Caring for and Cleaning your Jewelry
No one wants to wear dull, blackened jewelry. Jewelry is an important part of your wardrobe, and should make you shine every time you wear it. However, your jewelry may fade over some time or lose its shine. But no one wants that right? If you want your jewelry to look as good as new, then you need to take good care of it.
The 5 S's of Jewelry Care:
The first cardinal rule of care is precaution. For jewelry, remember to not wear jewelry while
• Sleep
• Shower
• Spray
• Swim
• Sweat
Water erodes jewelry metals fast, and can make your gemstones dull. Remember to not wear jewelry when you are expecting to be in contact with water. Don’t wear your jewelry while showering, or exercising, or swim, and avoid prolonged exposure to rain.
Perfume chemicals can also be harmful for your jewelry. Remember to always wear your jewelry last, and at least 15 minutes after putting on your perfume.
Taking care of gold:
Gold does not tarnish, but it can be grimy or dulled by substances like the oils in your skin, body lotion, or makeup. There are lots of products out there that promise to clean gold, but you can also do it easily with mild detergent and a soft cloth.
To clean gold one must simply mix a squeeze of mild dish detergent with warm water in a bowl. Then put the gold item into the soap mixture and let sit for a few minutes. Use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the jewelry. Remove item from soapy water, rinse it and dry thoroughly with a soft polishing cloth.
For an extra shine, use a jewelry polishing cloth after this! Do not use a paper towel or tissue as these can scratch your jewelry.
Taking care of gemstones:
Jewelry with gemstones are very diverse, you may choose to clean your jewelry with gem in an ultrasonic cleaner and professional cleaning fluid. These types of cleaners normally tell you how long to clean your jewelry inside the machine per gem type. Some gems cannot be cleaned in ultrasonic cleaners what so ever. So, reading the instructions for your cleaner before if that is what you choose to use is better.
While cleaning your jewelry that have gems you need to look at what type of gem your cleaning. The most transparent gems can be cleaned with dish soap, warm water and a toothbrush. But soft gems like opals need special care, and it is advised to clean them with warm water only.
But don’t clean your jewelry with a detergent very often, and avoid using a brush with harsh bristles. It is always advised to send in your jewelry for an annual clean up to a trusted jewelry store. Here at Tresor, we offer discounted annual jewelry clean up for our customers, so send in your jewelry and let us help you shine again.
