If you love jewelry but often find that the increasing price is just too much for your wallet to handle, you may feel as though a glamorous collection is out of reach. Luckily, sterling silver is one precious metal that remains affordable and accessible for many jewelry lovers. When combined with the beauty of cubic zirconia, the world of jewelry looks a lot 'brighter' for many who desire the elegance and sophistication that few other accessories could offer.

Before you make a purchase, shop around and compare prices. You will likely find a significant difference in the prices offered by your local jeweler versus an online retailer. Why? Due to the volume of business that an online retailer can achieve, they are often able to offer competitive prices and a wider selection than some jewelers.

Once you've chosen a jewelry retailer to shop with, check out their clearance or sale items and always use any available coupons to help with the total cost of your purchase. Believe it or not, many retailers offer discounts to first-time customers simply to allow buyers to try their products at a discounted price. Depending on the business, shoppers may be given a coupon simply for signing up with the company's newsletter or as a welcome after they register as a new customer. Either way, coupons are a great way to save some additional money and still get a fabulous look.

Speaking of saving money, you can actually earn money if you make a purchase with a credit card that offers a cashback bonus and/or reward program. Many, if not most, online retailers accept all major credit cards, which makes shopping online a fun and easy way to get a great deal and also earn a few 'rewards' in the process.

In addition to finding a terrific deal by shopping for items on sale and saving a little money by using coupons, some retailers offer shipping discounts on multiple purchases. This method can save you considerably, especially if you can buy all of your jewelry favorites at one time in order to get the absolute best deal on shipping and handling charges. For more information, check out the online retailer's policy on shipping fees.

As mentioned earlier, sterling silver and cubic zirconia have proven to be a winning combination for those who desire the look of a rich jewelry collection but may not have either the budget or the desire to spend a fortune on accessories. Because cubic zirconia can be clear or treated to mimic nearly every color of the rainbow, you can find a variety of colors that's sure to coordinate with all of your clothing separates. With such a large selection of designs at affordable prices, it's not difficult to see why cubic zirconia jewelry continues to grow in popularity.

In conclusion, it's easy to build a beautiful jewelry collection without spending a fortune. When you shop smart, you are sure to find a 'bright' pick in sterling silver and cubic zirconia jewelry. From earrings to rings and necklaces to bracelets, there are designs to suit every style and wallet.

A ring is defined as a small circular band, typically of precious metal, that is designed to be worn around the finger. In most cases, however, a ring is so much more. It is not only something to be worn, but also admired and treasured as a part of one's jewelry collection. When you purchase a ring for yourself or someone that you love, it should be a style that reminds you of the wearer.

Modern ring styles include everything from large solitaires to fancy clusters and even multi-stone designs. Quite often, jewelry trends are dictated by the season and/or upcoming holidays. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, cubic zirconia rings featuring the design of a heart are at the top of the list for many jewelry lovers. Although the heart motif is always in style, it's even more so during the month of February as gift-giving is often done with heartfelt sentiment in mind. Whether it be a solitaire heart or a cluster ring, you cannot go wrong with this classic at any time of the year.

In recent years, the 3-stone jewelry design has soared in popularity. To this day, the trend continues with new twists that are sure to make your eyes shine. For many, the 3-stone design represents the past, present and future. For others, it may represent the number of children, grandchildren or even siblings that one has. For instance, a 3-stone ring could be given to a mom who has three children. Whatever the occasion or meaning, the design is always in style and could even be considered tomorrow's classic.

Speaking of classic, a piece of jewelry that earns this distinction is one that has been judged over a period of time as being of the highest quality. A birthstone is a gem that's associated with a particular birth month and is determined based on the date that a child is born. One of the most popular designs in cubic zirconia rings is that of the simulated birthstone. Created to imitate the same color as that of a genuine gemstone, cubic zirconia is a flawless and affordable alternative to their natural inspirations. Below is a list of each calendar month, along with the birthstone for that month:

1. January - Garnet
2. February - Amethyst
3. March - Aquamarine
4. April - Diamond
5. May - Emerald
6. June - Pearl
7. July - Ruby
8. August - Peridot
9. September - Sapphire
10. October - Opal
11. November - Topaz
12. December - Turquoise

If you're searching for any of the aforementioned birthstone choices, you will be glad to know that the majority of these gems are recreated in the form of cubic zirconia. When it comes to wearing cubic zirconia rings, nothing is more tailored to an individual person than that of their very own birthstone. For those born in the month of June, which carries a pearl as the birthstone, or December, which is that of the turquoise, you will find a variety of both simulated pearls and turquoise in today's jewelry market.

Still aren't sure if you're favorite ring style is making news in the world of jewelry? You can check out the latest trends by browsing through your favorite fashion catalog and noticing the jewelry worn by models, flipping through the pages of a leading women's magazine featuring fashion and accessories or simply by watching television and taking special notice of what's being worn by television news anchors. When you're ready to start shopping, the confidence that you have gained in knowing exactly what you want will be a very important first step to finding the perfect cubic zirconia rings.

Gold body jewelry and gold belly button rings are increasingly popular womens accessories. These accessories are particularly desirable in gold, as gold symbolizes abundance and prosperity. But before you purchase any body jewelry, make sure you know how to choose and what to look for.

Primarily, you'll want and need to know that the jewelry being advertised as gold really is gold. There are specific ways to know for sure, so let's examine what to look for and how to make the proper choice.

Without question, 18 karat gold is the best choice. With any lesser karat content, there's a good chance you'll experience a jewelry allergy or that your body will reject the jewelry entirely.

Usually this occurs because the gold used for body jewelry is an alloy that contains other metals in addition to gold. Often, gold body jewelry is only plated with gold; such jewelry should never be used in piercings even if the piercing is healed.

If it isn't gold but only gold plated, it's best to look for another option. Most gold plated body jewelry contains a high percentage of nickel, which gives you a higher risk for a jewelry allergy as we've discussed.

It's very important to check what other metals are present. The lower the karat level, the higher the content of metals like copper, zinc, and nickel. In fact, other metals are almost always used to formulate body jewelry because gold itself is so soft and needs other metals to form jewelry.

18 karat gold has a 75% gold composition. That's why, when choosing, you should always go with 18 karat. Most very inexpensive body jewelry is 14 karat gold, so to avoid painful allergies, go with 18 karat gold.

Consider these factors before buying :

1. Buy from a store with a quality assurance and testing program. These stores test their own jewelry for purity.

2. If your jewelry has a trademark, for example a sports team, it must have a license stamped on the back. If it doesn't, there are serious quality issues. Stay away.

3. To make absolutely sure you've got legitimate gold, you can have the body jewelry tested at an independent lab for $20. Labs are available in almost every large city.

4. Under a jewelers scope, take a good look at the craftsmanship. Are there rough edges? Frays? Imperfections?

One last item... remember that 24 karat gold is the only pure gold. 18k, 14k, and 10k all have gold and other metals present. For reference, 18k gold is 75% pure gold, high quality, affordable, and your best choice to reduce the risk of any problems.

The replica Rolex market is growing by leaps and bounds. A whole sub-industry has grown out of it, and you can see this both on the Internet and off. Fake Rolex dealers have set up their own shops and showrooms; go online and you'll see perhaps even more of them hawking their wares. It isn't any surprise that replica Rolex watches are so popular. After all, many of them are made to faithfully reproduce the appearance and functions of the authentic ones, but are priced much lower.

The rapid advance of technology has proven to be a great thing for makers of fake Rolex watches, enabling them to produce timepieces that look so much like the originals it's hard to tell which is real and which isn't. This is a good thing for consumers who want to own a Rolex but can't afford to do so. And it's a bad thing for people who are thinking of buying a genuine Rolex timepiece, but at a discounted price. Some sellers can say that what they are offering are genuine but secondhand Rolex watches when in fact they are just replicas. So how can an ordinary consumer tell whether the watch he or she is considering buying is in fact genuine?

The best thing to do, of course, would be to make one's purchase from an authorized Rolex dealer. Barring that, it would be advisable for consumers to educate themselves about the telltale signs that would give away a fake Rolex watch. There are several things to look out for.

First, check the size of the numbers and letters on the face of the watch. Lower quality replicas mess up on this one, having numbers and letters that are larger than what would be found on an original Rolex. Aside from the text and numbers, sometimes the minute and hour hands are also sized irregularly in counterfeit Rolex watches. Another thing to look out for is the appearance of the back of the case. On fake ones these are clear or transparent, enabling you to see the watch's inner mechanism. They also have engravings, logos, or hallmarks printed or engraved at the back. Compare this with genuine Rolex watches, whose backs are smooth and free from any marks or engravings, save for a solitary three-dimensional sticker. Many Rolex replica also have this sticker, which shows the Rolex crown logo above the case reference number. But whereas the original sticker is a hologram - it changes its appearance when viewed from different angles - the one on a replica isn't. All that appears is a Rolex pattern that does not change even if you look at it from different perspectives.

The crystal bubble above the date wheel is another characteristic shared by both original and replica Rolex watches. This bubble functions as a magnifying glass, making the date appear larger. The difference between the two is that the date on a real Rolex is magnified 2.5 times its original size while a fake Rolex only magnifies it by 1.5 times.

Sure, when it comes to jewelry we have tons of choices. We can decorate our ears with earrings, although they can be sexy, if your hair is long enough those earrings won’t even show. Necklaces are great accessories to outfits and the right necklace can pull together an outfit; however it does not yell “sexy”. Bracelets are cute and especially if you have matching or coordinating bracelets and necklaces, your look will be very nicely pulled together; but they don’t quite scream “sexy” either.

Rings are wonderful, if you keep your nails nice, rings can catch someone’s attention and the right rings can let others know that you have the mullah to treat your digits to some bling. But again, rings do not exactly scream “sexy”! Anklets are perhaps the second sexiest body jewelry; they can be very tantalizing to the opposite sex. Some may argue that belly chains run a close second as well.

The single sexiest pieces of jewelry you can have are belly rings. Why are belly rings the most popular body jewelry, you may ask. Plenty of reasons. Men find them extremely teasing and sexy, especially if you have a shirt that ends right where the piercing begins. Or perhaps a top that teases the piercing and depending on how you move, others will see glimpses of your piercing and only want to see more

What makes belly rings the most popular body jewelry is also the location, of course. You can have a dangling ring that hovers right above and ever so teasingly to your, well, private area. In addition, it’s an invitation for men to notice just how darn cute your trim and tan tummy look.

There is another good reason why belly rings are the most popular body jewelry. Anyone can throw on a necklace and anyone can throw on a ring. However, everyone who sees your belly ring will know that you did not just throw it on. You investigated which tattoo or piercing parlor was the hippest, coolest place to to, you threw up your shirt to a stranger and allowed him or her to pierce you with a needle larger than any booster shot a human has seen, you lay still while the ring was inserted and then you took care of yourself to keep the piercing healthy. Men find it sexy just knowing that you went through the process.

The final and main reason that belly rings are the most popular body jewelry is because most women who have them are the type who takes care of themselves. They exercise, eat right and care about how their bodies look. Men find that unbelievably attractive and sexy in a woman.

Navel jewelry has been a popular accessory due to the mainstream market, and people wanting to look stylish on the beach in their bikinis. Navel jewelry comes in many forms and can be bought from many different locations. There are clip in rings, barbells, banana bells, bead rings, spiral rings, and twister rings. You will want to always use surgical steel rings to prevent allergic reactions. Titanium is also recommended.

There are certain types of stainless steel that are recommended for piercings. These are 316L and 316 LVM types. These have been recognized by the American Society of Testing and Materials as being safe to use for belly jewelry. If you choose to use gold, make sure it is at least eighteen karat. You can also get these in silver and titanium. Silver has been known to cause the most reactions, so it is better for you to stick with gold or titanium if you are allergic at all. Make sure they are all stainless steel in nature.

You can use a straight or a circular piece of jewelry in your belly. They have many different designs to choose from either on line or in your favorite jewelry spot. They come with diamonds, flowers, initials, animals, sports logos, and almost anything else you can think of that you may want to have on your jewelry. They are very popular because there is plenty of choice in your selections. People may want to wear the sports logo to a game one day and wear an elephant on the ring the next day.

The choices are amazing and quite a number of them will fit almost anyone looking for a unique piece of body jewelry. The spiral and twister types are the most popular. They come in a variety of colors and styles. People can show off their midriffs and their own unique style of jewelry. Especially at the beach, these belly rings are great to show others what you like as far as sports teams, careers, or hobbies. Some people just get the plain barbells or the twister. It all depends on what you are wanting to show your personality as.

The best way to do that is to find your favorite metal whether it be gold, silver, or titanium. Find a unique piece that shows your interests and put it on. Plain rings with the diamond beads are the most popular. They are very trendy and very inexpensive if you are looking for something elegant but affordable. They are also nice to wear with those bikinis or high cut shorts. You can also pick something that is floral or colorful.