Awareness Giveaway

Hello, all! Today, I have a super exciting announcement about something my colleagues and I have been working on for a while, and to top it off, there's also an exclusive giveaway to share. It feels like I've been sitting on this news forever, so I'm glad that I'm the one who finally gets to reveal...

The 'Puzzled with Autism' Awareness Campaign

Over the past few months, we at House of Silver have ben working on a very special project. We've been keeping our cards fairly close to our chest, but now, with a week, to go, we are thrilled to finally reveal our Puzzled with Autism Campaign.

Puzzled with Autism is a campaign we're running for World Autism Awareness Week, which takes place 1st-7th April worldwide. Autism is a topic that's very close to our hearts, and we're looking forward to sharing more about it and the campaign in the coming weeks. But for now, there are only a few things you need to remember: House of Silver are launching an exclusive Autism Awareness Jewellery Collection to celebrate and raise awareness of autism in all its forms.

The collection and campaign are officially launching on the 1st April, so make sure you come back then to take a look at the complete range. But for now, we're giving you an exclusive preview of some of the solid Sterling silver jewellery that's available--and we're treating you to a giveaway while you're at it.

The Awareness Ribbon is a universal symbol that is not exclusive to autism, but celebrates all difference and diversity across the board. That's why we've picked this clip-on charm to give away to anyone who wants to show their support for a family member or an important cause. You can clip it on to a bracelet, necklace or even clothing in a way that I think is beautifully symbolic.

If you're too impatient to wait a week, you can check out some sneak peaks of what we've got on offer on our official Autism Awareness page and enter the giveaway for our the Awareness Ribbon. We'll open it up on the 1st April to include the highlights of the collection, including some beautiful and specially designed Autism-specific awareness jewellery, so make sure to add that to your calendar. There will also be more giveaways, exciting blog posts, an announcements--keep you eyes peeled!

For now, though, spread the word, and enjoy this exclusive giveaway.

Competition

To enter, all you need to do is follow the instructions on this handy form.  The competition is running from 25th March to 1st April and is open to UK residents only!  Good luck!

Silver Awareness Ribbon Charm

Blogger Rewards

Calling all bloggers, writers, and jewellery lovers!

Since we’ve become a more active part of the online jewellery community, we’ve come aware of all the different ways that bloggers and jewellery businesses work together to make our community a better place. That’s why we’ve put together this rewards list for all the hardworking bloggers out there, with things that you can do to take an active role in the industry, while at the same time snagging some brilliant deals and freebies for yourself at House of Silver.  By working with us, your readers can benefit from discount vouchers/codes and also FREE valuation service provided by our shop.

• Link to us. It’s not much, but this sort of thing really helps — a simple "do follow" permanent link will do. And in return, will give you a special gift: you’ll get the same amount of credit at House of Silver as your DA (Domain Authority) score. How's that for a sweet deal?
• Reviews: if you’re interested in any of our mouthwatering collection of solid Sterling silver jewellery, then this is an easy way to get your hands on some. Write a review for us and we will send you item of your choice for free! And if that’s not enough, you’ll also get an extra bonus on us: 2.5 times as much credit as your DA score.
• Reviews plus competitions: all of the same terms as a simple review, but additionally, for this you get an extra item completely for free in order for you to run a competition on your blog. Competitions like this are a great way to generate traffic for your blog — and we'll be providing the prize at no cost for you. 
• Spread the word: spread the word about this exclusive offer for bloggers so others can share the reward! If you link back to us, we'll give you 2 times the amount of credit as your DA score.

Those are just some of the simple ways to get access to all our exclusive deals and blogger rewards at https://www.houseofsilver.co.uk. If you're interested, simply pop us a line at info@houseofsilver.co.uk, and get ready to enjoy your rewards!

*To be eligible for the offer, your website's Domain Authority must be 25 or higher, or, have high number of visitors on your website..
**Reviews must include 'do follow' links and the website must be UK based.
*** Free items eligible for reviews and competitions must be under £25 original price.

Giveaway!

Pinch and a punch! March has come around, and not a moment too soon. The birds are singing, the trees are budding, and I for one am more that ready to welcome in the spring. If your weather has been anything like mine, you'll have been enjoying the glorious sun we've been blessed with. While it's a little unexpected, far be it from me to complain--in fact, I thought I'd celebrate with a giveaway of this Tree of Life necklace, which I've cheekily picked out from our newest stock at House of Silver 😉.

The Tree of Life is an ancient symbol of rebirth and new life, with roots in mythologies as diverse as old Norse and Ancient Egypt. It symbolises strength, growth and knowledge, representing a return to our roots as well as hope to grow into the future. I love it because it puts something as transient as spring into an immortal symbol that's lasted for millennia. With spring springing into the world, it's the perfect time of year to add this to your wardrobe!

This necklace is a personal favourite of mine. There's a lot of Tree of Life jewellery out there, but not much of it is this elegant, usually tending towards a more 'festival' style. This one, however, is gorgeously sophisticated - perfect for distinguished evening wear.

Competition

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To enter, all you need to do is follow the instructions on this handy form. The competition is running from Friday 1st March to 15th March and is open to UK residents only. Good luck!

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UPDATE - we have a winner!

Thank you all for taking part in my giveaway which was my first, but certainly not the last!  Keep checking my blog for more competitions coming.  
And for those who really liked this necklace here's a special treat - 25% Off this necklace valid for next three days (until midnight 18th March 2019).  To receive the discount, enter code  TOL25 at the checkout.
You can find the necklace here.

Tree of life necklace giveaway

Jewellery Secrets Q&A

The jewellery world can be confusing at times, so I've taken the chance to answer a few commonly asked questions. If you have any more, ask me in the comments or pop an email to info@houseofsilver.co.uk!

Rhodium Plating - what does it mean?

Rhodium Plating is used mainly on pieces made from white gold (usually 9ct or 18ct) to give the jewellery a bright cold white colour. This is because natural white gold is not white; because it contains gold, which is naturally yellow, it has a yellowish tint. Rhodium plating gives it the characteristic white shine that is more appealing.

Rhodium plating is very thin and applied with electroplating (which only takes  few seconds!). Unfortunately, this means it wears off, particularly in the places where it is handled or where it touches clothes or other surfaces. The only way to solve this is through re-plating, a service which is offered by a few places - but overall, if you want your jewellery to stay that colour, you're better off going with platinum or palladium.

How do I clean my jewellery/stop it from tarnishing?

In general you need to take care of your jewellery and not expose it to any harsh environments or be careless. You should always remove any rings for household chores, for showering, or if going to the pool - exposure to sulphur or chlorine is bad for silver and will quickly tarnish it. Silver is more reactive than gold, and tarnishes more easily, so you should keep it from chemicals of all kinds, even perfume - remember to apply perfume before you put on your jewellery to reduce contact. 

As for cleaning jewellery, there are lots of tips and shortcuts online - a polishing cloth is one of the best investments you can make to clean lightly tarnished silver, or silver dips for more affected items (however it needs to be noted that not all items containing gemstones, like pearls, shells, etc. could be treated with dipping solutions). 

What is a carat?

A carat actually has two meanings:

• Gemstones: when talking about gemstones, carat is literally a measurement of weight. 1 carat is 1/5 gram.  So, 5 carat diamond weighs only 1 gram and costs thousands of pounds.
• Gold: when applied to gold, carat refers to quality and purity. It indicates the ratio of pure gold to the whole mass of the alloy. Thus 18ct gold contains 18 parts of pure gold out of 24, and 9ct gold contains only 9 parts out of 24.

Is diamond jewellery a good investment?

The long and short of it: no. Diamond prices are hugely inflated, meaning that they're very hard to resell; you would be lucky to get more that 1/4 of the original price. It may be pretty, but diamond jewellery's greatest value is sentimental - it's nearly impossible to sell it on at anything over scrap price.

How much is my jewellery really worth?

Of course, every piece of jewellery is different, and there are no hard and fast rules. But you can usually estimate the actual value with a few insider tips, such as those found on our bargaining blog post. 

And if you want more info, House of Silver offers free valuations for any and all jewellery - definitely something to consider before splashing out on that pricey engagement ring!