How to Choose Handmade Jewelry

Choosing handmade jewelry can be tricky, especially if you do not know much about it. There are several things that you need to look for when choosing such jewelry. It is not like going to the jewelry store where everything is of high quality (and high price). On the contrary, it is much more fun, much less expensive, and much easier to wind up with something that is going to wind up in the trash in a week. Thus, you need to be careful in making your buying decisions so that you are not throwing money down the drain.

Quality

One of the biggest factors in choosing handmade jewelry is quality. Quality refers to the appearance of the piece as well as the durability of it. Some jewelry is made by welding pieces together. Others are made with epoxy or glue. Still other pieces are made with neither of those things, and use instead a method called wire wrapping to make the jewelry.

In addition to the method used to create the jewelry, you need to consider what the jewelry is made of. What type of metal is it? What type of beads are used in making the jewelry? These are important questions to ask. The more durable or precious the metal the better off you will be with the piece. In addition, you want to avoid plastic beads.

Obviously things made of plastic or with epoxy or glue will not be of good quality. If you buy these pieces at all you should not pay much for them. However, many people do not realize that wire wrapping is of higher quality than welded pieces. This is because the welding may come loose over time or with the wrong type of pressure. Wire wrapping on the other hand can last for centuries.

Care

Another thing to consider is what will be required to care for the piece. The piece should not require any special care instructions, especially if you are getting it for a young girl. This leaves out silver as it must be kept in an air tight space and be polished from time to time. Copper may also be an unwise choice, as it develops a patina over time and must also be cleaned specially. However, galvanized metal or wire is a great material for those who can wear it. It has no special care necessary, and can be cleaned using regular soap and water if it becomes dirty.

Consider Allergies

If you or the person you are buying jewelry for have allergies to certain metals, you will want to be very careful in choosing your handmade jewelry. Most handmade jewelry is made of "fake" metals like galvanized metal. However, these individuals may not require a piece of gold jewelry either. Often those with metal allergies are fine with copper or fine silver jewelry. Look for handmade pieces with these metals if you are unsure about metal allergies.

Deana "Dee" Marshall is a avid follower of high quality one of a kind handmade jewelry and has been following Skippy's Trinket's artistry. To follow Skippy's Trinkets handmade jewelry artistry visit Skippy's Trinket's Blog.

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How to Care for Your Handmade Jewelry

Caring for your handmade jewelry is important. Just as you would care for any other type of jewelry you purchased, you want to make sure that your handmade jewelry stays beautiful and in good repair for many years to come. This is especially true because it is so unique that you could not get it replaced if it fell into disrepair.

There are many things you can do to care for your handmade jewelry. First, you should always take it off before you sleep or do any strenuous activity. This will help ensure that it does not break in any way. Second, you should take it off when you shower or swim, especially if it has wooden beads. This will prevent the wood from splitting. If made of other materials keeping it out of the shower or pool will help prevent tarnishing or patina. Third, you need to keep it clean so that it stays beautiful.

How you clean your handmade jewelry will depend on what it is made of. If your jewelry is made of copper, you can expect it to develop a patina or discoloration over time, no matter how careful you are. You can polish your copper with a soft cloth to take some of the discoloration away. You can also soak it in white vinegar to clean it safely. Remember that these methods only work well if you catch the discoloration early on, so don't procrastinate cleaning your handmade copper jewelry.

If your jewelry is made of sterling silver or fine silver, you will experience some tarnishing over time. You can limit the amount of tarnish the jewelry gets by keeping it in a zip lock bag or other sealed container that does not allow air to touch it. In spite of your best efforts, however, you will experience some tarnishing of your silver jewelry eventually. When this happens you can simply polish it using a soft cloth and non abrasive cleaner made especially for tarnished silver. Polishing with a cloth will help keep it from getting very tarnished. If it does get very tarnished, use the silver cleaner to remove the tarnish. Just dipping it in the cleaner should make the metal gleam.

Finally, in order to care properly for your jewelry you need to wear it often. The more you wear your handmade jewelry, the more likely it will be that it will not fall into disrepair without your being aware of it. By wearing it often you are taking it out to look at it routinely, which means that you will notice when it needs to be cleaned or maintained right away. If you do all of these things, your handmade jewelry will last for many years to come.

Deana "Dee" Marshall is a avid follower of high quality one of a kind handmade jewelry and has been following Skippy's Trinket's artistry. To follow Skippy's Trinkets handmade jewelry artistry visit Skippy's Trinket's Blog.

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Unique Handmade Jewelry for Your Wedding

One of the great things about handmade jewelry is that you can own one of a kind pieces. These pieces can be designed yourself and made by an expert. Or, more often, they can be uniquely designed by the expert jewelry maker.

One of the times that this unique jewelry comes in handy is for a wedding. What if you could have the perfect jewelry style created in your wedding colors? You could have earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet all designed with your wedding style and colors in mind. You will look stunning on your wedding day with matching jewelry that is uniquely made for you and the biggest event of your life.

You can also get handmade jewelry created for your bridesmaids. All of your bridesmaids could have matching jewelry that went with the style and color of their dresses. Again, you could have unique jewelry for each bridesmaid from earrings to bracelets. Even your flower girl can have a unique piece of jewelry such as a necklace or a bracelet made especially for her.

Getting this handmade jewelry is easy to do. All you must do is find a jewelry maker that will take into consideration your wedding colors and style. You can show the jewelry designer pictures of the wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses so that he or she can design the jewelry to match exquisitely. You can then work with the jewelry maker to be sure that the jewelry meets your expectations and goes along with the style of your wedding.

Another idea for handmade jewelry in your wedding is to give it as keepsake gifts. You could have unique one of a kind pieces in your wedding colors created to give out to individuals such as the mother of the bride, the mother of the groom, bridesmaids, and other special women in attendance at the wedding. Your friends and family will love having a one of a kind piece of jewelry, especially one that reminds them of your big day.

In the end, unique jewelry made especially for your wedding will provide years of enjoyment and memories. You will have one of a kind pieces to show off to everyone you meet, while also knowing that it is a keepsake of the biggest day of your life. You will treasure these pieces for years to come, as will anyone else that you buy the jewelry for. Best of all, handmade jewelry is not expensive when compared to the cost of a jeweler to provide quality jewelry for so many people. It is the perfect answer for the budget conscious bride. Overall, you cannot go wrong in ordering and wearing customized handmade jewelry for any occasion.

Deana "Dee" Marshall is a avid follower of high quality one of a kind handmade jewelry and has been following Skippy's Trinket's artistry. To follow Skippy's Trinkets handmade jewelry artistry visit Skippy's Trinket's Blog.

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