If you want your jewelry to last a lifetime, owning the jewelry is not enough, caring for it is another essential part by doing so your beloved jewelry will bring satisfaction of ownership.
We are providing detailed information on how to specifically take care of your gold and silver jewelry, gemstones and pearls. Here are some tips and tricks for keeping your gorgeous jewelry pieces clean and protected even on a busy girl’s schedule.
Pro Tips: How to Care for Your Favorite Gold, Silver, Pearls, Gemstones and Diamond Jewelry
Treating your jewelry with some respect and care is important- follow these easy steps, your stones and diamonds will thank you later. It should be noted that the higher the carat weight, the softer the metal, therefore, your most precious jewelry pieces can’t afford negligence.
Silver
To clean your silver, use a mild liquid detergent solution without bleaching agents, ammonia. Secondly, don’t soak for too long because silver can happen to oxidize over time so soak the jewelry.
All sterling silver can tarnish over time especially when it comes into contact with agents like skin creams, perfumes, chlorine, and hairspray- soak the jewelry in a warm solution of water and detergent for a couple of minutes and then rinse the jewelry clean, end the process by drying the pieces with a soft piece of cloth.
Gold
Pure gold is said to be the only precious metal that does not tarnish. On the other hand, it is a soft metal hence it requires special care and vigilance.
To clean your gold, mix a small amount of mild dish detergent with lukewarm water, let sit the jewelry in this solution for a while followed by cleaning these gold pieces using a soft toothbrush- this helps to scrub the jewelry. For extra shine, you can use a polishing cloth.
Pearls
Your stunning pearls should be the last piece of jewelry you wear and the first thing you take off. Looking after pearls is no rocket science, wipe them with a clean soft cloth but do not clean them with any commercial jewelry cleanser and never steam clean your pearls.
Pearls are much softer than other gemstones; of course, they are beautiful hence you need to maintain their natural beauty and luster. If you have an expensive pearl necklace; get it re-stung every few years this will help to prevent abrasion. Metals and non-metals can damage the surface of pearls so be mindful where you store them.
Diamonds
Diamonds, as we know, are the hardest naturally occurring substance known, composed of pure carbon. It is also known that a diamond can scratch a diamond so it is possible that your diamonds can suffer chips or fractures.
Clean your diamonds gently with a warm soapy liquid and a toothbrush rinse the stones and let them sit for a while to ensure no soapy residue. Having that said, don’t let your diamonds come in contact with any chlorine containing substance so your precious metal doesn’t brittle.
Gemstones
Even though gemstones are hard as a rock, they are still prone and vulnerable to suffer damage from careless handling. Their hardness is measured on the Mohs scale which is a standard.
While removing a ring, don’t pull on the stone. Most importantly, store each stone separately so the harder ones don’t result in scratching the softer stones.
Organic gems like coral and amber should be wiped with moist cloth only. Also, avoid strong light, heat, chemicals in hairsprays and use of ammonia. Gemstones at 7 and above should be cleaned with warm water and a touch of mild soap using a toothbrush while the ones less than 7 on the Mohs scale should be cleaned with a soft cloth instead of a toothbrush.