 Plat 100 Irid.

Jewelry is a valuable investment and if you're not careful, it's easy to be taken advantage of. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself on the matter. It could save you a lot of money and give you the confidence you need to bargain with jewelers

About the author

Henry Hernandez is a jeweler who owns his own boutique in Austin, TX. He also writes for www.shopjewelryfactory.com. He resides in Austin, TX You can find him on Google Plus.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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