5 Tricks to Maintain Your Jewelry Pieces

5 Tricks to Maintain Your Jewelry Pieces

by Sharon Jones

If you own some high-end jewelry pieces that have cost you quite a serious amount of money, it’s only proper that you do everything to keep them in pristine condition. Over time, improper storage, handling, and cleaning could affect the luster and beauty of jewelry items and can even lead to irreparable damages.

The good news, though, is that there are some easy and effective ways to ensure that precious jewelry items will stay gorgeous. These tricks include some DIY-style cleaning, as well as maintenance hacks that must only be done by professionals. Here are five techniques to keep your jewelry pieces looking like new:

Have a professional clean your items

There are companies that specialize in cleaning jewelry items so owners can just take their valuables with them for servicing. If there are experts in high-end jewelry retouching services that ‘clean’ imperfections in photos of jewelry pieces so they look stunning, there are also experts in actual jewelry cleaning that can remove dust, dirt, and other contaminants that tarnish the beauty of exquisite jewelry items. They know how to clean delicate items using solutions that won’t have any adverse effect on the jewelry pieces, so they are the right people for such an exacting task.

Use everyday supplies for DIY-style cleaning

Aside from going to the professionals to have your items properly cleaned, you can also use everyday supplies to do your own cleaning. For example, you can actually use ketchup, toothpaste, or baking soda to bring back your silver items’ old luster while beer is ideal for cleaning gold items. Meanwhile, dish soap and seltzer water are good cleaning solutions for gemstones such as emerald and ruby. Just be absolutely sure that the solutions you’re using won’t harm your jewelry items so you won’t end up regretting your attempt at DIY cleaning.

Store them properly

There are pretty delicate high-end jewelry pieces that must be given extra care when storing. For example, pearl earrings or necklaces must be kept in an airtight jewelry box and not in plastic bags. There are less delicate items that can be kept in a basic ziplock bag while some would require a customized storage box to ensure the utmost protection. We suggest consulting with jewelry store staff to have wise pieces of advice on how to properly store your precious items.

Don’t wear them if you’ll swim

Jewelry items made of gold and silver can get tarnished by saltwater and chlorine, so it’s not a good idea to wear them as you swim, whether in a pool or out in the sea. Keep in mind that some pieces of jewelry can be very delicate and get easily affected by such elements. With this, you better resist the urge to swim with them on if you don’t want to end up paying for a costly professional clean-up or worse, losing them while you’re in the water. In short, just don’t wear such pieces when you swim.

Keep them away from direct sunlight or harsh chemicals

Regardless of what kind of items you have, it’s always not advisable to expose jewelry items to direct sunlight and harsh chemicals such as acid or chlorine. These could contribute to the rapid deterioration of the items and can even damage them permanently.

It’s always good to see your investments last. Just make sure you follow these maintenance tricks and you’re sure to enjoy your high-end jewelry pieces for decades to come.

Making Money With Land Investments

Making Money With Land Investments

Land isn’t suggested as an investment as often as real estate, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no potential to make money from it. If you’ve found yourself scooping up a piece of land or you’re looking for a way to capitalize on an area that’s being developed, here are some of the ways you can make money from the land you own.

Photo by Pexels – Pixabay License

Making an improvement and selling the land

Much like remodeling and selling a home, you can flip a piece of land as well. Depending on where it is placed, a few smart investments can make it a much more attractive purchase for business owners and real estate investors in the area. For instance, you could build a new road on the land that makes it a much better prospect for building properties on, or make water available and get septic approval to sell it as some good farm or campground land.

Prepare the land for real estate development

Are there real estate investors who are looking hard at the area that you’re in? If you have land that people are already starting to inquire consistently about, you can develop the land and break into pieces that you can sell to those looking to build homes individually. For instance, turn 12 acres into 6 2-acre parcels. If you get enrolled in surveying study pathways, then you can learn the skills to perform a full site survey yourself. This can help you identify which land can best be sold to those looking to develop or building property on it.

Attract campers to come and stay on it

You don’t necessarily have to sell land to make some good money off of it. If you live in a place that’s nice and scenic, or close enough to some high-demand attractions, then you might be able to make money off campers instead. Creating space for tents and RVs, advertising it to campers, and making sure that they have the amenities they need could turn your unused land into a fantastic campground. Just make sure you take a look at any permits or licenses you might need to rent out your land.

Consider leasing it to hunters

If your land has plenty of wildlife on it, then did you know that hunters might be willing to pay quite a sum to rent it from you? Hunting grounds can be leased out to those who want privacy and exclusive rights to hunt on your private property when the season comes round. It might not make enough money to cover all the taxes alone, but it can be an excellent way to make some money back while you’re waiting to seel or to get the money together to develop the land.

If you have land, there may be plenty of ways to make money from it that you haven’t considered yet. The examples above are just that and not an exhaustive list by any means. Just ensure you make the appropriate investment for the land you’ve got.

How Filipinos Can Save Money for a Home’s Down Payment

How Filipinos Can Save Money for a Home’s Down Payment

When buying a home, securing the down payment is usually one of the biggest obstacles that most Filipinos face. Sure, you can acquire a home with minimal or zero down payment, but that only increases the amount you need to pay monthly and in the long run, not to mention the length of the loan term you will get.

Before you look for pre-selling houses in Cavite or other places, here are some ways to save up for a down payment:

1. Minimize debt

One of the first things that a lender or bank will look at is your current debts. If you have a lot of financial liabilities in the form of debt (e.g. car loan, business loan, personal loan, etc.), they may not be too keen to let you borrow money. Hence, you may not get the house you want or may have to pay a larger amount to secure a loan.

If you’re thinking of buying a house soon, minimize debt as much as you can. This way, you can set aside more of your income for a sizeable down payment.

2. Be smart about your money

Saving up for a down payment will require a lot of sacrifices, especially if you are raising a family at the same time. If you’re really set on buying a house, you must be willing to improve your spending habits by doing the following practices, for example:

  • Stick to your budget.Even if you’re not planning to buy a house yet, it’s good practice to set a budget for yourself and learn how to stick to it every month. Make sure to factor in your savings (for the down payment) when you create your budget, and deposit the amount right away in a separate savings account.
  • Set aside wants for now.Focus on saving up money for a down payment and think about your future every time you want to buy something that you don’t need. That new gadget, jewelry, or designer bag can wait for now.
  • Make adjustments.Whenever you can, make adjustments to your lifestyle in order to save more money. For example, if you spend too much money on eating out, minimize your restaurant dates to only once or twice a month.

3. Find other sources of income

If you have a full-time job, you can still find other streams of income to bulk up your down payment savings. Use your talents and skills. For example, if you are a good baker, try selling baked goods online or in the office. Or if you’re a talented musician, offer your services to weddings or debut parties. You can also consider starting a business with low investment, such as an online shop or a small food stall.

4. Set up separate accounts

Open a separate bank account for your down payment savings and don’t touch this account unless it’s for an emergency. Transfer your monthly savings into this account and consider it as a mandatory “bill.” This way, you’re training yourself to be obligated to save money every month, instead of treating it as an afterthought.

Owning a house is every Filipino’s dream. But if you don’t have enough savings yet, following these tips is a good start.

How To Obtain The Career Of Your Dreams

How To Obtain The Career Of Your Dreams

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It is important to have a career that you are happy in. A job that satisfies you will mean that you will suffer from less stress in your life. You will feel more fulfilled in life in general, and you will be more confident, having achieved what you have set out to do. 

There are many barriers to getting the career that you want. You may not feel as though you have the experience that you need to get the job, or may lack the confidence to put yourself forward for positions that you are actually qualified for. 

Often the barriers that you face when looking to progress in your career are ones that can be overcome with the right mindset. Here are some tips for finding and obtaining the career that you want. 

Be In The Market For That Job

If you are not actively looking for the career that you want, then you will never get it. This means that you should be regularly checking in on recruitment websites such as Cornerstone Medical. You should particularly focus your attention on job boards that are focused on your specific career niche. 

Sign up to email notifications on keywords, and follow relevant social media profiles that share jobs within the sector that you are interested in working in. 

Apply For Jobs

Get applying. Even if you don’t think that you will get a job, put some effort into your application and put yourself out there. 

Make sure that you tailor every application to the specific job that you are applying for. 

If your application progresses through to secondary stages, but you still don’t get the job, have the confidence to drop the recruiter and email and ask for feedback on your application. There may have been something that they were looking for specifically from you. By finding that information out, you can hone your applications and develop your experience.

Look For Ways To Gain Experience

If you haven’t quite got the skills or experience yet for the jobs that you want, get yourself onto some online courses, or seek out local organizations that might allow you to gain a small amount of work experience with them. You can often do these things while working in a stop-gap job. 

The more that you can do to improve your applications and resume, the better. You should always be looking at changes that you can make that will increase your chance of employment. 

Adopt A Healthy Positive Mindset

“You can get this job”. “You will progress in your career.” These are the kind of affirmations that you should be telling yourself every day. 

Confidence doesn’t come naturally to many people. Most people have to put it on to a degree. But the more you say positive things to yourself, the more you will start to believe them. As your self-belief grows, so too will your chances of finding the career that you are working hard to obtain. 

How To Save Money On Your Office Running Costs

How To Save Money On Your Office Running Costs

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There is no debating the fact that running an office comes with expenses. There are so many costs associated with keeping your business premises, from stationery, through to the people and the roof over your head.  

There are lots of ways that you can save money though. Here are some tips.

Cut Down On Your Printing Expenses

If your business needs to print things out, then you should shop around for cheap Cartridges. By using compatible cartridges rather than branded ones, you could vastly reduce one of your biggest stationery expenses. 

Before you print anything, you should consider whether it actually needs to be printed. Most paperwork can just be stored safely on the cloud where all of your staff can access it securely and quickly. If you need to put up a notice, why not consider communicating it to your team via email, or through a team management app. 

Consider Switching To Running A Virtual Office

A major expense is the cost of the actual office itself. But what if you didn’t need the office in the first place? Could you run your business from anywhere that you have an internet connection and a laptop? Do you even need to be in the same room as your employees in order to get the job done? 

More and more businesses are opening up to the idea of flexible working. That means that you can work from anywhere in the world. If you need to meet with clients, go to them, or arrange to go to a mutually convenient meeting place.

If you need to have post sent to a formal business address, why not just hire a virtual address to have this sent to? The cost of this will be very small in comparison to the overhead of putting a roof over your head. 

Hire Remote Workers

Do you want to hire the best workers, or are you just content with the best workers that are within an easy commute of your business? By opening up jobs to remote workers, you will be able to attract the brightest and the best talent. With less of a restriction on where they are in the world, you could have the highest standard of employee who will communicate digitally with you from anywhere in the world. 

Time zones can sometimes be an issue if your remote workers are over the other side of the world. However, if they are happy to work hours that may be deemed as less sociable for them, then this can work. 

Remote workers offer flexibility to your business. You will find that employees will tend to have very strong work ethics and that they can be a lot more productive as a result. 

When searching for remote workers, take into consideration how you might recruit these people. You will obviously want to carry out a fair and thorough assessment. Look for ways of seeing their previous work before offering them the job. 

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