You love to look your best. Dressing nice and adding sparkle or glam is a fantastic way to boost your self-esteem. Nothing does this as well as walking into the room wearing fine jewelry.

Before buying jewelry for any future special occasions, you should first learn about fine jewelry, which jewelry houses make the best pieces, which questions to ask yourself as you shop, and more. 

Table of Contents

• What is Fine Jewelry?
• Where to Buy Fine Jewelry
• How do I Care for my Fine Jewelry?
• 3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Jewelry
• What Does 925 Mean on Jewelry?
• How to Organize Fine Jewelry
• What Does 585 Mean on Jewelry?
• How to Pack Fine Jewelry for Travel
• What Does “Gold Filled” Mean in Jewelry?
• How to Tell if Jewelry is Real Gold?
• What Jewelry Can You Wear in the Shower?

What is Fine Jewelry?

In our modern language, we use “fine” to mean something that is okay but not great. If you ask your partner how they are doing and they say “fine,” you know you’re about to talk about how they’re not doing very well!

While “fine” may not be good enough for a vacation or a mood, it’s more than just okay for jewelry. “Fine jewelry” is used for any jewelry made from precious metals such as platinum, gold, and silver. It’s more than the metal itself. Fine jewelry often uses genuine gemstones like diamonds, sapphires, rubies, or emeralds. Because it’s made from such high-quality pieces, fine jewelry is durable and made to last. These are timeless pieces! 

That’s not to say fine jewelry must stay in your jewelry box and only come out for big events. They can be worn daily, especially beautiful bracelets, rings, and watches that match various outfits. Of course, if you wear these pieces a lot, you will need to take special care of them. This leads us to our next question.

Where to Buy Fine Jewelry

 

This one is easy! The best place to buy affordable fine jewelry is online. Wait- affordable? Yes! When you shop online, it is not only possible but quite easy to find affordably priced jewelry that is just as fine as anything you’d find in an expensive jewelry store. Why spend all day being pressured by salespeople when you can shop for luxury watches from the privacy of your own home and get an even better deal? The choice is clear!

Even if you have a price point that is less than what could get you fine jewelry in a retail environment, shopping online offers you many more possibilities. Beyond the advantages of shopping online, purchasing pre-owned fine jewelry drops the price of a piece even further. The details you will find listed on True Facet are extremely high-quality, although they have had a previous owner. Many have never even been worn!

How do I Care for my Fine Jewelry?

It can feel like a lot of pressure to purchase a piece from one of the top jewelry designers and then care for it so that it lasts in top-quality condition for many years. Don’t worry about yourself! Caring for fine gold jewelry is as simple as following a few pieces of expert advice: 

Avoid Damaging Chemicals

Hairspray, lotion, sunscreen, bug spray, and perfume can damage precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. They are susceptible to discoloration from these products. Do not put jewelry on, and then get yourself ready. Instead, leave your jewelry in its case until you’re ready to wear it.

Use Mild Cleaners 

You don’t need anything fancy or special to clean your pieces. One of the best jewelry cleaning methods involves warm water, mild dish soap, and a soft brush. You can also use a rag made for this purpose. Ultrasonic cleaning may be tempting, but this can sometimes shake gems loose or chip gemstones. Organic gemstones, like pearls, opal, and turquoise, should not be cleaned ultrasonically. 

Take it Off Whenever There’s a Doubt

You don’t want to wear your fine jewelry in the swimming pool when cleaning if you’re cooking a messy meal or working out at the gym. Not only will this protect your fine jewelry pieces from the harsh chemicals and debris buildup mentioned above, but it will also help you avoid losing your jewelry.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Jewelry

 

 

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though. Now that you’re better prepared to care for your new pieces when they arrive, you can confidently shop for something special to add to your jewelry collection. Before doing so, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions. These include:

Do I Have a Brand Preference?

Whether you’re talking about necklaces, earrings, watches, or anything else- many people have certain fine jewelry brands they prefer. While Rolex watches are known to be some of the best on Earth, some people prefer Cartier instead and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that!

What Color of Fine Jewelry Should I Wear?

Even if you don’t care much about the brand name, nearly everyone has a preference. What color is your wedding band? What color earrings do you typically wear? Do you often wear a designer watch you want to match? If you like to wear silver, you can also get white gold or platinum.

We could go on and on about which metals look best with certain skin tones or for certain occasions, but it all boils down to one big question- which do you like better? You’re the one wearing it, no one else!

Is There a Special Occasion I am Buying for?

Obviously, if this is a wedding ring you’re probably going to settle on a diamond ring or band made of precious metal. What about another big event, though, like a holiday, birthday, anniversary, date night, vacation, reunion, or retirement? Whatever the occasion, consider what would make the most appropriate fine jewelry to wear. Going to your niece’s 14th birthday probably doesn’t require something as special as your own 50th wedding anniversary celebration. 

What Does 925 Mean on Jewelry?

As you begin shopping, you’ll notice small letters and numbers scrawled on the pieces. Is this bad? On the contrary! These little notes are telling you something very important about your fine designer jewelry.

If a piece in question is silver, you may see a 925 stamp. This is all about purity and means that for every 1000 parts of the material in the jewelry piece, 925 parts must be made of silver. No more than 75 parts can be a different metal. In percentages, this breaks down into 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals.

How to Organize Fine Jewelry

It’s best to keep your jewelry in a fabric-lined case that has compartments and dividers for your pieces. If there are only a few sections, put your fine rings with rings, bracelets with bracelets, and so on. If possible, wrap each piece of jewelry in soft tissue or paper before placing it in its designated place. This will prevent scratching and tangling. 

What Does 585 Mean on Jewelry?

 

You probably already have a good idea of what 585 means now! If a 14K gold product bears the mark of “585,” it means the piece has been tested and classed as 14 karats or 58.5% pure. The remaining 41.5% of the item is composed of different metals. This could be anything from a nickel to copper to even silver.

How to Pack Fine Jewelry for Travel

 

Many times, the purchase of fine jewelry predates another very special event- going on vacation. After all, you want to look your best and feel your best too. Imagine flashing a Women’s Rolex in your new Instagram photos! This means you’ll want to learn how to travel with your new pieces or pieces.

For one thing, you’re going to want to bring a hard-sided jewelry case. This looks a lot like an old-fashioned briefcase you may have seen your father or grandfather use. Unlike a briefcase, they have foam cushioning inside and smaller compartments for tiny pieces like earrings. This type of case will fully protect your items. 

Be sure to also bring along anything and everything you need to care for your pieces. A vacation often means additional sunscreen or lotions being worn, and you’re not going to want to wait days or weeks until you return to clean them.

What Does “Gold Filled” Mean in Jewelry?

If you’re not familiar with the fine jewelry industry, you may hear the term “gold filled” and think this means the piece in question is less than good quality. Why not just say gold? Does this mean the piece is bad or cheap?

In fact, the opposite is true! Gold filling is one of the most valuable and tarnish-resistant processes for creating gold jewelry. If properly cared for, your gold-filled fine jewelry pieces can last a lifetime, and thanks to their durability, there’s no need to worry about wear.

What you want to avoid is “gold plated.” The similarity between the two terms may be what has led to some confusion. You want real gold, after all. Speaking of real gold

How to Tell if Jewelry is Real Gold?

 

When shopping at a fine jewelry sale, it can be somewhat tempting to assume a piece priced low is simply too low. Could the piece be fake? How do you know if it’s real gold anyway?

For one thing, shopping for top designer name brands like Bulgari, Gucci, Cartier, and Tiffany’s means you never have to question whether a piece is a real gold or not. These luxury jewelry brands do not make anything less than the best, which means real gold.

There are other ways to know besides the name brand. Remember the hallmarks mentioned above with little letters and numbers. Valid purity numbers under the Karat system are 10k, 14k, 24k, and so on. Any gold that is marked less than 10k means it has less than 41.7% purity and is considered fake.

What Jewelry Can You Wear in the Shower?

You can wear genuine gemstones and precious metals in the shower. They will not rust or tarnish. Many people do not take off their wedding bands ever, after all, even in the shower. You could also wear a special gold necklace all of the time and not need to take it off for the shower. Feel free to wear stud earrings without worrying about the shower as well.

That being said, don’t keep your fine jewelry pieces on for the shower just because you’re feeling a bit lazy. As a general rule, it is recommended to remove all your jewelry before you get wet. Remember that keeping it in a safe, dry place will help preserve its beauty and integrity for many years to come. This goes double for designer watches!