How to Take Care of Your Jewelry

How much have you invested in your jewelry? Actually, it doesn’t matter. It’s your treasure. That does not mean that you should never wear your jewels. I want you to exercise a little common sense. 

Take off your jewelry when doing house cleaning. Prongs can snag on polishing rags and scrubbies as well as laundry. Rings can slide off fingers doing dishes. Many solvents are not good for jewelry. Chlorine bleach dissolves gold. Take off your jewelry when cleaning the bathroom! Because swimming pools also use chlorine to disinfect, take off your jewelry when swimming in a pool, too! I also think it’s a good idea not to wear your good to the beach. A few years ago, when in Florida, I witnessed a woman who was body surfing shrieked with horror to discover that her 2-karat diamond solitaire had fallen out! (That marriage got off to a rocky start!)

Many people who have gold jewelry think because it’s gold it doesn’t tarnish or have to be polished. Well, guess what? It does need cleaning from time to time. And if you have stones set in your gold, it is a very good idea to have your prongs checked on your jewelry. This is especially true if it’s your favorite piece, like your engagement ring, which you never take off.(That’s why it looks so grotty!)

Besides, it’s a major pain in the arse to take the plumbing apart to find your ring. Your husband will not be a happy camper. Chances are, if you have to call in a plumber, he/she will not be thrilled either, even though you pay them.

While diamonds are the hardest gemstone, they do require some care. Diamonds are attracted to grease. That’s why your ring gets so “googy” when you fry, never mind the breading! Why not take off your jewelry, when you’re in the kitchen? Get one of those cheap glass ring holders that the dollar store in your neighborhood carries? Actually get a few, and keep one by the kitchen sink and one in all the bathrooms.(Your guests will think you’re so posh!)

Opals, aquamarines and emeralds are softer, and can chip. Ammonia based cleaning agents will blacken your silver. If you like it shiny, don’t give yourself more headaches. Vinegar will dissolve pearls. So, take ’em off when doing housework. Besides, if you have carpet, and you loose a stone and it gets sucked into the vacuum, good luck finding it! (Ask me how I know what a exercise in futility that is)

Platinum can get dinged up. It does not have a high sheen to begin with, so if you’re not careful, you will find that your platinum will need to be re-plated.

If you’ve got stuff in your jewels, carefully, over a towel of contrasting color to the jewelry, use an old toothbrush, with a little paste of baking soda and water, and gently brush. Have a bowl of warm water next to the towel, to dip the ring, and rinse off the crud. You really don’t want to stand in front of the sink, and run water over it. Because, if anything is loose, there it goes. Or, worse still, it may slip out of you hand, and down the drain it goes.

And, keep a soft cloth around to wipe off your pearls when you take them off. Skin oil can damage the cord, and dull the luster of the pearls. If you use hairspray, lotions and perfumes, your pearls will get dirty more quickly (duh!). Fill two bowls with tepid water, put a few drops of shampoo in and swish your pearls around. Rinse them in the other bowl of water. Lay pearls out on the a towel to air dry. I don’t want you pulling the strand through the towel. If there is a fray in the cord, you could pull it apart. Do take the time to inspect your pearls for signs of wear. Generally speaking, if you wear them a lot, or any strung jewelry, it’s a good idea to have them re-strung, periodically.

Invest in a couple inexpensive polishing cloths. Get two, one for your gold and one for your silver.The reason is that they both get black, but your silver cloth will get blacker quicker, and will make it harder to shine up the gold.

So, don’t run the risk of ruining your jewels. Take care of your jewelry and your jewelry will be around a lot longer to make you happy and resplendent.