When it comes to fashion jewelry, trendy and affordable are two key words to remember. This is because products in fashion jewelry lines are generally bought by teenagers who have limited income. Yet, they often buy multiple pieces of fashion jewelry – one to go with each outfit. So in order to satisfy this particular segment of the market, jewelry designers must come up with innovative ideas to create pieces that are trendy and follow the current fashions, but are inexpensive because of the materials and methods that are used in their making. Copper and pearls are two natural materials that are often used in today’s fashion jewelry.

Copper is a base metal and as such is much less expensive that gold and platinum, or even silver for that matter. In addition to its warm earth tones, copper has gained in popularity because of its low cost and the ability of jewelers to draw this metal into wires, hammer it into plates and sheets, and readily cast it into a variety of forms and shapes. The physical properties of this metal make it ideally suited for making copper pendants, bracelets and necklaces. Over time, copper will develop a greenish film called patina. In many cases, this patina adds character to the piece. However, if you prefer the rustic rose color of pure copper, cleaning is relatively easy and inexpensive. A dilute solution of lemon juice and common salt in water will do the trick. A more sophisticated (but not necessarily a better!) way to clean copper jewelry is to use an ultrasonic cleaner. You can buy a cheap cleaner online, or take your jewelry to your local jewelry store for a professional cleaning. When cleaning jewelry, always remember to pay attention to all components of the piece - not just one item. For example, when cleaning copper jewelry, make sure that the cleaner you use will not damage the stones used in the piece. A slightly acidic solution may help remove the patina from copper, but it will irreversibly damage coral or calcite in the piece.

Pearl jewelry such as a freshwater pearl bracelet, necklace, or earrings also make excellent fashion jewelry accessories. While pearls have been used in jewelry for several centuries now, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century and the development of periculture that pearl jewelry developed mass appeal. Until then, the only pearls known to man were natural pearls, and they were far too expensive for the common person to buy. Today however, you can buy cultured freshwater pearls from many sources online. While the white shades of pearls have been and will always remain a timeless beauty, today’s fashion jewelry incorporating pearls are more trendy. Pearls are often dyed using bright colors and combined with other materials for more innovative creations.