Category: Jewellery

Jewellery often requires cleaning, regardless of the quality, all metals will dull over time. If you have a ring that you wear every day, you may find that the diamond and the metal become dull, discoloured or tarnished. Even if your jewellery has surface scratches on it, it may be time for a clean. You can clean jewellery yourself and there are a lot of suggestions on the internet as to what works well, but I would always recommend taking it to a jewellery’s and having it professionally cleaned. They normally charge between five and ten pounds to do so but it will be covered by their insurance during that time, so if it gets lost or stolen or even damaged, they will be responsible for it.

If you are looking to sell your jewellery, I would advise getting it cleaned prior to doing so. This will ensure that you get the best money for it and shows that you have looked after it.

Often on jewellery you will see a series of numbers, letters and symbols which are there to show you what the item is made from, the year and where it was made. Some jewellery tells you all of this information others will just give part of it.

The numbers on gold or silver jewellery state how pure the metal is and refer to the carat of the metal. For example 925 on silver equates to it being 92.5% pure. Each country may have its own hallmarking system meaning that if the jewellery is not form the UK the numbers may have a different meaning. When it comes to Gold, the purity ranges from 8 carat which is approximately 33% gold content to 24 carat which is 99.9% gold content. The minimum UK standard for gold is 9 carat and is recognised by the numbers 375 and has a gold content of 37.5%. Most jewellers will be able to look at the marks on your jewellery and tell you what it means.

Sometimes you may want a piece of jewellery for your wedding day, present or just because and cannot seem to find anything that matches the idea you have. This is when it may be time to start looking in to having a bespoke piece made for you.

People automatically assume that bespoke jewellery costs the earth, but that is not always true and often you can end up paying less than in a high street jewellers.

Silver smiths will sketch out a design for your piece of jewellery and then make it for you using the materials you request.

It may be that you have seen a piece of jewellery you like but it is in gold and you want it in silver, not only meaning you get what you want but also it may cost a little less.

Many couples are opting to have bespoke jewellery made for their wedding rings, knowing that they can personalise them and no one else will have exactly the same rings.

If you’re getting bored of the same old styles of jewellery that you can buy in mainstream high street fashion stores or in chains of jewellers then it may be time to consider looking somewhere new.

A great place to find one off unique items is online stores that people set up to sell one off pieces that they have made at home. Websites such as eBay or Etsy are a great place to start, here you can search for a style of jewellery that you like and find original pieces that no one else will have.

You can also usually find the sellers on there that would be willing to make an item to your specifications so that you can get exactly what you want without compromise.

Another great place to try is local craft fairs as there you can often pick up fairly inexpensive items from artisan jewellers that make individual one-off items.

You don’t need to have completed a course to be able to make your own jewellery, it’s something that is becoming more widely accessible to the generally public without the need for too many complex skills to make beautiful pieces.

Many craft stores now sell jewellery making kits and you can order many supplies online to help to cut costs. Most of the craft sets come with instructions on how to make a few different items but often the best way to learn the different techniques is to watch free online tutorials.

Making your own jewellery can be very therapeutic and can be a real money saver in making great personalised gifts for your family at Christmas and other occasions.

It’s always best to start off with a small beginners kit then if you find that you enjoy it you can always add to your collection by buying additional products online, if you show a real flair for it you could even look to sell the pieces you make.