In general, sterling silver is referred to the alloy of 92.5% pure silver with 7.5% of other metal, usually copper. Sterling silver properties are suitable for jewelry maker to create a nice piece of jewelry. However, how can you be sure whether the sterling silver jewelry that you are looking at is really contained the metal silver? There are ways to test whether your silver jewelry is made by real silver or not. Rear and learn.

1. Using magnet: this is the simple and easy way to test your silver. Silver, in the similar way as gold and platinum, they are not attracted to the magnet. If the silver jewelry piece is attracted by a magnet, you can be sure that the piece is not real silver.

2. The mark of “925”, “.925”, or “S925” to indicatepercent of silver inside the alloy metal. This mark should be put somewhere on the jewelry body, on the clasp or other hidden area of the jewelry. It can be either stamp or mark of this number. Typically, for necklaces and bracelets, the stamp will be on the clasp while for rings, it will be stamp on the inside of the band.

3. Using a soft and white cloth: rub the piece with this cloth, if there are black marks on the cloth, you can be sure that the piece contained real silver. This black mark is occurred by oxidation of silver in the air. This is the reason for tarnish of silver jewelry after sometimes. Don’t worry about the beauty of jewelry, you can easily remove these marks by polishing reagent.

4. Using your smelling skill: a real sterling silver will not smell in anything. But if you got some smell, like faintly copper or brassy odor, the piece might probably not a real sterling silver.

5. Check on price: the real sterling silver is more expensive that the unreal on. There is no good to go with the really cheap one, although it was on sale.

6. Using chemical reaction between silver and nitric acid. The sterling silver will turn its color to creamy color while silver plated or nickel-silver will turn green. However, to test by this way, you have to be aware for the risk of handling this chemical reagent.

With these tips, you can test sterling silver by yourself and you don’t have to worry about the real sterling silver anymore.

Buying a new jewelry piece can be both enjoyable and confusing task. Here are some guidelines for you for selection of the high quality jewelry. Take your time read and start to make more fun on your shopping.

1. Keep looking, is the first thing to remember. For any shopping, you need to look around, compare for quality, design, material made, price and also after sale service. Especially if you are not familiar with the merchandize before, the refund and return policy would be one of the most important thing to check. If you are not sure where to start, ask your friends, family members or co-workers for their suggestions

2. If you look for pearls, ask whether the pearls are natural, culture or imitation. This information will directly effect to pearls price. Make sure that you have paid the price for the reasonable pearls quality.

3. Check for the metal making jewelry, you should get the one without any mark on it.

4. If you go with gemstones, ask whether the gemstones have been treated or not. If they are treated, how to take care or do you really need special care for this particular piece? Get all these information before make your final decision with it.

5. Make sure that all information about the gems has been wrote down in the sale receipt. You can also ask for the certificate form a gemological laboratory if you go with the precious gemstone like diamonds, ruby or sapphires.

6. For the online shopper, check the company information before make a purchase from them. There are always illegal websites in the internet world. You can look for the address, phone number and call them to ask questions about their products and service. Make sure that you have check about the company service and reputation beforehand.

7. Get all the details about the products you want to purchase. Check for the refund and return policy in case if you are not satisfied with the piece, you can ship it back to the store.

8. Finally, if you haveproblem with the new piece, you can try to solve the problem with the jeweler first. But if the response is not that great, contact to the local business center or local consumer protection agency to protect your right as the customer. Photo by wholesale-jewelry.com

The important of wedding ring is about the meaning of the ring to the couple’s love. The ring is a symbol for their love, represent the time that people met, falling in love and then design to live together for the rest of their live. The diamond with gold setting is the most popular wedding ring style for many people. However, in the wedding ring market, there are other designs and styles waiting for you to choose the best wedding ring for your important day.

There are a few tips for wedding ring selection.

1. Always get the diamond wedding rings or diamond engagement ring for women. The diamonds is always women’s best friend. Your girl would be more than happy for this special ring in her important day. There are a wide range of diamond cuts and styles for the wedding ring available in the market. You can go with different cut of diamonds with different pair of metal usage, depend on your request. Surely, the feeling of your love when both of you look for the ring together would be impress her than the value of the ring itself.

2. Consider for a wedding band collection, for both men’s and women’s wedding ring. The couple would love to have the same collection for their perfect ring. There are again, many styles and collections for the wedding band choice waiting for you to choose the right one for your couple. The gold wedding bands, platinum bands or vintage wedding ring are always perfect for any couple. The diamond wedding band collection can also paired with other color stones like sapphires or rubies for the great ring look.

3. Check for the wedding ring set designs before make the final decision. Although the wedding ring trends can come and go, but just in case if you don’t want to left behind the fashion trends, you are better check with the latest design. However, if you don’t want to go along the fashion trend, you can keep up with the classic design. The classic design always stay in trends and the style will last forever.

Keep in mind that the wedding ring is the symbol of your love, get the perfect ring for both of you since the beginning. You will keep all the memory about your love with this ring forever.

Crystal is a glass that has lead oxide in its mixture.  The more lead in crystal, the more colors crystal reflected. The mixture of lead in a glass make a more reflective and brilliance look to the crystal.

If you want to differentiate handmade crystal from the others, check for the seed bubbles. The handmade process for crystal make is always adding this small “seed bubbles” in to the crystal body, which can only be seen when holding the crystal against a strong light. The other signs for hand crafted crystal are chill marks and flow line on the crystal surface. These are good signs for hand crafted crystal.

Although the crystal contains lead oxide inside, it is still a soft material. It is very fragile which you need to know how to take a good care of your crystal.

These are general things to concern for your crystal pieces.

1. Store your crystal separately from the other items. Wrap your crystal in soft clothes or soft pouch before place it back into its box or airtight plastic bag.

2. The crystal is a delicate item, so, don’t put it upside down. Make sure that you have put it in the right position, without touching to other items.

3. Carry your crystal pieces with care, one at the time only. Do not carry a bunch of them in one time.

4. By accident if your crystal breaks, you can still save it. A clear-drying epoxy for glass will glue them back together. Read on the instruction when you need to use it for the best effect.

5. Be careful about dusts on your crystal. Dust can scratch the crystal surface. Clean it with mild detergent and use a lint free cloth for drying step.

6. Hand wash only and never go with a dishwasher. You need a very gentle care with mild detergent for the best result of your crystal clean.

7. Use only warm water for cleaning step and rinse with warm water again. If you changewater temperature quickly, your crystal can crack or cloud easily.

8. Every time for the crystal cleaning, always place a rubber matt or towel in the sink bottom. Just in case of crystal drop or your slippery hand, a soft matt can save the crystals for this case.

9. A few drops of vinegar in water can keep water spots away from the crystals.

The above advices are able to use for any kind of crystal made. Be gentle for your best crystal look.