Category: Jewelry

Toggle Clasps – Keeps Your Jewelry Secured

Yesterday, I happened to attend my friend’s party and when I returned home, what did I see, my favorite necklace was missing. From many days, its toggle clasp was loose but I did not notice and now, I have lost my most favorite necklace. Here, the question arises, what actually a toggle clasp is and how it protects our jewelry from falling down? This article will be very informative for you as well as, it will keep you from losing your jewelry as I did. In this article, I will not only throw light on toggle clasps but will tell you certain facts about it too.

Toggle clasps are the small hooks which you usually find at the end of your bracelets and necklaces. Their foremost function is to keep your jewelry in place, that is, to keep your jewelry closed at the ends. They not only does this, but secures your jewelry too. Do you know how? Here is the answer. As they, keeps your jewelry closed at the ends, it simply keeps your jewelry from falling away and secures your jewelry, indeed. This is what you must be really careful about because, if, unluckily, your toggle or clasp is loose, it will eventually fall away and separate the two ends of the beautiful necklace or bracelet you are wearing, creating 100% chances for them to fall away too. In this way, your jewelry is lost and you don’t even know the cause.

This was for the women who wear ready-made jewelry created by professionals, no matter artificial or gold, now I shall tell you about the new trends in fashion. Nowadays, women prefer hand-made jewelry and you surely know the reason. No? Let me tell you. In this age, every single woman is very much conscious about latest fashion trends.

As for the hand-made jewelry, it is the latest fashion trend in jewelry because it not only looks adorable but adds a unique touch to your personality too. Hand-made jewelry is designed simply by using customized fashion beads and metallic wire. You can easily design handmade jewelry but do not forget to have a noticeable amount of high quality and reliable toggle and clasps. The reason behind that is, of course, security of your jewelry.

If you do not want lose your precious jewelry items then get their toggle clasps fixed or add new set of toggle clasps, after all it is all about security of your jewelry.

Start Collecting Vintage Weiss Costume Jewelry

Less well known than the more available Coro or Trifari, Weiss costume jewelry is a good choice for the beginning collector.

Spanning a large range of designs and materials, from rhinestones to enamel to plastic, Weiss was in operation from 1942 to 1971, making them truly vintage pieces. Albert Weiss contracted with designers and manufacturers to produce designs with the Weiss name.

Be aware, however, that some new Weiss jewelry copies can be found. Typically the newer pieces will have pasted in rather than prong-set rhinestones, the rhinestones are small and new-looking, and the plating on smooth-backed pieces is of poor quality. If youre interested in Weiss jewelry being sold on line, be sure to ask the seller whether the piece is vintage or a reproduction. Do a search to look at both vintage and reproduction Weiss pieces, and become educated about the differences.

Weiss was known for floral, fruit and figural designs, and also geometric, Art Deco necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings. The workmanship and quality are uniformly very high. In the mid 1950s Weiss made creative use of Swarovski aurora borealis rhinestones.

A classic Weiss design features smoky quartz rhinestones with pave loops or icing. Smoky quartz was also referred to as the Black Diamond Look, and was created to imitate German smoky quartz stones.

Weiss butterfly pins are especially collectible, and some have wings mounted on tiny springs that make them flutter. Another popular Weiss collectible is Christmas tree pins, and can be a great investment for the beginning collector. Christmas ornament pins currently sell for much less than the tree pins.

Weiss jewelry used high quality Austrian rhinestones and were made in classic, timeless designs, made to fit with a modern wardrobe as well as the fashions of years gone by.

Several marks, or signatures were used on Weiss jewelry. WEISS, printed in caps, dates from 1942. Other marks from the 1940s and 1950s include Albert Weiss in script, WEISS in script, Weissco and Weiss in caps with the copyright symbol , denoting pieces made after 1955.

Some Weiss pieces may be unmarked, which would reduce the value. Some were sold to department stores, which marketed them in boxes with the store name.

Weiss produced many types of sets of jewelry. Pin and earring sets, necklace and bracelet sets, three-piece sets of pin, earrings and bracelet, matching necklace and earrings, any sets, if complete, increase the value beyond that of the individual pieces. If youre lucky enough to find the original box, the youve got a real treasure.

Some vintage Weiss brooches had smooth reflective metal backs. They should be totally smooth. Reproduction pieces may have smooth backs, but the quality will not be as good as on the vintage pieces.

As always, when considering the purchase of vintage jewelry, you should be sure that the piece is in good condition. If you are buying for yourself, and not for investment, you can be more flexible with condition, but the better the condition, of course the higher the value. Is the piece is signed? Is it well designed? And, do you like it? If youre buying for investment purposes, your personal taste isnt as important, but if youre buying for yourself, buy what you like so youll be encouraged to wear it often.

Weiss costume jewelry has been undervalued by collectors, but that seems to be changing as prices have been going up. If youre lucky enough to find a piece of vintage Weiss jewelry, and its in good condition, youll have a high quality collectible.

How To Identify Platinum And Silver Jewelry

Silver is a kind of metal which is next to gold. The qualities of bright color and ductility make it become the main material for silver jewelry or some other silver products. Silvers melting point is 960.5 and it can be made of the 0.0015 silver foil or 1 gram of pure silver can stretch into more than 1000 meters silver line.

Platinum is a brilliant and precious metal. The color of this kind metal is natural silver, and never fade is its big feature.
1.Identify them through the mark
If the jewelry show the marks of PT PLATINON PLAT, they are platinum. On the contrary, the jewelry are marked with S or SILVER that mean they are the silver. And the S925 represents the jewelry which include 92.5 percent pure silver, and if marks SF that means this kind of jewelry contains 7.5 percent copper metal. Of cause, this kind of silver jewelry 925 silver jewelry is actually the most popular jewelry among silver accessories.
2.Identify them through the weight
Platinum proportion is 21.40 and silver is 10.49. The silvers weight is almost lighter double than platinum when they are at the same volume. So generally people could identify through weight.
3.Compare with the hardness of their appearance
Carefully observed the platinum with our naked eyes, we could find that platinum is bright white but with slightly grey, hard texture and will have no scratches if pricked. Its Moths hardness is 4.3. While silver is great white and smooth texture, it will change into grayish-white or black after oxidation which could wipe out. Its Moths is 2.7 that softer than platinum.
4.Identify them through burn method
Platinum has a good resistance of high temperature oxidation. Its melting point reaches as high as 1770 and the color will not change by burn with high temperature and cooled, but silver has a lower melting point so that it will change to red, black or corvinus which depend on the amount of silver.
5. Identify them through chemical method
Silver has no excellent resistance to corrosive, while platinum has stronger stable, corrosion-resistant chemical properties and there will no any reacts when platinum meets any acids or alkalis.

Abstract: The color of platinum and silver jewelry are very similar so that the people who have not enough knowledge on them will be easy to dazzle and difficult to identify them. Therefore, maybe somebody will make a bad bargain for themselves.

Carring For Your Handmade Copper Jewelry – Copy

Placing your handmade copper jewelry in re-sealable plastic bags along with anti-tarnish jewelry paper will keep it bright and shinny flor a long time. Before storing your handmade copper jewelry, make sure it is clean and moisture free. Look for handmade copper jewelry that has been treated with a protective coating that resists tarnishing. Copper jewelry that comes in direct contact with the skin, such as rings, necklaces, cuffs, and bracelets will tarnish faster than earrings due to constant abrasion that wears off the protective coating.It’s surprisingly easy to care for handmade copper jewelry once the protective coating wears off, just as it is for caring for Sterling Silver jewelry. The only kind of metal that won’t tarnish, but is way too soft for most jewelry applications, are 24K Gold or Fine Silver. Copper acts as an oxidation catalyst, but due to its strength, is commonly alloyed with most metals.

One of the simplest ways to bring back shine to your handmade copper jewelry is by using a jewelry polishing cloth that can be purchased at most local drugstores or from your local jeweller. A jewelry cloth (commonly referred to as a rogue cloth) is well worth having, since it can last for years. For those more delicate pieces, have a professional jeweler steam clean or use an ultrasonic cleaner. If the piece is set with gemstones, don’t attempt to clean the piece yourself, or you could damage the piece and reduce the value. Quite a few gemstones can be easily damaged by using an ultrasonic cleaner, so you might save a few dollars by cleaning your jewelry yourself, but you might end up with a worthless piece. If your are unsure, take your jewelry to a professional. Touch base with the artist you bought your handmade copper jewelry from. Most artists will clean their own work for a nominal fee, or sometimes even for free.

If you are short on time and need a quick fix to spruce up your handmade copper jewelry, you can use any of these easy solutions (not to be used on jewelry with gemstones or pearls):

* Vinegar – (White, Apple Cider, Wine, Balsamic) – Set the jewelry in a plastic or glass container. Make sure you don’t use metal. Pour enough vinegar into the container until it covers the entire piece of jewelry. Let stand four about 10-15 minutes. Rinse under warm water, dry off, and your finished!

*Lime or Lemon Juice – Same directions as above for vinegar, but throw in a dash of salt as a catalyst.

*Ketchup or Worcestershire Sauce – Squeeze a dab onto a soft cloth or toothbrush, then rinse throughly under lukewarm water. Make sure not to expose gemstones, as they should not be exposed to any natural or chemical cleaners.

Jewelry Is Forever, But Especially For The Future – Copy

Can you imagine something 115,000 years old? Recent archaeological expeditions have dated some of the earliest ornamental relics as coming from our earliest civilizations on Earth. Discovered in South Africa, the crude necklaces involve shells strung along very simple fibrous threads.

These latest finds join the wealth of ancient jewelry found in all the worlds early cultures, from every part of the globe. Jewelry craftsmanship, it seems, is as universal as almost every other endeavor that led to the growth and expansion of the worlds civilizations. And the practice and refinement of jewelry making has continued without interruption, often in defiance of crushing circumstances around it, for the entirety of human history. Put another way, if diamonds are a girls best friend, the art and craft of jewelry-making is at least her oldest friend.

Jewelry doesnt always include silver, gold, or other precious metals.

Most people, when hearing the term jewelry, most likely immediately think of gold, silver, or precious stones. Nevertheless, most jewelry hasnt included such expensive components, using more commonplace materials to create items of great beauty.

Many modern jewelry craftsmen, borrowing from ancient as well as more contemporary technologies and techniques, are creating fascinating and alluring works original jewelry art using enamel and fused glass. These forms of jewelry are usually pendants and brooches, and necklaces, though there are several other forms also used from time to time.

Enamel and glass fused jewelry are some of the oldest jewelry forms.

Enamel and fused glass jewelry making are some of the worlds oldest forms of jewelry creation, dating at least as far back as the ancient Egyptian and Greek empires, centuries before the Common Era. At first a very simple process that required only basic materials (as well as a hot-burning kiln), the two artistic forms waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries.

Recently, however, with the advent of the independent culture movement as well as the resurgence of alternative spirituality studies throughout most of the Western World, handmade enamel and glass fused jewelry experienced a tremendous resurgence in popularity.

Modern handmade glass fused and enamel jewelry artisans incorporate modern technology into their creation processes, often using the finest natural and synthetic ingredients in a balance that retains the essence of traditional craftsmanship with the benefits of modern materials. The result is a finished product that holds timeless beauty even while remaining durable to last for years to come.

Jewelry moving into the future

Many jewelry market experts believe handmade jewelry will continue to grow as a trend, as recent shifts in aesthetics bring a new generation of consumers to appreciate the value of the handmade and permanent over the more routine satisfactions of the mass produced. As this trend continues, many jewelry customers including especially young people will have the opportunity to commission their own glass fused and handmade enamel jewelry for themselves, not from large companies but from smaller and more dedicated craftsman selling their works in locally-owned businesses as well as online.