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Jewelry Enhanced

by: Frank Hague

Your jewelry is an important investment, and it retains its appearance and value longer if it is properly cared for. Here are some tips to ensure the long life of your gems.

How to Clean Gold Jewelry

Gold is tarnish-resistant, although it can get smudged and grimy. Lotions, powders, soaps, even natural skin oils can cover your jewelry and cut down on its brilliance. Jewelry cleaning removes this residue and restores the original luster of your jewelry.

Even though many commercial products are available to clean gold jewelry, a basic solution of detergent and water goes a long way to restore the radiance of gold, and a soft brush helps to gently clean intricate filigree designs and stones. Every now and again it can be helpful to soak the gold jewelry in a mixure of 1 portion ammonia and 6 parts water for about a minute. Make sure to dry and polish your gold jewelry with a soft cloth or chamois afterwards.

Professional jewelry polishing cloths are an efficacious and inexpensive way of keeping your gold collection glittering and radiant. These treated cotton cloths help to dislodge tarnish and to buff jewelry to a brilliant shine.

Never wear jewelry in the swimming pool or while doing chores. Though gold is said to be non-reactive, the fact is that contact with chemicals such as chlorine in pools or household cleaners will discolor or even damage your gold jewelry mountings.

When you are not wearing your jewelry, proper storage is essential. Be careful that pieces don't tumble together in a crowded jewel box if you want to avoid scratching and loss of radiance. Ideally, store your jewelry in a fabric-lined jewel case, or even a compartmentalized box so that every piece of jewelry resides in an individual soft cloth pouch. In damp climates, storing jewelry in small resealable plastic bags can extend intervals between cleaning, especially for silver.

It's important to check the stone settings of your jewelry sometimes for any damage to the bezels or prongs. Immersing the jewelry in rubbing alcohol for a couple seconds will restore the gorgeous sparkle to cloudy stones. It's critical to dry the jewelry thoroughly after cleaning prior to wearing or even storing. Pave set (glued in stones) jewelry should never be soaked in water while cleaning gold jewelry, as these glues, especially those used in older jewelry, are often not waterproof.

Special Gems

Diamonds, sapphires and rubies are relatively hard, though the later two can still sustain scratches. However, pearls, emeralds and opals are softer and need a gentler touch. Emeralds and opals contain water in their matrix and may crack if they are allowed to dry out. Regular application of cod liver oil from the drugstore every few months is recommended by antique jewely dealers. Pearls should be worn frequently to expose them to skin oils. If they dry out, their luster will diminish, so don't clean them with alcohol or detergents . Avoid exposing pearls to vinegar and other acids, as they will dissolve. To clean pearls, simply wipe them with a soft damp cloth.

Ultasonic Jewelry Cleaners

Do not use them on pearls and opals -- they will be damaged.

Silver Cleaner

Line a broad flat dish with tinfoil, then place your silver jewelry in the dish spaced out so they pieces do not touch. Mix together 4 cups of hot water with 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Pour this over the silver and leave for a few minutes until tarnish is dissoved, then rinse and polish with a soft cloth.

Make sure you remove the silver as soon as it is clean, and don't let it soak for hours as the electrolytic reaction will continue.

About the author:
Frank Hague is interested in Jewelry and Diamonds - - - - - - - -

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Current Fashion Trends in Costume Jewelry and Accessories
by: Michael Gietl

Color Trends in Costume Jewelry

The fall fashion trends are ushering in another excellent season for costume jewelry and accessories. Rich colors and bold looks dominate the trend. Teal, amber and amethyst are the important colors with olivine and green used as neutrals. Topaz and peacock are also important and all indications are that rich color will continue into the spring season. Metals are seeing a return to gold, but silver is still stronger.

Bold Designs Dominate Fashion Jewelry

Fashion jewelry thrives when bold designs are in vogue and that is very much the case this season. The high fashion look is popular in necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with natural components contributing to the designs. Wood is continuing its second season of popularity with shell important even in the fall line. But the rising star in natural materials is gemstone, which provides the beauty of natural semiprecious stones to the costume jewelry designs. This will definitely continue and accelerate in the spring line. Also popular in neckwear are 48 inch and 60 inch ropes that are worn extended or doubled. Jet is strong in holiday jewelry and estate looks (antique designs) are becoming fashionable in bridal jewelry.

Traditional Costume Jewelry and Accessories

While costume jewelry in bold designs and rich colors forge the way for leading fashion, there is a larger market that shouldn�t be ignored in more traditional and classic looks. Theme jewelry in pendants, earrings, and charm bracelets has an appeal that goes beyond fashion alone because it identifies with what the wearer cares about. In addition, traditional rhinestone, bridal jewelry, evening bags, and formal gloves have a classic look with timeless appeal. There is a major market for these items that will always be present even as fashion changes.

Accessory Trends

Sequins and buttons are very big in all accessories, especially in handbags and evening bags. Beyond these, the looks of the larger bags introduced by leading designers are the trendy styles of the season. These are the bags the stars are carrying, which goes a long ways towards popularizing the styles. In evening bags, large sequins and buttons are very much in vogue, but traditional looks seem to be carrying the day.

Sunglasses are definitely big and bold with aviators the runaway favorite. Retro looks are also excellent and colored frames with matching lenses are very popular.

Hats and Headwear

In millinery, dress hats are an important part of the market, with ladies hats the dominant player. The looks are very traditional with a new element of pre-made bands allowing for the versatility of custom designs. Casual hats, however, account for the major share of the market and no design in 2005 is more important than the rollup cowboy hat. While the design is not popular in every region of the country, the sheer number of sales makes it the number one hat of the year. This rugged look that is typically American has risen to such popularity that it becomes an important fashion statement. After cowboy hats, the three most fashionable designs are wide brim floppy hats, ladies fedoras, and newsboys. The entertainment field has played a major roll in popularizing these designs and the fashion looks continue into the fall season with felt, leather, wool, and leatherette used as the material for the fall versions.

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