tirsdag den 17. februar 2015

Combining Gold and Silver Jewelry in One Outfit

Fashion trends evolve constantly and rules for combining different garments change quite often. Oddly enough, they usually involve only female fashion, while male style stays almost intact. One of the great questions in female style and fashion is matching pieces in the outfit. In the course of the twentieth century there were many periods when matching the part of the look was really important. Such rules included, for instance, matching the handbag with the footwear or matching lipstick with nail polish. Right now none of those are followed anymore, moreover, it is considered rather unstylish to match a purse and shoes.

The same goes for jewelry. For many decades wearing pieces of matching metal was not a discussable question. In some periods of time wearing set of jewelry, where earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring had the same design and decoration, was fashionable. When such trend passed, the rule for wearing pieces made of the same metal stayed intact. If you were to wear a statement piece in gold, then the rest of the jewelry garments should have been gold, too. The same would go for silver.

But the time when matching jewelry was important passed, and now wearing silver and gold pieces together is totally acceptable. Moreover, wearing pieces made of different metals is considered fashionable. So, do not hesitate and combine silver and gold jewelry in one look.

There are different ways of combining gold and silver jewelry in your outfit. The most common one is wearing pieces which complement your outfit no matter what they are made of, silver and gold. The other way is wearing the same type of jewelry in different colors. For instance, you can combine gold and silver rings on one hand, gold and silver bracelets on one wrist or multiple earrings in different metals if your ears are pierced several times. This way you will achieve a modern look with an edgy touch.

Another way of combining different metals is wearing jewelry which is made of combined metals. You can find a lot of jewelry made of combined yellow, white and rose gold; sterling silver and gold plated pieces, and so on. Such pieces will look great with any other jewelry you are wearing.



tirsdag den 10. februar 2015

How to Check If Your Silver Is Genuine

When you buy silver garments from trusted retailers, you will get a certificate of authenticity together with your purchase. The silver piece will also have a stamp saying what is the silver content in the garment. The most common stamp is 925, which indicates sterling silver (92.5% of pure silver in the garment). The pure silver garments do not exist as silver itself is a very soft metal, which can't be used for manufacturing on its own. Some garments might also have another stamp which will indicate the brand of the piece. It can be a picture, a sign or initials.

But it is not always when you buy new silver garments from official retailers. Sometimes you buy used or pieces at thrift stores, garage sails or charity shops. In this case, certificates are usually missing, unless it is a very valuable antique piece. Some old pieces might laso lack stamping, which does not necessarily mean that they are not made of real silver. It can happen because the stamping can wear of or not be there from the beginning (for example, is the piece come from the country where stamping is not obligatory).

In this case, you might want to test your silver piece to find out if it actually has any value. There are many ways of doing it, and the easiest is to bring your piece to a pawnshop or a silversmith and ask to find out the value of it. You can also do it yourself at home, and the majority of such tests are pretty reliable.

The most reliable test you can perform is a chemical analysis test. You will need a special kit for it, which you can purchase online. Follow the instructions to perform the test and get results. Bear in mind, that in this case you will have to scratch the surface of the piece, so choose a spot on the back of your garment, where it  won't be noticeable.

There are also tests which involve simple techniques. For example, you can test your silver piece by testing its' magnetic qualities. For the best results, use a strong magnet. As silver has weak magnetic qualitites, it shouldn't stick to the magnet.

You can also use bleach to test your silver garment. To perform it, simply put a small drop of bleach on your silver piece. It the spot where you applied bleach will turn dark (tarnishes), then the item is made of silver. You can also rub some chalk on your silver garment (chalk will turn dark if silver is genuine) or drop iodine, reaction will be the same as with bleach. Keep in mind that it is harder to wash off iodine, so if possible, choose other methods.

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