Many of the pieces that you buy will be 40 or 50 years old, maybe even older. They need a little bit of special handling to keep them happy and ready to wear.

Most, important do NOT use harsh chemicals most of the time good old warm soapy water does the trick.......if not use a non abrasive toothpaste.......

First, never throw pieces in a box or drawer on top of one another. Pieces can become scratched or broken, and stones can be knocked out. Remember, this jewelry was meant to be disposable, designed for a specific season or outfit, and discarded when the next new thing came along. Fortunately for us, many of those manufactures took great pride in their jewelry, and made it to last a lifetime. Or two.

It makes sense to buy the best quality you can afford, especially when buying rhinestone jewelry. Prong set is best, but even glued-in stones can have a long life with proper care.

Always put your jewelry on last, after you have applied hairspray and perfume. these products can dull the finish of rhinestones, even react with the glues and cause stones to pop out. 

If you have a humidity problem where you live, take care to keep your jewelry free from the effects by adding silica packets, like those found in new handbags and shoes, liberally throughout the drawers holding your collection. Some collectors I know ask clerks at shoe stores to save these packets for them: other collectors buy enough shoes to create their own stockpile.

Celluloid needs to breath: don't nestle it in cotton and put it in a box with a lid on it. Don't put a bunch of Celluloid all together. Most important, keep it well away from any heat source.

Don't be afraid to buy broken pieces of jewelry for the stones, if the price is right. Replacing missing or damaged stones is easier than you might think; it just takes patience and a steady hand. Many Boutique's Sell prong lifter tools in the event you have a lot of stones to replace. It is quite affordable and easy to use.

Many also sell mixed bags of loose rhinestones and repair kits that have a variety of stones in different colors and sizes. They offer tools and glue. I recommend G-S Hypo-Tube Cement. Don't use superglue; it may hold forever, but it may also cloud the stone. Experiment with G-S Hypo-Tube Cement to find the right amount; too little and the stone will fall back out, too much and you will be scraping dried glue off of your jewelry.

You don't need a lot of fancy tools in your jewelry repair kit. A pair of tweezers, an eyeglass kit of screw drivers and two pairs of needle-nose pliers should get you started. Add some toothpicks and a large blunt sewing needle, and some Hypocement. These should cover the basics.

Toothpicks are perfect for positioning stones into their cups once you have put some glue into the cup. I've never been proficient at using tweezers for placing small stones; my old-fashioned way involves a wet finger lightly tapped on the top of the stone to move it into position. Larger stones can easily be picked up and moved into position with fingers or tweezers.

Restringing experts get $1.50 or $2.00 per knot for restringing pearls and beads. Here's my trade secret for you, anyone with patience can do it. It takes a lot of practice in the beginning to get the knots just right, but if you practice with an old strand of plastic beads, it is  a talent you can master.

Many companies sell bead and string components; my favorite is Fire Mountain Gems. Their catalog lists the different stringing materials and tells you the appropriate use. They sell small and large quantities of these stringing materials. They also offer a variety of cups and caps to seal both ends of your necklaces and bracelets.

Bead cups that look like an oyster are the easiest to use. You simply tie a knot into the end of the string, slide the knot into the bead cup and squeeze it closed. You're ready to start restringing. Everyone has a method that works best for them. I slide a bead on the string down to the cup, make a large loose knot close to the bead, and use my blunt needle to maneuver the knot down to the bead. Slide the next bead down to the knot and pull snugly against the knot, causing it to tighten. Do not make your knots too tight, the necklace will buckle and refuse to lie flat when you wear it. Experience will allow you to become proficient at stringing. Don't be afraid to take it apart and redo it, as many times as necessary.

You may want to consider buying a bead board. These are flocked plastic boards with grooves for the beads to lie in, and lengths are marked off in inches. This aids in your design, or keeps the necklace in its original order, and keeps the beads from sliding all over the work surface. Bead boards are less than $10.00 and are well worth the money, if you plan on doing a lot of restringing.

The most important things to remember when attempting your own repairs is use a gentle touch. Practice lifting and replacing prongs on a broken piece of jewelry before attempting to repair a good piece.

When resetting stones, I try to do several at one time. The first few times you open G-S Hypo-Tube Cement, it seems to gush out of the tube. I keep a plastic or paper plate handy, dab the glue onto the plate, replace the cap on the glue then use toothpicks to put spots of glue into the stone cups. G-S Hypo-Tube Cement dries quickly and the jewelry should sit overnight before wearing. I usually place the glued jewelry in a box with a lid to keep it from being moved or bumped while drying. The next day I take the piece of jewelry, hold it over white paper or a paper towel, and tap it firmly to make sure the stone set. If it falls out, the process starts over again. Trial and error will quickly teach you how much glue is just enough. G-S Hypo-Tube Cement can be purchased at a craft or hobby store, a store that caters to rock hounds, and numerous places online.

One repair you should not attempt is soldering. This is a job best left for the professionals. Costume jewelry requires special handling before it can be soldered and some pieces may not even be possible to solder. And it is not inexpensive, so take that into consideration before purchasing a piece that will need soldering. I have heard there are some costume jewelry repair people who do a great job with soldering, but since I have not had it done, I am not recommending anyone.