Jewelry shopping is the dream and indulgence of every woman, all over the world. The excitement and confusion when viewing and sorting the short listed pieces can be overwhelming. However, you need to consider certain guidelines while purchasing jewelry. The jewelry available is usually made of gold, silver, platinum or glass. These may be set with precious stones like diamond, rubies and even pearls.



The jewelry designs depend on personal preferences and could either be ready made and showcased or customized, exclusive jewelry. The showcased jewelry designs are the standard ones where many pieces of the same design are sold. Whereas, the exclusive customized jewelry is unique and made by special order only. Exclusive jewelry should always accentuate the features, attire and personality of the woman. You should consider among the feminine, bold and exotic categories.

Exclusive jewelry is created to showcase exquisite craftsmanship. You should also consider the cost factor and between contemporary and the 'culture' based designs. Among all the metals used to make exclusive jewelry, gold and platinum are the most chosen options. Gold has been indulged in for centuries and designers have always preferred the yellow luster and the malleability. Gold is almost always mixed either with silver or copper. This alloy is known to increase the strength of the jewelry.

Platinum exclusive jewelry is very expensive. Platinum is a rare metal that does not fade and lose luster. In the case of jewelry with set precious and semi precious stones, you need to look into the design and its ability to 'hold' on to the gems firmly.

You should also know your chosen gems. While amber is formed from fossilized sticky pine resin, emerald is a mineral green in color. Jade is available as Jadeite and Nephrite and is the hardest of all gems. It can be carved into various forms. Nephrite is green, while Jadeite can be red, blue, green or black. Lapis Lazuli is blue, while onyx is mostly black. Pearls can either be freshwater or cultured.

Buying jewelry is an expensive affair. Since your choice is the exclusive collection, you should also know how to maintain the exclusive jewelry. It should be protected from dirt, that is basically the residue of the body oils. You should always apply any cream, lotion or make up prior to flaunting the jewelry. Nevertheless, beauty products like lotions do get into the pieces and result in a tarnished look.

You should clean the pieces with the help of a soft brush in warm water, preferably soaked a while before cleaning. The jewelry should be dried thoroughly before storing it. The boxes for each piece should be different, especially in the case of jewelry studded with real gems.

In the case of gold plated jewelry, you should avoid contact with water. The jewelry will become dull in time, if you do use a damp cloth or wash the individual pieces. Always remember that pearls and corals should never be soaked. Jewelry is very costly but with a little care, it can last a lifetime, handed down through generations.