Antique Jewelry: a timeless and elegant adornment – Women
Antique Jewelry: a timeless and elegant adornment
Angela Davis
Antique jewelry is a timeless classic adornment which can never go out of fashion. It is the epitome of ethereal charm, delicate grace and a gentle reminder of a bygone era. It is that jewelry which has been made during and before the early 1900s.
The jewelry has its own unique character which cannot be copied or imitated. In most cases antique jewelry is handcrafted. It has exquisite craftsmanship and a very special whimsical aura surrounding it, which sets it apart from all other jewelry, however beautiful or expensive they maybe. There is an understated classic elegance inherent in the design and styling. Though widely looked upon as being something worn by only those who are older; perceptions are gradually changing. It is now also seen as a very fashionable ornament which is quite in vogue and is worn by almost anyone, irrespective of their age group.
This kind of jewelry is not available in just any departmental store or some other normal jewelry shop, it can most often be found in niche show rooms, exclusive boutiques, and big auction houses and in antique dealer stores. These are the more reliable places from where you can acquire antique jewelry. Though there are many websites online and other shops which sell this kind of jewelry; it is best to be cautious. The reason being that in many cases the antique jewelry being sold is not actually an original . Also you could charged an exorbitant price for a piece which is not actually that expensive. Unless you have a trained eye and know the difference, it is easy to be fooled.
In many cases antique jewelry has also been handed down from one generation to another and is a part of the family heirlooms. Some antique jewelry can actually be quite expensive and a real collectors item.
Just a simple piece of antique jewelry can greatly enhance your over all appearance, add to your appeal and lend a sophisticated charm to your entire persona. Being the beautiful pieces that they are, this jewelry can easily attract attention and can become the focal point of any conversation. However not every one can carry off antique jewelry, you have to have a certain inner beauty and dignity to wear it.
One of the best things about antique jewelry is that its value only appreciates with time. In fact some of the pieces are valuable collectors item and can fetch huge sums of money. They can in the long run, actually prove to be good investments.
Antique jewelry is a wonderful thing to buy for yourself, a delightful possession and also a great thing to gift to some one special in your life. Whether it is your daughter, mother, wife, girlfriend or sister; antique jewelry is that gift which lets the other person know how much they mean to you. Also this jewelry is not just restricted to women; there are beautiful intricate pieces which are there for men too.
So go ahead indulge yourself and relive the beauty of a bygone era.
About The Author
Looking for information about Jewelry
Go to: http://www.merryjewelry.com
Merry Jewelry is published by Angela Davis -
The Complete Jewelry Resource Directory
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How Can You Tell If Your Gold Jewelry Is Real – Travel
How Can You Tell If Your Gold Jewelry Is Real
Monil Salisti
* Tips For Buying Gold
1. Buy from someone you know or with a solid reputation.
2. Look for a store with a quality-assurance program that tests its own pieces for purity. You don*t have to shop at Tiffany*s to go for the real gold. Many major stores have testing programs, too.
3. If the piece has a trademark, like Nike or a sports team logo, it must have a license stamp on the back. If the jewelry maker is willing to steal a trademark, experts say, they may be willing to short you on gold.
4. Look at the workmanship. If the edges are frayed, or it just looks cheap, it probably is under-karated.
5. And if you really want to make sure you*ve got legitimate gold, you can have your pieces X-rayed at a quality- assurance lab, like the one *20/20* used, for around $20.
* Under-Karating Now Rife Among Discount Jewelry Offers
In many countries the US for example anything less than 10 karats -- or about 42 percent real gold -- can*t legally be sold as gold.
Yet the reality is that with gold sales rising rapidly *under-karating* is a very common problem even though it*s not widely known.
The worst cheating occurs with the less expensive 10-karat and 14-karat pieces, and the problem isn*t easy to resolve because by simply looking at a piece of gold there is really no way to tell the difference between 10-karat and 8-karat.
Recently *20/20* bought several *discount* gold jewelry articles in New York and had them tested by the American Assay and Gemological Office - the lab that does quality assurance checks on jewelry from Tiffany*s.
The result: None of the 3 jewelry pieces they tested actually met the minimum 10-karat as advertised!
* Here*s A Quick Guide To Gold *Purity*
24K gold is pure gold.
18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called *gold* in the United States.
European Markings European gold jewelry is marked with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold, such as:
18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold
14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%
12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%
About The Author
Monil Salisti is the owner of Full Jewelry, a great online jewelry resource. For more information, visit: http://www.fulljewelry.com/.
The Secret Of Silver Jewelry – Women
The Secret Of Silver Jewelry
George Ahrens
When we talk about precious metals we usually mean gold, platinum and another pure metal, fine silver. Silver is one of the original materials of value mentioned in the Bible, together with other originals such as precious gemstones that existed from the beginning of time.
This explains part of the attraction associated with these non-virtual commodities - they existed for a very long time in human history, and presumably even before. Used throughout all generations and nations they have been and are one of the preferred ways to display symbols of value and are used as objects of beauty and style in jewelry. As a form of personal expression and street art.
Thinking of fashion styles we tend to look at clothing, hair styling and makeup first. However accessories are a major part of the outfit. Jewelry one of its coolest forms.
Why is silver jewelry one of the constants that remain throughout history What is the real mystery and the secret of silver Its not only its cool attraction -- it is one of the commodities that existed before paper money, and it will retain its value after currencies are gone.
In a world that goes more virtual by the minute we keep a few valuables that have their own pre-set value outside our current reality. Currencies will go virtual, jewelry will not.
To give you an idea about the differences of investments in tangible and intangible products and how it works out in real life, let me give you an example that nearly did cost me $25.000 in the past.
During the first oil crisis I lived in New Zealand for a few years and had to invest my assets in appropriate channels at that time. Because back then not only oil prices went up, also other commodities such as gold and silver increased slightly in value and I decided to invest some money in metals.
After locating a company that advertised selling of gold bullion, I went to their downtown store and asked a clerk to purchase gold for about $25.000. I never did this kind of investment before and was a bit unsure about where to keep it save from curious people and for the possible event of burglars in the house.
Knowing what was on my mind the clerk asked me that memorable question "would you like to have this in gold options, stocks or physical bullion" He went through great lengths to explain me the advantages of "gold papers" that follow the value of gold at any time, so increase in value if the gold price further increases. There would be no necessity to actually touch physical things, and I could cash in the papers at any time.
I almost agreed to his offer, when suddenly a small yet bright thought of warning flashed my mind. Something that a goldsmith I met before told me years earlier, he said: "If you ever buy gold, remember the reason why you buy it, and do not buy virtual gold, but the real thing only".
This thought won in the end because my adviser taught me many basic things about jewelry and metals, and I highly respected his opinion. Turned out he was right. Less than 6 months later, the company I bought the bullion from faced bankruptcy and all their options, shares and other papers lost all of their value. I still had my physical gold however, that increased in value by about 10% at that time.
With that example fresh in mind, I personally still make distinctions when I buy personal products that enhance my lifestyle today.
Yes I invest a lot in software for example that enhances my virtual PC desktop, and helps websites function the way they should, and also loose a lot of it every few years when a harddisk or server crashes. I also enjoy the latest designer clothes, however they wear out and generally get damaged by usage over time.
However I keep a small collection of silver and gold jewelry in the same fresh looking condition as I originally bought it many years ago. These items never wear
About The Author
George Ahrens is editor at BlueOceanJewelry.com where you can find a fresh breeze in style of unique silver jewelry with a touch of smart elegance and sophistication. New designs with colorful precious gemstones that express vitality and dynamic energy. Bold statements of style, fun and timeless elegance. Latest Trends First http://www.BlueOceanJewelry.com