Five Tips to Consider If Buying Jewellery for a Child

Posted on: 3 April 2017

If you're buying a piece of jewellery for a young child, there are several characteristics that you may want to look for when making your selection. The following tips can help guide you to jewellery that is safe and relatively unlikely to be lost. Consider these ideas before shopping.

1. Stick With Costume or Inexpensive Jewellery

Even for a responsible, organised child, taking care of an expensive piece of jewellery can be a big burden. So that the child doesn't have to fret about the jewellery, consider giving him or her costume jewellery or other inexpensive options. For instance, opt for beautiful but affordable stones such as turquoise rather than sapphires, diamonds or rubies.

2. Look for Easy-to-Use But Strong Clasps

Jewellery clasps can be hard for a seasoned fashionista to wear, but they can be even more challenging for a child with small fingers and limited dexterity. If possible, opt for jewellery with easy to use clasps rather than something complicated. However, you also want to ensure that the clasp stays tight. For instance, with a bracelet, you may want to go with a heavy duty magnetic clasp rather than a tiny lobster claw style clasp. For necklaces, you may want to skip the clasp altogether and opt for something that the child can lift over his or her head.

3. Remember to Keep the Child's Tastes in Mind

As an adult, it's tempting to buy kids jewellery and clothing you think is adorable, but if you want the child to really love and treasure the gift, you should think about their tastes. For instance, you may prefer a pendant with a polished blue rock and a classy chain, but a child may want a giant sparkly pendant with a picture of his or her favourite music group or Youtube celebrity on it.

4. Consider Homemade

Rather than just giving the child on your gift list a present, consider giving them the experience of homemade jewellery. In this vein, you could buy a kit designed to make jewellery, or you could head to the craft store together to pick out supplies. If you do this, make a few extras so the child can have the joy of giving jewellery to other people.

5. Stay on the Safe Side

Finally, remember to think about safety. Stay away from small charms for very young children — the charms could become choking hazards. Also, if you opt for antique jewellery, make sure that it doesn't have any lead on it — you can test it with a lead testing kit.

Share