Jewelry Care
Fine jewelry is built to last, but it does need care. By following these easy guidelines, you can help ensure that your jewelry lasts for generations looking like new.
- Store gemstone jewelry separately in individual jewelry boxes, cloth pouches or fabric-lined jewelry boxes with separate dividers and compartments. Gemstones can become scratched if not stored properly of if they come into contact with other jewelry.
- Make sure your skin is free of lotions, soaps, powders and hairspray before putting on gemstone jewelry. These can dull the sparkle of your precious and semi-precious stones and over time build up on gemstones as a film.
- Don't wear jewelry while participating in strenuous activities. Gemstones can chip on hard impact and jewelry can be damaged.
- Don't let your gemstone jewelry come into contact with harsh chemicals such as chlorine and bleach. Repeated exposure to even small amounts of these chemicals can cause gold to become brittle and lead to breaks and damaged prongs. Remove all jewelry before entering pools and hot tubs.
- Check jewelry before cleaning for any loose stones. You wouldn’t want these stones to dislodge during the cleaning process and be lost. After checking for any loose stones, clean gemstone jewelry with a mild solution of 1 part mild liquid detergent, to 4 parts water. Let it soak for 10 minutes and then scrub gently with a soft new toothbrush used only for this purpose – again, check your jewelry for any stones that may have become dislodged during the cleaning process. Rinse under warm tap water and pat dry with a lint-free cloth. DON'T use toothpaste. Contrary to popular belief, toothpaste is not an effective jewelry cleaner. The abrasives found in toothpaste will dull the gold or other metal in your settings. DON’T use chemical dip cleaners as they are too harsh on many gemstones; DON’T use sonic cleaners as they can loosen your settings or chip your stones. DO use an appropriate polishing cloth on your gold, silver or platinum jewelry.