Six Jewelry Care Tips

Jewelry like clothing has to be taken cared off too because if not, you might end up with a piece of jewelry with missing stones, scratched surfaces and worst broken chains. So here are some general care tips for your jewelry.

1. Do not wear jewelry pieces when you are engaging in sports or doing some rough work. For example, if you are going to hike up the mountain, avoid accessorizing because your jewelry pieces especially the bracelets might get caught on the shrubs and bushes and it might end up broken. Avoid wearing rings too because when you are hiking, there are situations where in you have to grab the trunk of a tree or even grab hold of a rock.

On the other hand, if you are doing some gardening chores please avoid wearing rings because some chemical fertilizers you use for your plants can cause some damaging effects to your ring. In addition, dirt might get into the prongs of your ring making it harder to clean. So wear your jewelry pieces to the appropriate occasion or setting.

2. Do not wear your jewelry when going swimming in the pool, at the beach or even taking a shower. Chlorine and saline can have some damaging effects to your precious gems and not only that, it might also affect the precious metal used on your earrings, necklace, bracelet or ring. In addition, soap suds can accumulate in between the setting and can leave a film on the stone which can result to a duller sparkle.

3. Not all commercial jewelry cleaners can be used on any type of jewelry. So before you use any cleaner, check if it is safe to use on a particular type of gemstone.

For example, commercial cleaners containing ammonia and other acidic susbtances cannot be used in cleaning pearls because this will damage its nacre. It would also be a good idea if you ask some advice from a jeweler or do some research on how to clean various types of jewelries adorned with various types of gemstones.

4. When you have to soak your jewelry rinse it properly after soaking. This will keep residue from building up. In addition, avoid using scrubbers because the abrasive material can cause scratches on the surfaces of the stones. Also, air dry it after each wash. Do not hang it; instead, lay it down on a piece of cloth until it dries.

5. Store your jewelry pieces in a soft, fabric lined jewelry box with compartments. The compartments will keep each piece from bumping into each other. Jumbling jewelry pieces is not a good idea because the pieces can scratch each other.

In case you don't want to use jewelry boxes, you can use satin or velvet pouches. If that is not available and you only have an ordinary box to store your pieces in, do not forget to wrap each piece with a tissue paper.

6. Have your jewelry pieces checked for defects like loosened prongs, malfunctioning clasps and worn out areas at least once or twice a year. This will also allow you to have the defects fixed immediately or as soon as it is discovered.