Worn out gold or silver plating:

Because typical costume jewelry plating is very thin it can eventually rub off from wear or become damaged from the use of harsh chemicals, creams, or perfumes. If this happens there are several options in gold and silver re-plating solutions that can be found online. Some are fairly simple and can be performed without the use of heat or electricity while others are a little more complex. I found one website in particular that offers a very good variety of plating options (e.g. immersion plating, pen plating) and general plating instructions for precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium. It is http://www.shorinternational.com. Click on the contents and search box and then plating gateway. One word of caution: I would recommend buying only cyanide free plating solutions as cyanide is poisonous. For silver lovers there is one product that I have personally used that has worked well for me and it is called Silver Brite. This easy to use cream polishes, cleans and re-plates in one step. It is very easy to use and fairly inexpensive. Just rub the cream on with an applicator sponge or a Q-tip for small items and rub off with the buffing cloth that is included with the kit. The result is a shiny, clean silver finish.

Tarnished or dirty:

Cleaning costume jewelry is simple but choose your cleaner wisely. Only use a jewelry cleaner that specifically states that it is safe for costume jewelry and read the ingredients to make sure that it does not contain alcohol, acids, or ammonia because these can strip the gold or silver plate. Use a children’s soft bristle tooth brush for cleaning around costume jewelry stones. I do not recommend submerging rhinestone jewelry as the stones may become loose and fall out.

If your costume jewelry items are only lightly tarnished a good buffing with a soft dry jewelry cloth may do the trick. For more heavily tarnished items a jewelry polish can work wonders.

Loose or missing stones:

If a stone such as a cubic zirconia, plastic, or glass has become loose or fallen out a drop or two of super glue will do the trick. Just be careful not to use too much. You certainly don’t want the glue to leak out and cause the piece to stick to your skin or another object. Most of the time a single drop will suffice unless it is a very large stone in which case you may want to use two drops. If you cannot find the missing stone there are companies online that sell loose cz stones if you have a special chain or ring band you want to salvage. Simply do an internet search for cz stones.

Broken clasp:

If your necklace or bracelet has a broken clasp make sure it is the actual clasp that is broken. Be sure to check the jump ring which is a small metal ring with an open spot where the clasp attaches to the chain. If this is the problem it can be easily fixed. First identify what kind of clasp it is. There are several types (e.g. lobster clasp which is shaped like a lobster claw and has a tiny spring loaded lever, a magnetic clasp which is just as it sounds) then visit your local craft store or do a search online for jewelry clasps and you should find what you need. If the clasp is soldered on you will need to contact a jewelry repair professional.

Outdated:

If you want to provide a more contemporary appeal to your older costume jewelry pieces its easy to mix and match. If you have a pendant with sentimental value bring it to life with a more modern chain. Add new charms to your favorite bracelet or re-plate that old silver necklace with a shiny new gold finish. Be creative!

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Men’s Ties

Jewelry has always helped define an era. The techniques and materials used in manufacturing jewelry during a particular period of time reflects that era’s market influences and world events.

Today, estate jewelry – jewelry that has been previously owned – is more popular than ever with collectors as well as consumers looking for original, high-quality designer pieces. What’s hot? Brooches – the bigger and flashier, the better – platinum and white metal, cocktail rings and watches.

“Watches from yesteryear are in high demand today because of their rarity and uniqueness,” said Tom Kowal, director of retail operations at Ross-Simons Jewelers. “Many customers seek out styles no longer in production from the famous-name watch manufacturers of today in order to stand out from the crowd.”

Ross-Simons says clients prefer estate jewelry for its versatility and excellent value. It is less expensive to buy estate jewelry than to have the same piece of equal quality recreated today. Plus, since many estate pieces are handmade and much heavier in weight, the workmanship often is superior. Finally, much of the jewelry found in an estate collection is one-of-a-kind, so wearers can be confident that their jewelry is unique.

Most estate collections contain antique jewelry (jewelry that is at least 100 years old) as well as modern-day pieces.

When shopping for estate jewelry, look for these defining characteristics of the jewelry from certain eras.

* Victorian: During the early Victorian era, women’s clothing was very modest, with no open necks and, therefore, no necklaces. Further, bonnets and hairstyles covered the ears; hence, no earrings. Instead, women wore large handcrafted brooches on their dresses, along with elaborate rings, bracelets and pendants. Ross-Simons indicates that jewelry from the Victorian era in particular is very much in vogue today.

* Edwardian: Simple and lightweight jewelry characterized this period of the early 20th century, when the Industrial Revolution was radically transforming and improving manufacturing processes. Platinum became the metal of choice in which to set diamonds.

* Art Nouveau: In this period from 1895 to 1915, jewelry moved in a drastically different direction. With prosperity on the rise around the world, old simplistic and ordinary styles became outmoded and free-form, free-flowing jewelry became the norm.

* Retro: During the years of World War II, platinum became a “strategic” metal for the government and therefore wasn’t used in jewelry. Instead, pink gold dominated this period. And as women’s lifestyles changed – they were helping the war effort by working in factories and business – jewelers started designing larger, bolder jewelry. The styles were strong and powerful, not petite and lacy as in previous years.

The Celtic History and Celtic Jewelry

Celtic jewelry has a very rich history. Celtic ancestors have shown passion in symbols and myths bringing back great Celtic legendary heroes and heroines like Conan, Dierdre, Emer, and Bran. These great epics have become the inspiration of the different Celtic jewelry designs today. The intertwining and rich coloration added with visual geometric symbols are likewise seen in men’s Celtic jewelry.

Caring for Your Celtic Jewelry

Some types of jewelry do not require much attention in terms of taking care of them, like silver Celtic jewelry. Since silver is made up from soft metal, it cannot easily scratch. But it is always advisable to take off any jewelry when working with hard and sharp objects. And beaches are not so friendly with almost any type of jewelry. The sand can leave terrible scratches on fine pieces, and what’s worse is there is a great tendency for jewelries to fall off.

Chlorine is the worst enemy of all gemstones and jewelries. Repeated exposure to chemical can tarnish your Celtic jewelry. Silver Celtic jewelry will turn blue black or grayish. Should you wish to remove tarnish over a piece of jewelry using a liquid tarnish remover, see to it that there are no stones on the piece, otherwise, you will be adding damage to your Celtic jewelry.

Silver, by nature, can be bent easily but frequent bending can make the piece brittle and hard such that when it is being bent more, it can break. It can be remedied by simply bending back the silver carefully and slowly and using no pressure at all. The safest step for any damage in your men’s Celtic jewelry is to bring them to a professional jeweler. In this way, you can save your Celtic jewelry safely. Further, silver Celtic jewelry should be kept in individual cloth bags so that scratching from one another can be prevented. A good piece of jewelry of whatever kind should be treasured and taken care of to make it last a lifetime. Remember, just like any other material assets you possess, the value of jewelries increases in time.

The Celtic Jewelry Site

If Celtic jewelry is what you are looking for, then check out the website Irish Indeed! The site offers an array of choices, from bracelets, bangles, pins, brooches, earrings and rings, name it and you’ll have them at Irish Indeed! You will find men’s Celtic jewelry that is also available in a wide range of sizes.

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Tips On Getting The Best Engagement Ring

If you have made your decision about which engagement ring you should choose for her I will recommend to survey a little bit about it online and I will also recommend verifying with your sister in law or mother in law about your girlfriends choice so that the ring will be chosen according to her choice. Engagement Rings, Diamond Engagement Rings, Solitaire Engagement Rings, Engagement Ring, Wedding Rings

You have the golden opportunity to choose the best engagement rings from a wide variety. You can also look for bridal set that will save your extra expenditure that can be expended on the honeymoon after marriage. Types Of Engagement Rings

So you need to look deeply which ring you are choosing any how will it suit with you partners lovely fingers. Once you have chosen the best design of the ring for your partner you should decide how much carat gold the ring should consist. The higher carat gold the ring has more will be the price of the ring. Tips for getting engagement rings of her choice

By adapting important tips and guidelines you, can save your money and also can buy engagement rings as per choice of your beloved. You can search engagement rings on online jewelry store where you can find a variety of option to choose the best.You should make sure you are comparing like quality diamond engagement rings. You can do this with the four C’s of diamond buying.
Cut
Clarity
Color
Carat Weight
Looking at engagement rings should be fun and exciting. It should not be stressful or frustrating, but as long as you shop the traditional way that’s exactly what it will be. Buying from reputable online retailers is a fresh way of doing things. It offers you an opportunity to look at hundreds even thousands of engagement rings, make a short list, compare what each retail has to offer in the way of price, style, and quality, all you can do all this from the comfort of your home. So why not grab a chair, grab your guy or gal, and start shopping online to see just what you have to choose from. Why not make a great memory?

Ugly black or gray tarnish is the enemy of the beauty of silver. What is tarnish? Simply put, it’s caused by the surface of the silver reacting with sulphurous fumes. Where does that sulphur come from? Somewhere in the environment, and I don’t like to think that it’s in the air, but it must be. Tarnish can also form on silver that’s been stored with rubber bands (why??), felt or wool.

The best way to keep your silver jewelry from tarnishing is to wear it frequently. Now that’s advice that’s easy to take! Frequent contact with your skin will help to retard tarnish formation. Clean the jewelry with a soft cloth after each wearing.

The next best way to stop tarnish from forming is proper storage. If you’re a collector, and you can’t wear all of your silver jewelry frequently, store it in individual zip-lock bags with an anti-tarnish strip. They’re inexpensive and available online through jewelry supply companies, and at fine jewelry stores. The strips are safe and non-toxic, and last about 6 months.

OK, you’ve got a beautiful piece of silver jewelry that’s been in a box somewhere, or you just bought it at an estate sale, and it’s black with tarnish. What to do?

An easy and eco-friendly way to clean silver is with soap and water, followed by a baking soda treatment.

First, wash the piece with soap and water to remove surface dirt, dust, oils, perfume or hair spray. (be sure to put the plug in the sink first!)

Next, line a pot with heavy duty aluminum foil, or use a disposable aluminum pie pan. Put the piece of jewelry in the pan, and cover it completely with baking soda. The piece should be in direct contact with the aluminum. Carefully pour boiling water over the baking soda so the piece of jewelry is covered. This is also an interesting science experiment, since you are creating a chemical reaction. The kids might want to watch.

Before long you’ll see tiny yellow or black flakes in the water, and the aluminum foil will be turning black. The sulphur in the tarnish likes aluminum better than it likes silver, so it’s attracted away from the silver and turns the aluminum black.

After a few minutes, lift the piece out of the water with tongs or a fork, and see how it’s doing. It shouldn’t be long before your silver jewelry is sparkling and tarnish-free. Once it’s clean, rinse it in clean water to remove all traces of the baking soda and dry it with a soft cloth. Rubbing with the cloth may remove any stubborn dark spots that remain. If the piece is severely tarnished, you may have to repeat the procedure.

I’ve seen baking soda paste used to clean silver, but this is not recommended for your fine jewelry pieces. The paste is an abrasive, and will leave tiny scratches on the surface of the silver. Not a good idea. Also, baking soda paste will be very difficult to get out from the settings around pearls or stones.

Toothpaste should never be used to clean silver. Some toothpastes contain baking soda or other ingredients that are much too abrasive and will scratch the piece.

A very easy way to clean slightly tarnished pieces is with a silver polishing cloth, available at jewelry stores and on line. I’ve used one for years, and it takes tarnish off with a little elbow grease. Chains are particularly easy to clean with the cloth – just wrap the chain in the cloth and run it up and down the chain. Black streaks appear on the cloth as the tarnish comes off the chain.

Once your silver jewelry is tarnish-free, wear it often, store it properly, and you’ll see very little tarnish adding its ugly color to your beautiful silver.

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The Allure of Fragrance – Perfume and Cologne

Throughout history men and women alike have used a variety of beauty products to make themselves feel and appear more attractive. One of the most popular beauty products through the ages is perfume, a fragrance created by mixing fragrant oils and aroma compounds and is meant to give a person a pleasant scent. Outstanding Men’s Jewelry

Admirers of moissanite will attest to the fact that its sparkle is over and above that of a diamond. Moissanite rings have no natural flaws, which is one huge advantage over diamonds. Moissanite rings grab the attention of all who see it and can be a great conversation piece. Moissanite stones have become more popular than cubic zirconium for wedding rings as well as engagement rings. Shakira: Alluring in Pink

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, the Colombian singer showed off her wild and sexy beauty around the Ibizan countryside for her latest shoots. The 33-year-old singer heated the world by her attractive voice at FIFA World Cup 2010 with her rock-hard abs performance “Waka Waka”, and this time is for Teen Choice Awards. Shakira rocks with her very toned bikini body and showed off her flexibility in her brightly pink two-piece paired with a fabulous pink tulle skirt. The talented and beautiful pop singer allures all over the world by either her smooth strong voice or charming beauty. Let’s see the most breathtaking photo shoots of the She-Wolf singer in the photo gallery captured in Ibizan countryside. Jewelry Tips – Making Jewelry Shopping Easier For Men

It’s not easy to go out for shopping with women, especially because they will look at a hundred things and then will get confused. Have you ever faced a situation where your wife spends the entire day out to find a piece of jewelry and then say that she is not sure about what she wants to buy?The bands are nowadays slightly thicker and less ornate than the woman’s wedding ring. Another phenomenon that may have boosted the existence of mens jewelry is the advent of the bling-bling era. This era, mostly propagated by rap and hip hop music artistes, saw the coming up of diamond-studded earrings, gold and silver chains with extra large pendants, diamond watches, and extravagant bracelets and rings. All these pieces of jewelry featured precious stones which made them obscenely expensive. This however defined a new standard in mens jewelry in that no cost was spared in ensuring the specific piece of jewelry was like no other in the market. Since not all men can afford the money hip hop artists spend on the bling-bling, sterling silver chains, rings and bracelets took centre stage as the new standard for the average man’s mens jewelry. It is no longer a surprise to see a man adorn more than three silver chains at a go and his fingers having one or two rings on either hand. Further, one wrist could bear a silver bracelet while the other a silver watch. The amount of silver mens jewelry a man owns has now come to signify his social standing. The sources of mens jewelry have not been very difficult to find; the place to find genuine jewelry pieces is however the trickiest. The initial stages of the silver and gold mens jewelry craze saw the manufacture of fake jewellery begin. Initially it was quite easy to differentiate between the genuine and imitation pieces but with time the rogues managed to refine their skill. A good source of genuine mens jewelry will issue a certificate indicating the purity of the metal making up the ornament. The internet is now taking over as the best avenue from where to obtain affordable and genuine mens jewelry.

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Mens Silver Rings Expanding in Popularity

You can find a lot of diverse shapes and designs of mens silver rings. This can make it less complicated or more challenging (tougher in case your not certain about your design) to seek out a ring that matches your character and personality. You may even get it a step additional and get a birth stone or possibly a valuable stone in your ring. These would. Silver Wedding ceremony Rings

The wedding ceremony ring is placed around the ring finger mainly because in the perception that a vein in that finger runs right on the coronary heart, producing the wedding ceremony ring an image of like and dedication. The silver wedding ceremony ring symbolizes eternal like between two individuals, it really is considered to become among the most romantic of treasured metals. Silver Fashion Rings: Affordable Elegance

Usually, people thought that costly and elegant rings are a must for everyday use. They are traditionally an important part of special occasions like engagement and wedding. Buy a silver ring for your wedding

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Advice for engagement rings

Finding the perfect engagement ring can often be frustrating and time consuming.These five easy steps will save you time and research on your way to finding your best choice. Cubic Zirconia Engagement Rings

Looking to get a engagement ring but finding it hard to find the cash to buy a diamond? If that’s the case then you may want to consider getting something that uses cubic zirconia rather than the real thing. Coming in at a fraction of the cost and still having the potential to look outstanding you might be glad you thought of it. Blue Diamond Engagement Rings

Diamonds are most popular for their many deep and clear facets; and of course their undeniable sparkle. Over time they have become a symbol of love and commonly given to express ones commitment. Engagement Rings – Non-diamond Cheap Engagement Rings

People usually prefer diamond and platinum engagement rings. But let’s face the truth; these rings are way too expensive to be bought by an ordinary man who works hard to earn a day’s salary. It’s possible to locate beautiful and cheap engagement rings in the non-diamond category. There are birthstone rings which many people prefer.The engagement ideas need not be elaborate, but should perfectly fit her taste and style.
4. The engagement ring should be made of the type of jewelry your bride-to-be likes. You can find ideas for engagement rings matching her style by taking note of the type of rings she likes.
5. If both of you have a favorite romantic restaurant, you can make special arrangements for a candlelit dinner. You can plan all of the arrangements in advance with a head waiter and present the engagement ring at the right time.
6. Alternatively, if you and your fianc

Combined with precious metals, amber can become an exquisite jewel. The beauty of amber jewelry is a result of good polishing and precise cut of a variety of amber stones. The color of the stones used to make amber jewelry is often gold, but amber can also come into many various unusual colors like: black, green, ivory, yellow, red, orange and even white. Natural amber may contain insects, feathers or flowers. Its colors are a feast to the eye and it is unique due to the fact that it imprisons something, unlike other precious stones. There are amber stones 30-90 million years old and they really represent frozen moments in time. Those treasures are a way to look back into well preserved moments of a life that existed in the past.

Amber jewelry is an original choice also because it has some interesting properties. It has a nice pine smell when you rub it on a piece of cloth, it’s warm and it contains succinic acid (a substance known for its therapeutic properties). The stone is not really a stone, but a resin that can become soft and malleable when heated and that can be chiseled very easily by jewel makers. Amber can be shaped in the most wonderful ways creating unique pieces.

This unusual stone is not used only for jewelry. It is in fashion and, therefore, artists use it to create amber sculptures and to decorate beautiful unique items with it. Amber jewelry is often used as magical amulets which protect from bad luck. It is also thought that amber jewelry can heal diseases from sore throats to anxiety. So, amber is an organic gem that people love not only for decorative purposes.

Amber jewelry was not always in fashion. A long time ago, the amber stone was considered to have flaws and was rejected from an esthetical point of view. Although it had periods in which its beauty was denied, there were moments in time in which amber jewelry was used as a diplomatic gift for princesses and princes. In the mean time, people used it in powders for curative purposes.

Because it began to be much appreciated, people started faking amber jewelry and they created quite an industry. Fake amber jewelry is everywhere nowadays, but there are some inexpensive ways to see if your stone is man made or not. You can test your amber gem’s authenticity by putting a heated needle on it. If the smoke smells like pine the gem is amber, but if it smells like plastic it’s definitely fake. For a non destructive way of testing, you can also rub the amber gem with a piece of cloth and smell it. If it smells like pine, it is a natural resin. The bad taste can tell you whether it is made of plastic not. If obtained through a chemical process, the just washed amber can taste poorly. Some other clues can also tell the truth about it. Amber does not melt, but it will burn. It will float in a bowl where you put one part salt and two parts water, while plastic and copal will sink.

If you do own real amber jewelry, you have to know how to protect it and save its value for many years to come. To clean your amber jewelry all you need is warm water and a clean piece of cloth. You mustn’t use any soap or detergent on it because they might ruin the amber’s structure. Even salad oil, butter or lard can destroy the resin. Amber jewelry has to be protected from heat or excessive cold because extreme temperatures may deteriorate it. A soft cloth is needed for wrapping each piece of amber jewelry in order to avoid contact, get scratched or become dirty.

There are many legends built around amber. It is said that the yellow resin is made of tears from the sun or (in Greece) from a nymph. Amber is also present in Ovid’s work as an incredible god like material which is out of this world. Even if you don’t believe that amber has incredible powers, there is no possibility of denial that amber jewelry is special. Wearing amber jewelry will give a more mysterious and unique look because the amber stone is itself an enigmatic gem which preserves history and charms the eye.