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How Dust Damages Jewelry (And 6 Ways to Fix It)
How Dust Damages Jewelry (And 6 Ways to Fix It)
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Have beautiful jewelry?
Chances are, you want to keep it beautiful for years to come.
But it’s easy to let a little bit of time pass when it comes to cleaning.
A day … then a week … then next thing you know, it’s been almost a year and you’ve let the piece sit and collect dust.
But, it’s just dust, right? Not quite.
As it turns out, dust is one of the most harmful things you can leave on your jewelry.
Here are the top three reasons why:
Source: Camila Quintero Franco onUnsplash
Source: Camila Quintero Franco onUnsplash
Have beautiful jewelry?
Chances are, you want to keep it beautiful for years to come.
But it’s easy to let a little bit of time pass when it comes to cleaning.
A day … then a week … then next thing you know, it’s been almost a year and you’ve let the piece sit and collect dust.
But, it’s just dust, right? Not quite.
As it turns out, dust is one of the most harmful things you can leave on your jewelry.
Here are the top three reasons why:
Reason #1—Kills your gemstone’s luster
Reason #1—Kills your gemstone’s luster
Diamonds are the hardest substance on Earth; it’s true. But too muchdust can cloud the brighter luster, even on a diamond. Dust starts to collect when you handle your gemstones too much.
Each time you touch them, you leave fingerprints—fingerprints that contain oils. Tiny particles of dust in the air stick to the oils you’ve left on your jewelry.
And you know how detectives dust for prints in your favorite crime show? Well, it’s not called “dusting for prints” for nothing.
If you touch the gem more than once between cleanings, it adds a new layer of oil ready to collect dust. Over time, those layers of dust add up.
And like a picture frame left in the attic too long, pretty soon it’ll be hard to see the details of your gemstone trapped underneath.
If you’ve noticed a gemstone has started to look dull compared to when it was new, this might be the problem.
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Source: Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels
Thankfully, it isn’t permanent. All you need to do is gently clean it—more on that in a bit. And in the future? Try not to touch it quite so often.
Source: Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels
Diamonds are the hardest substance on Earth; it’s true. But too muchdust can cloud the brighter luster, even on a diamond. Dust starts to collect when you handle your gemstones too much.
Each time you touch them, you leave fingerprints—fingerprints that contain oils. Tiny particles of dust in the air stick to the oils you’ve left on your jewelry.
And you know how detectives dust for prints in your favorite crime show? Well, it’s not called “dusting for prints” for nothing.
If you touch the gem more than once between cleanings, it adds a new layer of oil ready to collect dust. Over time, those layers of dust add up.
And like a picture frame left in the attic too long, pretty soon it’ll be hard to see the details of your gemstone trapped underneath.
If you’ve noticed a gemstone has started to look dull compared to when it was new, this might be the problem.
Thankfully, it isn’t permanent. All you need to do is gently clean it—more on that in a bit. And in the future? Try not to touch it quite so often.
Reason #2—Dulls the surface of jewelry
Reason #2—Dulls the surface of jewelry
Did you know that dust can also cloud precious metals?
When you buy jewelry, you want it to look shiny and sparkly.
But let it get dirty, and it'll slowly lose its brilliance.
It’s easy to remember to clean your jewelry if you’ve done yard work or know when it’s not clean.
But it’s much harder to remember to remove the gradual layers of dust that surround us in the air.
It can also spell disaster for delicate clasps and clips.
Dust can collect inside the workings and hinges and cause problems.
If you don’t clean it regularly, expect to see your beautiful piece start to look more and more like the flat, cheap metals you never want to wear.
The good news is that you can fix it with a quick cleaning—the bad news is that damage can become permanent if you let it stay dirty for too long.
Source: Karly Jones on Unsplash
Source: Karly Jones on Unsplash
Did you know that dust can also cloud precious metals?
When you buy jewelry, you want it to look shiny and sparkly.
But let it get dirty, and it'll slowly lose its brilliance.
It’s easy to remember to clean your jewelry if you’ve done yard work or know when it’s not clean.
But it’s much harder to remember to remove the gradual layers of dust that surround us in the air.
It can also spell disaster for delicate clasps and clips.
Dust can collect inside the workings and hinges and cause problems.
If you don’t clean it regularly, expect to see your beautiful piece start to look more and more like the flat, cheap metals you never want to wear.
The good news is that you can fix it with a quick cleaning—the bad news is that damage can become permanent if you let it stay dirty for too long.
Reason #3—Traps harmful tarnish-inducing chemicals
Reason #3—Traps harmful tarnish-inducing chemicals
Especially in more intricate areas of your piece, like a clasp or the prongs holding a gemstone, it can be hard to remove collecting dust.
The result? As dust collects on your jewelry, it creates the perfect home for harboring moisture.
That moisture might be pure water—itself a catalyst for corrosion.
But it could also get other elements and chemicals to stick around, which leads to even faster tarnishing.
Here’s the process in brief.
The smooth surfaces of your jewelry are perfect places for the oil from your fingers to land and stick.
That oil then attracts dust particles in the air, and those particles can attract harmful elements in the form of moisture.
And those elements can gradually eat away at your favorite piece of jewelry.
Thankfully, you can keep jewelry safe and dust-free with basic jewelry care tips.
But we wanted to go a step further, so we searched far and wide for advanced tips expert jewelers use but most people have never heard of.
Here are the top six:
Especially in more intricate areas of your piece, like a clasp or the prongs holding a gemstone, it can be hard to remove collecting dust.
The result? As dust collects on your jewelry, it creates the perfect home for harboring moisture.
That moisture might be pure water—itself a catalyst for corrosion.
But it could also get other elements and chemicals to stick around, which leads to even faster tarnishing.
Here’s the process in brief.
The smooth surfaces of your jewelry are perfect places for the oil from your fingers to land and stick.
That oil then attracts dust particles in the air, and those particles can attract harmful elements in the form of moisture.
And those elements can gradually eat away at your favorite piece of jewelry.
Thankfully, you can keep jewelry safe and dust-free with basic jewelry care tips.
But we wanted to go a step further, so we searched far and wide for advanced tips expert jewelers use but most people have never heard of.
Here are the top six:
Tip #4: Play with texture
Tip #4: Play with texture
Tip #1—Use silica packs to eliminate moisture
You already know how dangerous moisture can be to your jewelry.
And you’ve heard the advice to store it in a “cool, dry place.”
But that’s easier said than done, especially if you live in a humid climate.
A pro jeweler secret? Next time you buy a pair of shoes, find one of those silica packs at the bottom of the box and put it inside your jewelry box.
They keep new shoes dry, and they’ll do the same for your jewelry.
Tip #2—Ditch the paper towels (and look to the bathroom instead)
We were guilty, too, until we learned better.
As soft as paper towels and tissues might feel to you, their fibers can scratch the delicate surfaces of jewelry.
Instead, look in the bathroom for your best tools—Q-tips and a soft toothbrush.
You can also use a microfiber cloth to keep your jewelry scratch-free.
Tip #3—Take it to a professional (but not as often as they say)
A trip to get your jewelry professionally cleaned is always a good idea.
But it’s not quite as frequent as you may have heard.
Some jewelers recommend cleanings as often as every season or six months, but this is a bit
much. (Though a great way for the jeweler to make some extra cash!)
More reputable jewelers, like Tiffany & Co., recommend a cleaning “as often as once a year.”
More than that may be nice, but it’s not necessary.
Tip #1—Use silica packs to eliminate moisture
You already know how dangerous moisture can be to your jewelry.
And you’ve heard the advice to store it in a “cool, dry place.”
But that’s easier said than done, especially if you live in a humid climate.
A pro jeweler secret? Next time you buy a pair of shoes, find one of those silica packs at the bottom of the box and put it inside your jewelry box.
They keep new shoes dry, and they’ll do the same for your jewelry.
Tip #2—Ditch the paper towels (and look to the bathroom instead)
We were guilty, too, until we learned better.
As soft as paper towels and tissues might feel to you, their fibers can scratch the delicate surfaces of jewelry.
Instead, look in the bathroom for your best tools—Q-tips and a soft toothbrush.
You can also use a microfiber cloth to keep your jewelry scratch-free.
Tip #3—Take it to a professional (but not as often as they say)
A trip to get your jewelry professionally cleaned is always a good idea.
But it’s not quite as frequent as you may have heard.
Some jewelers recommend cleanings as often as every season or six months, but this is a bit
much. (Though a great way for the jeweler to make some extra cash!)
More reputable jewelers, like Tiffany & Co., recommend a cleaning “as often as once a year.”
More than that may be nice, but it’s not necessary.
Source: Viktor Hanacek
Tip #4—Choose your cleaning chemicals wisely
This one is simple: Use dish soap.
Other cleaners, including many jewelry cleaning solutions, are too harsh for precious metals.
And whatever you do, avoid chlorine-based products including bleach. Chlorine dissolves gold so well, it’s long been used as a way for miners to extract the metal from gold ore. (It’s also a good reason to take off jewelry before going swimming.)
While you may have heard toothpaste works, it can actually be one of the worst cleaners. It contains abrasive elements that can scratch the surface.
Plus, it can cake and dry in intricate parts of the jewelry, making it hard for even experts to remove.
Tip #5—Separate by metal
Here’s an advanced tip to keeping your jewelry in top shape: store it by metal.
To make this work, you’ll need to divide your jewelry into the different types of metals they’re made of. Then you’ll just want to store each piece in separate pouches or bags.
Tip #6—Wear it often, but don’t touch it too much
We all know you shouldn’t let your jewelry get wet. You should take it off before taking a shower, going swimming, and definitely at the beach—saltwater is a killer.
But what about jewelry that’s in contact with your body. Isn’t that harmful?
The answer is more complex than you might think.
While briefly, touching jewelry can leave traces of oils that collect dust, constant body contact can actually help the piece.
That’s because the jewelry that always touches our body, like the inside of a ring or necklace chain, doesn’t tarnish as quickly.
In a way, our body protects it.
This is especially true forpearls and silver in particular. They’ll actually benefit from frequent body contact.
And of course, when you take them off, make sure each piece is absolutely dry, then store it as normal.
Source: Viktor Hanacek
Tip #4—Choose your cleaning chemicals wisely
This one is simple: Use dish soap.
Other cleaners, including many jewelry cleaning solutions, are too harsh for precious metals.
And whatever you do, avoid chlorine-based products including bleach. Chlorine dissolves gold so well, it’s long been used as a way for miners to extract the metal from gold ore. (It’s also a good reason to take off jewelry before going swimming.)
While you may have heard toothpaste works, it can actually be one of the worst cleaners. It contains abrasive elements that can scratch the surface.
Plus, it can cake and dry in intricate parts of the jewelry, making it hard for even experts to remove.
Tip #5—Separate by metal
Here’s an advanced tip to keeping your jewelry in top shape: store it by metal.
To make this work, you’ll need to divide your jewelry into the different types of metals they’re made of. Then you’ll just want to store each piece in separate pouches or bags.
Tip #6—Wear it often, but don’t touch it too much
We all know you shouldn’t let your jewelry get wet. You should take it off before taking a shower, going swimming, and definitely at the beach—saltwater is a killer.
But what about jewelry that’s in contact with your body. Isn’t that harmful?
The answer is more complex than you might think.
While briefly, touching jewelry can leave traces of oils that collect dust, constant body contact can actually help the piece.
That’s because the jewelry that always touches our body, like the inside of a ring or necklace chain, doesn’t tarnish as quickly.
In a way, our body protects it.
This is especially true forpearls and silver in particular. They’ll actually benefit from frequent body contact.
And of course, when you take them off, make sure each piece is absolutely dry, then store it as normal.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Here at Blush and Bar, we believe your jewelry should be something to cherish.
We stand by each piece because we know it’s the most beautiful piece for the value you can find anywhere.
And because it’s so special, it needs special care.
With the right techniques and proper care ritual, you can keep jewelry looking beautiful for years to come.
Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Here at Blush and Bar, we believe your jewelry should be something to cherish.
We stand by each piece because we know it’s the most beautiful piece for the value you can find anywhere.
And because it’s so special, it needs special care.
With the right techniques and proper care ritual, you can keep jewelry looking beautiful for years to come.
Isn’t that what it’s all about?
