Know Your Jeweler
If you do not know jewelry…know your jeweler!
One aspect of jewelry buying is weeding out what is a good deal and what is not. Also what is quality and what is not. If you do not know your jewelry, know your jeweler.
A good jeweler will take the time to educate the consumer on the very basics of jewelry buying. The four C's, which are Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat weight. The four C's apply to diamonds. Make sure you know what you are buying. Your jeweler will show you under a microscope what you are getting for your money.
Also one other aspect is what metal is right for your loved one. Recently White gold and Platinum have been extremely popular, especially with the resurgence of the vintage look. Both metals have pros and cons. White gold will keep a polish or a high luster longer than platinum but it is not pure white like platinum. Most white gold has a rhodium plated finish on it to give it that nice white look, but in time it may wear away. It is easy to replate white gold but one should know that it is something to expect in the maintenance area of jewelry.
Platinum is a VERY strong metal and very white. But even though it is stronger, it is more malleable. What the malleability translates to is slightly more denting and dinging of the metal and eventually it loses it's luster before white gold will. This normally only happens at the bottom of the ring where things are touching it all the time.
Yellow gold is rumored to be making a comeback but we shall see what the consumer demands. Never be afraid to ask your jeweler any questions, that is why they are there.
One last facet of jewelry in general is maintenance. Your jewelry should be inspected at the very least once a year, but preferably every six months. A lot can happen in those six months and it is a nice peace of mind knowing that your jewelry is in good shape. Most jewelers do not charge for basic cleaning and inspections. W Brown Custom Jewelry & Design Inc. in Historic downtown Willoughby will always do FREE ring cleaning and inspections year round. Join them for the holiday stroll and have your jewelry clean and inspected.