The Pros and Cons of Online Jewelry Shopping

By Ryan Frank .

People's concerns about buying jewelry online are understandable. After all, you wouldn't want to risk a lost or damaged shipment when that shipment contains something as important as your fiance's engagement ring or wedding anniversary present. There is also the possibility that the actual, physical piece of jewelry might not look the way you had expected it to when you were viewing it online.

However, one also has to stop and consider the benefits of online jewelry shopping. Online jewelers, by and large, have a wider selection of goods. Prices, as well, are usually a lot better when you buy online. Ultimately, the final decision is up to you, but here is a brief breakdown of the pros and cons of online jewelry shopping that might help you make up your mind.

Pros

Speed - Self-explanatory. No driving to the store, no driving back, no stopping for gas, etc. Select, place order, and buy with just a handful of clicks.

Convenience - By shopping online, you don't have to deal with traffic, crowds of shoppers, check-out lines, parking, or overbearing salespeople. Online you can shop from the comfort of home at your own pace and convenience.

Variety - Online jewelers can offer much bigger selections than retailers or catalog jewelers. Online you will find rare pieces that you won't come across anywhere else.

Pricing - Online retailers have much fewer overhead costs than conventional stores, which means their savings get passed on to you.

Information - If, while shopping online, you come across anything you don't understand (say, why are colored diamonds more expensive than white diamonds?) you can simply look it up! Even if you don't decide to buy online, you can still use the internet to do most of the legwork involved in deciding what kind of necklace, ring, or bracelet to get your loved one.

Cons

Human interaction - Yes, salespeople can be annoying. But what if you have a question and want to talk to an actual person about it? A traditional jewelry store can provide you with one-on-one, friendly customer service, which online stores simply cannot do. Your best bet online is to look for retailers that have customer service phone line you can call.

Shipment problems - Though it happens rarely, the possibility of a shipment getting lost or damaged is always there. Make sure that the online retailer you shop from has a policy that covers lost or damaged shipments.

Security Issues - Many people are reluctant to shop online because they're afraid of their personal and financial information being intercepted and used for fraudulent purposes. While this is still a valid concern, internet security has come a long way. Every legitimate online retailer will work with the latest security software so that all your important information is encrypted and kept secure. Review online retailer's privacy policy before you decide to make a purchase through them.

Body Piercing Problems

By Michael J Paetzold .

Body piercing is very popular among men and women. A lot of areas in the body are used for piercing like ear lobes, ear cartilage, nostrils, nose bridge, eyebrows, lips, cheeks, nipples, navels, and genitals. These are the most common areas used for piercing.

Most people who have body piercings do not develop any problems, but some do. When piercings get infected, it is a horrible sight, and sometimes, they smell awful, too.

The ears are the most common piercing site, especially among women. Earlobes heal relatively easy without any problems. Ear cartilage, on the other hand, takes longer to heal, harder to clean, and has the highest risk of getting infected. Because they take a longer time to heal, your chances of acquiring infectious diseases greatly increase.

The common problems that may develop from body piercing are as follows:

•Infection of the wound - the risk of infection increases if you have other health issues such as diabetes. Infection of the tongue or lips may cause speech, chewing, and/or swallowing problems or swelling that can impede the throat. Infection of a nipple may scar the breast tissue and limit the capability to breast feed.

•Splitting or tearing of the skin - this can trigger the formation of scar tissue and may cause permanent skin damage.

•Allergic reactions - some people develop allergies to a certain metal used in the jewelry. Make sure that you
use jewelry specifically designed for your piercing site. Use only non-allergenic jewelry. Other types of jewelry you should use include surgical stainless steel, platinum, gold, titanium, and niobium.

•Problems caused by the jewelry - jewelry in the mouth may cause cracking or chipping of the teeth, gum problems, and difficulty chewing or swallowing. Jewelry in the navel can get caught in clothing and rip the skin. Jewelry in the genital area can cause injury to you or your partner when having sex.

Those are just a few of the problems you might be facing when you have a body piercing. If the piercer is inexperienced, he can damage underlying blood vessels and nerves. Now, that is a high price to pay, just to look cool. Is it not? Whatever your reasons are for getting a body piercing, just make sure that you handle the wound with care. Bacteria thrive on open wounds, so be careful.

How to Repair Your Old Broken Fashion Jewelry ?

By Tanisha Howard .

Like most fashion jewelry (a.k.a costume jewelry) lovers you probably have some old seemingly worn out rings, necklaces, or bracelets shoved to the back of your drawer or jewelry box that never get worn. The great thing about inexpensive costume jewelry is that it is easy to get your moneys worth out of it. However, why not get even more bank for your buck by breathing new life into those old jewelry pieces by reversing some of their most common issues:

Problem 1: Dirty or Tarnished?

Cleaning fashion jewelry is simple but choose your cleaner wisely. Only use a jewelry cleaner that specifically states that it is safe for costume jewelry and read the ingredients to make sure that it does not contain alcohol, acids, or ammonia because these can strip the gold or silver plate. Use a children's soft bristle tooth brush for cleaning around costume jewelry stones. Its probably not be a good idea to immerse rhinestone jewelry because the stones can become unglued.

If your fashion jewelry items are only lightly tarnished a good buffing with a soft dry jewelry cloth may do the trick. For more heavily tarnished items a jewelry polish can work wonders.

Problem 2: Worn out gold or silver plating?

Because typical fashion jewelry plating is very thin it can eventually rub off from wear or become damaged from the use of harsh chemicals, creams, or perfumes. If this happens there are several options in gold and silver re-plating solutions that can be found online. Some are fairly simple and can be performed without the use of heat or electricity while others are a little more complex. I found one website in particular that offers a very good variety of plating options (e.g. immersion plating, pen plating) and general plating instructions for precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium. It is shorinternational.com. Click on the contents and search box and then plating gateway. One word of caution: I would recommend buying only cyanide free plating solutions as cyanide is poisonous. For silver lovers there is one product that I have personally used that has worked well for me and it is called Silver Brite. This is an all in one cream that cleans, polishes, and re-plates worn silver on jewelry and other items. It is very easy to use and fairly inexpensive. Just rub the cream on with an applicator sponge or a Q-tip for small items and rub off with the buffing cloth that is included with the kit. The result is a clean, sparking silver finish.

Problem 3: Loose or missing stones?

If a stone such as a cubic zirconia, plastic, or glass has become loose or fallen out a drop or two of super glue will do the trick. Just be careful not to use too much. You don't want the glue oozing out of the sides and causing the piece to adhere to your skin or some other object. Most of the time a single drop will suffice unless it is a very large stone in which case you may want to use two drops. If you cannot find the missing stone there are companies online that sell loose cz stones if you have a particular chain or ring band you want to salvage. Simply do an internet search for cz stones.

Problem 4: Broken clasp?

If your fashion necklace or bracelet has a broken clasp make sure it is the actual clasp that is broken. The problem may be a broken jump ring which is a tiny metal ring that is open in one spot which connects the clasp to the chain. If this is the problem it can be easily fixed. First identify what kind of clasp it is (e.g. lobster clasp which is shaped like a lobster claw and has a tiny spring loaded lever, a magnetic clasp which is just as it sounds, or a spring ring which is also spring loaded) then visit your local craft store or do a search online for jewelry clasps and you should find what you need. If the clasp is soldered on you will need to contact a jewelry repair professional.

Problem 5: Out of date:

If you simply want to add a new flair to your old fashion jewelry pieces you can simply mix and match. If you have a special pendant that you are especially fond of give it a new life with a more contemporary chain. Add new charms to your favorite bracelet or re-plate that old silver necklace with a shiny new gold finish. Be creative!

3 Big Reasons Why Silver Jewelry is Better Than Gold Jewelry

By Jansen Davis

Affordability

The most obvious fact as to why silver is better to buy than gold is affordability. Sterling silver is more inexpensive than gold primarily due to issues of quality and abundance. Gold is rarer in the ground than its counterpart. Although both metals have similar melting points and are considered precious metals, gold is heavier and doesn't tarnish. Silver tarnishes only slightly and has proven durability as silver coins in relatively good condition, dating back to the Roman Empire some two thousand years ago, have been discovered. Affordability also gives silver an advantage in variety of design. Vermeil jewelry also known as yellow gold plated silver jewelry in the form or rings, earrings and bracelets are a great alternative to gold. In this case, you can have a gold look and pay silver prices while not losing on quality. Given the range of affordability, as a collector, buying jewelry made with silver gives you the ability to own multiple silver pieces for the price of one gold piece.

Popular Variety

The popularity of silver material in applications outside of jewelry is growing. Sterling silver is used for silverware, appliances, jewelry, furniture and plenty of other industrial artifacts. Sterling silver jewelry, such as rings, earrings, and bracelets have become more popular than gold because of a growing understanding of the practical value of silver in commercial industry as well as jewelry fashion. The use of combinations of silver and gold in earrings, rings and bracelets is now commonplace. As the popularity of silver jewelry increases so to will the breadth of choices widen. More jewelry designers are offering a variety of high product lines made in silver. Companies like Tiffany and Co. continue to grow as silver jewelry gains interest. This large focus on silver jewelry will continue to increase popularity which in turn will spawn varied and exciting jewelry expression, benefiting the buying public.

Value

Silver can be a smart investment. Given historical prices and high demand, the value of silver will likely continue rising. As more industries find uses for silver, it will attract investment dollars as consolidation occurs and stability is established. As a wearer and owner of silver jewelry you can rest assured that your piece has intrinsic value as a precious metal in a commodities market. Recent history shows that silver has outperformed gold in many instances. Since 2000 silver prices tripled. Given the low price of silver as it relates to gold, there is a tremendous upside potential still yet unrealized. Here is, in conclusion, yet another benefit to owning silver as the mere buying of jewelry is considered a method of investing in commodities.

Health Benefits of Magnetic Jewelry

By Susan Westingham

Mankind has been using magnets to heal the bodies aches and pains for hundreds of years. Historians show that the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Greeks used them for medicinal or life-prolonging reasons. Modern man, however debunked their healing properties as being pure myth. Does magnetic force fields have an effect on the human body? Is it myth or one of ancient civilizations secrets, now revealed?

Recent studies have shown that magnets and magnetic fields had measurable effects on the blood vessels of rats. And we all know that whatever works on rats, stands a chance on working on humans. A more recent and well documented study on the effect of magnets on the human body, performed in 1997 at the Baylor College of Medicine,Houston USA caused hte medical world to sit up and take notice.

The tests were performed on post polio patients. A selection were given placebo magnets, while others were given true magnetic jewelry. Neither patient nor staff knew who was wearing the placebos. Astonishingly enough, over 70% of those wearing the magnetic jewelry said that the level of pain they were experiencing lessened significantly.

Since then other studies have been conducted. None have been able to disprove the theory that magnetic therapy is indeed beneficial and helpful in curing certain ailments--especially those involving joint or bone pain.

Magnetic jewelry today is beautifully crafted. Metals used for creating magnetic jewelry include hermatite, titanium, tungsten or stainless steel. Designs are creative, tasteful and elegant. Some is even hand-crafted. Magnetic jewelry is no longer unattractive. To the contrary, it is well made and suitable for wearing on any occassion.

What is Art Deco Jewelry?

By Alison Takvorian .

Art Deco is a term you are sure to hear if you are at all interested in antique or vintage jewelry. The jewelry designs of the 1920s to 30s were greatly influenced by the Art Deco movement that was taking place around the world. The term Art Deco was actually taken from the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art which was organized in 1925 in France. Many famous designers and artists presented their wares to the public at this famous show.

One of the biggest historical events to influence Art-Deco jewelry design was the discovery of King Tut's tomb. This inspired a wave of design that was very Egyptian in nature. Pyramids, serpents and spiders emerged as design elements. Advances in technology were also a definite influence as well which can be seen reflected in the designs of autos and airplanes that found their way into pieces of jewelry.

Then, coming out of the First World War, the country was ready for a bit more flash and pizzazz. There was a lot of geometric and abstract design used in all types of jewelry. Favorite colors were black onyx, blue sapphires, green emeralds, and red coral and of course white diamonds. Designs were bold and pieces were often big. Pendants were often long and free flowing while bangle bracelets and cocktail rings were extremely popular. The boyishness of the female wardrobe of the day also led to incorporation of other costume pieces such as cigarette cases and holders.

There was money to spend at the end of the war and prior to the stock market crash, a lot of it was spent on jewelry and jewelry making. As a result, many of the designs of the Art-Deco period were very luxurious. Some of the world's most renowned names in the industry emerged during this period. Lalique, Cartier, Chanel, and Van Cleef are just a sampling.

The economic times played the greatest role in the end of the Art Deco era. The downturn of the early thirties led to a more restricted production of jewelry and designers were forced to turn to cheaper materials to produce jewelry items that a less affluent society could afford.

Art Deco had another surge in popularity during the 1960's when a new show was organized based on books that had been written about the original Art Deco movement. The phrase Art Deco was actually first coined during this period.

Today Art Deco reproduction jewelry is a very popular choice among wholesalers of jewelry both in rings and other pieces.

The Meaning of Friendship Bracelets

By Cherry Bruce .

Typically, friendship bracelets have been given from one friend to another. Originally made popular in the 70s during the time of peace and love, they are symbolic, meaningful, and can also be quite fashionable. Sometimes, friendship bracelets may just be a simple piece of string, but other times, you may want to give something a little more long lasting to show your appreciation and pride.

Another option for friendship bracelets are those that incorporate colors and symbols. For example, get your bestie a bracelet with her birthstone or favorite color. Pick up a matching one for yourself and you'll be a set. Bracelets don't have to be marked with the word "friendship" for you to give them as gifts. You can turn any bracelet into a friendship bracelet. Try a charm bracelet adorned with symbols that relate to her favorite activities, sports and hobbies. Present it with a card and a well written message for a complete package that will be much appreciated. Friendship bracelets can be given between two friends, or an entire group. Girls can give them to their mothers or their schoolmates. Women of any age can get in on this timeless trend that is fun to wear and will never go out of style.