How to Care for Your Jewelry March 13, 2006
Posted by Jill Renee in : Jewelry, Jewelry Care , trackbackJewelry is a substantial investment and therefore great care should be taken to keep your fine metals and gems looking bright and sparkling.
· Remove your jewelry when cooking, deep cleaning or gardening. Chlorine can damage and discolor the mounting on your jewelry.
· Remove jewelry before showering. Soap can cause a film to form on karat gold jewelry making it appear dull and dingy. By preventing the formation of this film you reduce the occasions your jewelry will need to be cleaned.
· For protection of your jewelry and for safety reasons jewelry should be removed when working around machinery with movable parts.
· Have your fine jewelry inspected annually by a professional. Inspection will insure that deep crevices are cleaned and settings are solid and secure preventing loss of valuable stones.
· Clean your jewelry as needed using jewelry cleaner made especially for this purpose or with a non abrasive soap or mixture of ammonia and water mixture. Use caution when cleaning jewelry to avoid damage to your precious metal. A soft chamois cloth is an effective way to keep your pieces shining and your jeweler can give you specific advice as to which commercial cleaners are available and suitable for your needs.
· A soft, discarded toothbrush is ideal for cleaning jewelry as the bristles will get into tiny spaces where dirt likes to hide and the brush accustomed to cleaning delicate surfaces is designed to clean without scratching.
· Sterling silver will oxidize and tarnish unless covered with a protective layer of rhodium to help prevent tarnishing. Over time this covering may breakdown. Commercial polish will restore the original color and luster. However, you may also clean sterling silver by mixing mild soap, water and a drop of ammonia and wipe with a clean soft cloth. Never use vinegar on sterling silver.
· To clean stainless steel simply moisten a cloth with undiluted white or cider vinegar and wipe clean.
· Take special care of silver jewelry making sure it does not come into contact with swimming pools, hot tubs or the ocean. Silver will react with chlorine causing discoloration and then there is also the issue of loss at a public pool or in your own filter system.
· Pearls should be kept away from chemicals including hairspray, perfume and detergents. Use fragrance and hair products prior to donning pearls. Pearls when cleaned should be done so with a mild soapy water solution and rinsed well, never put in an ultrasonic cleaner. Before storing you pearls, wipe them with a soft, damp cloth to ensure that they remain free from any harmful buildup. Pearls are easily scratched and should be stored in a soft cloth pouch or in a separate lined jewelry box to avoid being bumped by other jewelry. If you wear your pearl strand several times a week, consider having your jeweler restring it once a year to prevent strand breakage. Pearls aren’t just for formal occasions they look just as fashionable when you’re having a dress down day
Comments»
I recently cleaned my Platinum Diamond ring in a liquid bath solution by ‘Goddards’. The solution was for gold (inc platinum) & diamonds. The instructions on the bottle said to leave the article in the solution for 2 minutes. Regretfully I accidentally left my ring in the solution for aprox15 minutes! After I detected the long time lapse, I rinsed it thoroughly in water, however I am concerned if there are any long or short term implications for leaving it in the solution for so long? Is there anything I should do to avoid damage to my ring? Your suggestions and feedback for future cleaning would be greatly appreciated!
Dear Lori,
Your platinum ring will be absolutely fine. The good news is that the commercially produced solutions are not harsh enough that serious damage could be done to your ring (even if you forget about it!). Also platinum is a very tough metal (the best) and holds up well over long periods of time. I am sending you a link to the “care section” of our website. You can view our page on How to Care for a Diamond. for more advice.
Also, my advice is to occasionally check the prongs that hold any diamonds in your ring Make sure your stones are secure and there is no wiggling going on. Prongs can loosen over time and diamonds can be lost. You can have the prongs easily tightened and checked by a jeweler if need be.
Hope this helps ease your mind. It sounds like you are taking great care of your ring. I hope it makes you smile every time you look at it!
Sincerely, Jill Renee