How To Take Care Of Jewelry

Gold Jewelry That Glitters: Tips for Care

Girl in Jewelry

If you want your gold, silver and gemstones to sparkle and help you become the object of admiration and adoration, don’t fail to study the tips on how to take care of precious metals and stones that we offer here to you. So, read and remember.

1. Spots. To avoid dark spots, which appear when your wet skin influence the metals, clean your jewelry after taking it off with the wet flannel. It is recommended to take the jewelry off if you apply skin bleach as the substances it contains darken the jewelry. Iodine leaves dark spots on the jewelry. The spots can be cleaned with the help of hyposulphite solution. Take 1tbsp. of the substance for a glass of water.

2. About dust. To remove the dust from under the stone of your ring take cotton buds soaked in cologne or glycerin and wipe the stone. Then polish the ring with the flannel. Never clean the setting of the stone with sharp objects. Take off rings when washing your hands to avoid clogging.

Diamond Collection

3. Diamonds. For diamonds, use a soft-bristled non-metallic brush and a mild ammonia and water solution. Gently scrub away any grime, especially around the prongs or setting where buildup is likely. Even a clean looking diamond often has a thin layer of skin oil and will shine better after a cleaning. Avoid touching the diamond as much as possible.

4. Pearls. Pearls are beautiful. Unfortunately, the layers of nacre of which a pearl is made are very soft by jewelry standards and easily damaged. Since it is an organic compound, pearls also are easily dulled or even eaten away by chemicals and alcohol. Wash cultured pearls in very mild, soapy water and nothing else. It’s also a good idea to bring your cultured pearls in for restringing every couple of years, especially if you wear them often.

5. How to clean silver. Apply the previous method. Use the washing powder without active oxygen and chlorine. You can add liquid ammonia as well.

6. How to clean gold. Use the washing powder solution (washing powder without the whitening effect). You can add 2-3 drops of liquid ammonia.

7.How to clean gemstone jewelry. Stones have different levels of hardness. Diamond, aquamarine, sapphire, topaz, emerald and others have the point 5 in the level of hardness. Jewelry with these stones should be cleaned in the solution of any washing powder with the help of a soft brush, if the metal is gold or platinum. Then you can wash the jewelry in distilled water. Stones with the level of hardness under 5 are moonstone, malachite, turquoise, opal, apatite. They should be cleaned in the same way as the previous group with the only difference that instead of washing powder you should use soap. This method can be used with anything except coral and pearls, as the soap foam is extremely harmful to them. Try not to expose them to perfume, soap and hot water.

Never take medicinal baths wearing the jewelry. Don’t forget to take off the coral jewelry before going to a sauna, as the heat is destructive to it. Pearls and turquoises don’t like high humidity. At home you can wash them in the solution of ethyl alcohol and water (1:1) and then flannel them dry. However, it’s much better to have your jewelry cleaned at the professional jeweler’s.

8. How to clean rhodium plated metal. Clean it with the soft cloth. Though rhodium is a precious metal, time rubs it out, so it’s important to be careful when cleaning it.

Diamond encrusted thanks: Barack Obama was said to be buying his wife this £20,000 ring made of rhodium

9. Ultrasonic Cleaners. Ultrasonic cleaners are machines that clean jewelry by bombarding them with sound waves. This vibration shakes off dirt, but the vibrations can also cause serious damage. The inclusions in gemstones, especially brittle stones like emeralds, can be greatly enlarged by the shaking, making the stones less attractive and even less valuable. Soft gems like pearls should never be put in an ultrasonic cleaner. Because of the risk, we recommend against using the ultrasonic cleaners now available to consumers unless your jeweler specifically says it won’t cause any damage.

10. How to store the jewelry. All the jewelry should be kept in closed jewelry boxes. It’s necessary to keep the jewelry far away from the heating. You should be especially careful with amethysts, colored topazes and pearls. UV-rays make their color less intense. Don’t expose rubies and garnets to sun, too. Gemstone jewelry shouldn’t be exposed to temperature drops. For instance, ruby can completely lose its color when heated. Never store your jewelry in the bathroom (esp. silver jewelry) because all the metals and stones are afraid of damp.