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Archive for the ‘Wedding Jewellery Advice’ Category

Is Pearl Jewellery the Right Wedding Jewellery for You

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

There are a lot of different stones for wedding jewellery such as crystals, diamantes and pearls and each material has so many options so it can be a bit overwhelming to get it right. Often there’s so much choice it’s difficult to make a decision and you end up leaving the decision so late that the options for your wedding jewellery are now very limited.

Pearl Wedding Jewellery? Questions to ask yourself

If you’re not sure whether pearl wedding jewellery is for you then answer the following questions:

  • Does my wedding dress have pearls?
  • Do I have other pearl jewellery that I plan to wear on the day?
  • Do you prefer the luxurious sheen of pearls to the sparkle of crystals?
  • Are you aiming for an elegant timeless look?

If you’ve answered yes to the majority of the above questions then there’s a high possibility that pearl wedding jewellery is right for you.

What Type Of Pearls

So your next question should be: do you want real fresh water pearls or do you prefer the cost and the uniformity of faux pearls? You may perceive faux pearls to be cheap plastic imitation and some are but glass pearls are also used and while they aren’t fresh water pearls they are superior quality faux pearls.
The deciding factors in whether you choose fresh water or faux pearls for your jewellery will be cost and design. Fresh water pearls are more expensive than faux pearls, so if cost is an issue then opt for faux pearls. I would advise you contact the seller and check they are glass and not plastic pearls before you buy so you know you’re getting a quality product. Sometimes you aren’t given the option of choosing your pearl type for the design of wedding jewellery you want to buy, so you will need to settle for the pearl type that is contained within the jewellery. However if it is a handmade piece try asking the designer if they are willing to change the pearls for you, many will if the jewellery is made to order.

Pearl wedding necklace

Colour of Your Pearl Wedding Jewellery

Often with pearl wedding jewellery you get the option of white or ivory pearls but many other colours are available so you should be able to get co-ordinating designs in a different colour for your bridesmaids or for yourself if you wanted something more colourful.

So should you buy pearl wedding jewellery? If you’ve answered the questions above then you’ll already know

Buying Wedding Jewellery Sets

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

You might be swayed to buy your wedding jewellery as a set and if you do you’ll probably pay less money than buying all the pieces of wedding jewellery separately, but is buying your wedding jewellery in a set right for you? This blog post will look at the pros and cons of buying your jewellery as a set so you can make up your own mind.

Pros of buying wedding jewellery sets

  • It often saves money
  • You know that the necklace, bracelet and earrings will match perfectly as they are designed to go together
  • It saves time looking for co-ordinating pieces

Cons of buying wedding jewellery sets

  • If the set contains earrings you won’t be able to return them if you don’t like them
  • You might not have peirced ears and therefore don’t need the earrings
  • You might not want to wear all the pieces of wedding jewelley contained within the set, sometimes a bracelet and earrings are just enough
  • It would be difficult to have each piece custom made to your requirements for things such as length and colour

Buying a wedding jewellery set works for some brides but feels too restrictive to others, only you will be able to decide whether buying your bridal jewellery in a set is the right thing for you to do.

Buying Wedding Jewellery

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

Can you buy pieces of your wedding jewellery from different places?

So what do you think?

Can you think of any other reasons why you might buy pieces of your wedding jewellery from different shops?

Taking Care of Silver Wedding jewellery

Friday, August 27th, 2010

The majority of the wedding jewellery that is ordered is silver and silver needs a little looking after to keep it shiny and tarnish free.  This tarnishing is a normal process that happens with all types of silver and it’s a chemical reaction that happens on the surface.  But because it is only on the surface even the most tarnished pieces of silver wedding jewellery should be salvageable but the best thing to do is to prevent your wedding jewellery from getting tarnished in the first place.

Why does silver wedding jewellery tarnish?

Silver tarnishes because it comes into contact with Hydrogen Sulphide which is in our atmosphere and every day objects.  You can’t stop the tarnishing process but you can slow it down by caring for your silver wedding jewellery properly.

How do I stop my wedding jewellery from becoming tarnish?

As silver wedding jewellery tarnishes when it comes into contact with Hydrogen Sulphide there are a number of things you can do to slow down tarnishing such as keeping it in a dry airtight container as humid environments speed up the tarnishing process.  Don’t store them in paper, cardboard or wool as these also contain Hydrogen Sulphide.  Handle your wedding jewellery as little as possible as the natural oils on your skin will accelerate the tarnishing process.

Oops to late, How do I remove the tarnish?

If it’s only lightly tarnished and not an intricate piece then you may be able to restore the shine with a silver polishing cloth.  These cloths are really inexpensive and often leave an anti tarnish barrier helping to prevent against further tarnishing.  If your wedding jewellery has a yellow tinge then you might need to clean it in a silver cleaning solution or use this nifty trick.  Grab yourself a bowl, kitchen foil, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. Place the piece of wedding jewellery in the bowl with the kitchen foil and sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda of it then pour over the boiling water.  The reaction between the foil and the bicarbonate of soda removes the tarnish.  This video shows the same process but instead of using a bowl and foil, they’ve used a foil container. Also be aware that bicarbonate of soda is called baking soda in the US.

I’ve used this method with jewellery containing Swarovski crystal beads but haven’t tested it on other gems or pearls so take care not to destroy your wedding jewellery if it isn’t created from Swarovski crystals and silver.

Should you give bridesmaids wedding jewellery as a gift?

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Many couples choose to give their bridesmaids wedding jewellery to wear on the day which also doubles up as their bridesmaids gift. But do your bridesmaids deserve a separate gift?  Well if money was no object then it would be great to get them jewellery to accessorize their bridesmaids outfits and then a separate present but for many couples it’s an area where they can save money so they double up th bridesmaids jewellery as their bridesmaids gift.  So as a couple  if you decide that this is an area where you can save on your wedding budget should you feel bad?

Well that depends, are you planning to give the ushers and the best man cuff links to wear on the day or something funny like novelty boxer shorts and then still give them another gift at the wedding reception?  If the answers yes, then there shouldn’t be a double standard for the bridesmaids, just like the men they deserve something extra too.  If the only gift your ushers and best man gets is the one given to them at the wedding reception to say thank you then it’s perfectly acceptable to give your bridesmaids wedding jewellery to wear on the day and make reference to it at the wedding reception instead of giving them a separate bridesmaids gift.

Weddings are one of those occasions where you can easily insult someone by not thinking things through so if in doubt ask yourself would I be offended it I received wedding jewellery as my bridesmaid gift? And you’ll find you have your answer.