الخميس، 5 أبريل 2018

Tips For Buying Sterling Silver 925 Instead Of A Cheaper Substitute

By Scott Fisher


If you love jewelry, you are probably always on the lookout for a great piece. Necklaces, bracelets, and rings don't have to be expensive to appear striking and impressive. If you go into a discount store and purchase a piece of jewelry for a few dollars, you shouldn't expect it to be fine jewelry. When you pay a significant amount for a genuine sterling silver 925 piece however, you have a right to expect it to be real.

If the piece you are looking at is stamped with a . 925, 92.5, or 925 hallmark, that is a good indication that you have real sterling silver. This is only true however, if it is an American piece. The stamp indicates the presence of ninety-two and a half percent silver. The remaining percentage is some other metal, usually copper, to strengthen the piece.

Another way to determine the quality of a piece is to look for the word plated. When you see this on the description or price tag, you should not expect to pay very much for it, if you choose to purchase it at all. Plated means that the piece has a covering of a precious metal instead of actually being made of it. It has been produced using something cheaper like nickel or copper.

There are other ways to test the general quality of a piece of jewelry. The clasp should be secure and easy to open and close. If you lay the chain down on a hard surface and stretch it out, it should lay flat. Bends and kinks in the metal are an indication that the piece is not well made. New jewelry should look shiny instead of tarnished. Vintage pieces may be tarnished, but that simply means they need to be cleaned.

Most experts suggest buyers avoid departments sales, or at least be aware that they often substantially mark up their merchandise. This may be why they are able to offer frequent and deep discounts on the items they sell. Independent jewelers don't mark up their jewelry as much, but they also don't offer much in the way of sales.

If you love vintage metallic jewelry, antique shops, thrift stores, and flea markets are great places to find them. Sometimes you can find rare and unusual pieces for a fraction or what you would pay for new ones. Older jewelry can be a lot more interesting than their modern counterparts. When you see a person with a striking piece of jewelry, you might ask where they got it.

You can find anything online if you look long enough. You need to be careful if you decide to buy expensive jewelry from a seller you don't know though. Since you can't physically examine it, you have to depend on the seller's word. The description and return policy will tell you a lot.

When you are buying trendy jewelry, choosing less expensive pieces is usually a good idea. If you want a classic piece you will wear for years, you should look for signs of authenticity and quality. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money.




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