Even the best jewelry gets dirty. Oils from the skin, lotions, and other beauty products, can tarnish your cherished pieces over time.
You can keep your jewelry looking clean and bright right at home with a few simple steps. With a little foresight, you can keep professional cleanings to a minimum.
Cleaning Tips
Most jewelry can be cleaned in very warm water with a little dishwashing liquid. Use a soft toothbrush to reach crevices and details.
For heavily grimed pieces like rings, which take the most abuse and store the most debris, a long soak in a hot, soapy solution prior to hand cleaning is recommended. If soaking and brushing doesn't seem to have an effect, see your local jeweler to have the piece professionally cleaned.
Gold Jewelry
To clean gold, first soak it in a little warm sudsy water and then brush carefully around any stones with a small makeup brush.
You should never soak pearl or coral, which may have water-soluble fittings.
When you have cleaned the jewelry, rinse it in cold water and dry in a soft cloth.
Special jewelry cleaning solutions are available which can be purchased from any good jeweler.
Put your jewelry away in a jewelry box, which has special compartments for the different items or keep them in their individual boxes until you need them again. Typically, these boxes prevent more breakage than pouches because they can resist pressure from any objects placed above them.
Diamond Jewelry
Do not wear your diamond ring when doing rough jobs such as cleaning or gardening. Catching in things can damage prongs and settings. Diamonds, even though the hardest of stones, can be chipped by a hard knock.
Check the prongs of your rings regularly as they can catch in your clothes when you are dressing. The damage caused to the prong may lead you to lose your diamond. You can sometimes tell if damage has been done if the ring keeps catching in your clothes and on close examination, you can see the prong is either missing or raised from the stone.
If a prong is found to be damaged or missing, the item should be taken to a qualified jeweler for repair and should not be worn before then.
You can clean your diamond ring by first soaking it in warm water. Brush carefully with a small brush around the diamonds as the area under the stones can become very dirty. This can cause your stones to appear dull as no light can pass through from underneath. Rinse in cold water and dry with a soft cloth.
Ruby | Sapphire
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Pearls are more delicate than other gems. Give them some special attention with these tips:
Apply makeup and hair products before you put on your pearls
▪ Avoid perfume when wearing pearls as the chemicals may cause damage
▪ Avoid wearing your pearls on days, and in situations, which are likely to cause heavy perspiration - these are to include extremely hot and humid weather conditions, saunas, the gym, during athletic activities, etc.
▪ When you take off your pearls, wipe them with a soft cloth to remove any build-up
▪ If your pearls get excessively dirty, professional cleaning is best, otherwise clean pearls with soft cloth slightly dampened with warm water - do not use a brush, which can scratch them - also, lay pearls flat to dry, do not hang them
▪ Excessive light and heat can bleach and crack your pearls, so keep them out of the sun and away from heat sources
▪ Store pearls wrapped on a soft cloth in a safe place, however, pearls will require air circulation and a certain level of humidity - avoid long-term storage in dry and sealed locations such as safe deposit boxes and plastic bags
▪ If you wear a pearl strand regularly, have it restrung once a year
▪ Pearls should never be cleaned with a commercial jewelry polishing cloth or jewelry cleaner as the chemicals contained in these solutions can cause deterioration
▪ As a helpful hint, remember "pearls should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off!" |
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