You cannot forget to accessorize your look with the hottest item on the fashion scene these days - a silver heart necklace! There's a 'heart' out there to suit every look, every occasion and every personality. Here the top styles in a silver heart necklace that you need to check out:

• Sterling silver cubic Zircon curve heart necklace has a designer tilt, gleams as bright as your dreams and you can pick one up for as little as $25. They work best with the 16" necklace length.
• The Sterling silver cutout heart necklace is great for wearing with a plain black or red evening dress. Don't wear it to work though as it will make you appear unprofessional. If you do want to wear 'your heart' to work, choose a solid heart-shaped pendant. Cutout heart silver necklaces are trifle costlier due to the workmanship required and can cost up to $35.
• For an added touch of glamour you will love to wear the double silver heart necklace. These work best with shorter chains above the neckline so that the pendant can be highlighted. You can even pick choker-length silver necklaces with the double-heart motif if you're not overweight.
• The studded silver heart necklace is ideal for a light-hearted party or evening out. They are fun to wear to a picnic because of their multi-colored embellishments. You can choose one with pearls or a sterling silver necklace with a gemstone matching your zodiac sign. These can cost up to $26.
• Also, check out the locket heart-shaped pendant for a romantic look or the glass heart silver necklace for a sporty look.

You can find a good jeweler online for picking up a stylish and elegant silver heart necklace to suit your individual style. Some of the best jewelers, even with a brick and mortar shop, have an online presence and you can look at the entire range of sterling silver heart necklaces in the comfort of your home. Top jewelers offer solid heart-shaped pendants with an engraving of your choice. You can order a name or personal message or motif to be etched into your silver heart necklace at no extra cost.

When buying online check out the privacy policy, guarantee provisions, secure payment gateway, and manufacturer's credibility before placing your order. Look out for discount coupons, discount offers, and holiday season offers too before buying sterling silver jewelry. You can even get free shipping for purchasing silver jewelry of more than a particular amount at some sites. So, go on, tie up with a group of friends and shop away to your heart's content.

Sarah Carnagie is a silver jewelry lover, and DreamlandJewelry.com's head of quality assurance for Silver Heart Necklaces. You can find more info on sterling silver Jewelry Sterling Silver Necklaces

Jewelry shopping, whether for a special occasion such as a wedding, or a small gift for a friend, can be a dazzling and exciting process. But the options may seem overwhelming and it's easy to be swayed by beautiful colors and patterns, making it more difficult to select just the right piece. Keeping these tips in mind when looking at sterling silver jewelry will give you confidence that you're making a smart decision. When you know what to look for, you'll be sure to purchase a stunning, high-quality piece.

1. Know your source. When buying any jewelry, it's always best to stick with known, reputable sources who guarantee their products. Using reliable jewelry merchants also has other advantages. Their salespeople are typically more knowledgeable about craftsmanship, trends and styles and can help guide you through the many choices. They are also helpful in providing tips for jewelry cleaning and storage.

2. Know your materials. While pure silver is relatively soft and used in intricately designed pieces, sterling silver is its alloy that is best suited for jewelry. In sterling, a small amount of copper is added which affects the metal's hardness, but not its color or shine.

3. Know your marks. Look for a quality mark on jewelry that identifies the material. Most often, you'll see the very small words "sterling silver" or ".925" stamped on the inside of the piece. .925 refers to the percentage of silver in the sterling, in this case, 92.5%. These marks are carried by law and are the best indicators that your jewelry is authentic.

4. Look for tipoffs. Particularly when looking at vintage jewelry, it may be difficult to tell if a piece is truly sterling silver. One thing to look for is wear or flaking, indicating that some of the shiny surface of the piece has come off. This could reveal that you're looking at something "plated," which is far less desirable than a pure, solid piece.

Now that you know these principles, you can focus on the most exciting parts of jewelry shopping -- the shapes, sizes and styles of beautifully radiant sterling silver.

About the author:

Join cubic zirconia expert Sarita Haines at http://www.cz-sterling-silver.com. to learn everything you need to know about cz sterling silver jewelry. You'll find shopping tips, trends, care instructions and information on cz wedding jewelry and gifts.

Cleaning silver is a very simple but there is a process that has to be followed. Start by separating silver from objects in your sink that may scratch it. Silver is very soft, and can be scratched or damaged by light contact with other metals. Do not wear rubber gloves in this process, rubber surprisingly corrodes the metal.

It is recommended to start by rinsing your pieces in warm water (baby bath temperature) to rinse away any surface gunk that may cause more problems in the cleaning process. A great household item to use while cleaning is toothpaste (plain white). Take a SOFT damp cloth and apply toothpaste to it. Then gently rub the toothpaste on the piece in back and forth motion, just like you were if you were painting. Once the rag becomes black with tarnish, apply more toothpaste to the rag and continue cleaning. Once you have completed cleaning, rinse the item thoroughly with warm water and then with a soft clean cloth dry your item. To preserve the cleaning you have completed, store the silver correctly. It is very important that you dry the item completely, wrap in a soft tissue, and do not place the object in a moisture prone environment.

If the above methods did not work, an alternative method is to put a pan on your stove and line it with aluminum foil. Next place your piece in the pan and add enough water to completely cover the piece of metal you want to clean. Next add baking soda, turn your stove on, and wait for the water to boil. The amount of baking soda will vary with the amount of water, for smaller items, a couple of teaspoons will be ok. After the water has boiled, use tongs to periodically check on the process of your silver. Once you are satisfied with your cleaning, rinse the object and dry immediately with a soft cloth.

For more information on cleaning silver please visit [http://www.pcleaners.com/silver.html]

Please visit [http://www.pcleaners.com] for more information on cleaning silver.

The London assay office had already established its gold and silver hallmark with the leopard's head of Edward 'Longshanks', the mark it still carries today. So in the late 1700’s, after establishing their own assay offices, both Birmingham and Sheffield sought to establish their own hallmarks. The story goes, that both party's representatives from the two assay offices met in an inn named the Crown and Anchor, where they tossed a coin to decide which town would have which symbol. Thus, Sheffield adopted the 'Crown' hallmark and Birmingham the 'Anchor.'

Ironically, Mathew Boulton was the first to have a batch of sterling silver work put under the hammer by the Birmingham assay office, because it did not come up to the necessary 925 sterling silver standard. Boulton undeterred, went on to found the Soho manufactory in Handsworth making buckles, buttons, toys, plate and silverware. Boulton, the pioneering industrialist, later achieved international notoriety with the 'Lunar Society' and James Watt, who built the first commercial steam trains that would drive the Industrial revolution the world over.

By the late 1800's the silver and jewelry trade in Birmingham was employing 7,500 people. The trade peaked in the 19th Century after the gold rushes in America and Australia, and by 1913 the number of craftspeople working in Birmingham's jewelry trade had risen to 50,000. Attracted by the convenience of the Assay office and surrounding silver and gold bullion dealers, Birmingham's jewelry quarter burgeoned with skilled craftsmen and women specializing as electroplaters, engravers, chain makers, gemstone setters and silver stampers.

After two successive World Wars, interspersed by economic depression, Birmingham's manufacturing industry went into decline. At present, most of the city's businesses have become 'Service' related, and although Birmingham's jewelry industry still exists it is but a shadow of its former glory.

In 1999, a new format of English hallmarking on objects of sterling silver was initiated consisting of a maker’s mark, the assay office insignia and a .925 symbol. Optional extra marks are the ‘Lion Passant’, the U.K. sign of sterling silver, and the date letter stamp. The standardizing of the date letter sequence, shared by all four remaining assay offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield, were introduced to bring the UK system closer in line with other European Union standards.

However, the problem remains that many countries throughout the world have different standards and specifications that vary considerably, making it difficult for one country to accept another's hallmarking as equivalent to its own. With the advent of globalization, ‘Free trade’ and the Internet, finding the problematic solution to the standardization of world hallmarking has become increasingly important.

In 1972, the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA) consisting of amongst others Austria, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom held the ‘Vienna Convention’ where the first European hallmarking laws for precious metals were put into force. The convention enables specially designated assay offices throughout member countries of the EFTA to apply, after testing, a common control mark to articles of precious metals including sterling silver in accordance with the Convention. The articles bearing the Convention marks, called CCM: Common Control Marks, are accepted without further testing or marking by the assay office of any destination country that is an EFTA member.

Although this system is not worldwide as yet, Denmark, Ireland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have since joined the Convention. And Bahrain, France, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, Spain and several Eastern European countries have shown an interest in the Convention and are preparing for application.

Read Sterling Silver Jewelry – The History Of Hallmarking In The British Isles Part I.

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This article was written for the Silvershake website, an online retailer of sterling silver jewelry at wholesale prices. See 1000’s of gemstone silver jewelry items at prices 80% below normal retail prices. Make one purchase per month and receive silver jewelry worth up to $60...Absolutely free, everytime!