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How to Correctly Care for Your Fine Jewelry
Blush and Bar
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Are you the proud owner of some beautiful fine jewelry?
First off, congrats! If those pieces are correctly handled, they’ll be a joy to wear and to pass down to others as a precious keepsake when the time is right.
But if you want that dream to become a reality, you’re only halfway there.
Following these jewelry care guidelines will ensure that your luxury pieces won’t lose that luster that caught your eye in the first place!
Cleaning your jewelry
Imagine paying top dollar for a delicate designer clothing item and then throwing it into your washing machine load with all your everyday clothes.
If you paid a luxury price tag, wouldn’t you want to invest in its proper care by taking it to the cleaner’s instead?
The same goes for your fine jewelry. You should clean and polish it often enough to keep it in the best possible condition.
However, do avoid using commercial jewelry cleaners. They’re often too harsh for fine jewelry and will do more harm than good.
When you’re cleaning your jewelry, you never want to use harsh chemicals, abrasive tools, or ingredients that are too alkaline or too basic.
All you need is gentle dish soap, warm water, and a soft cotton or microfiber cloth. Get ready to enjoy the dazzle of your like-new jewelry pieces.
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Of course, you should also leave the cleaning up to the professionals every-so-often. And you can always ask them for advice about how to clean your specific pieces at home!
Occasional trips to the jeweler’s for deep cleanings are extremely important to your precious metals’ and stones’ longevity.
Your jeweler will also do a quality check to make sure your pieces are fully intact and in no danger of coming loose.
Plus, many jewelers offer routine cleanings as a complementary customer perk. Be sure to take full advantage of it!
Keeping your jewelry out of harm’s way
One of the most important aspects of jewelry care is knowing when to take it off.
Here are the most common situations where you should remove your jewelry to avoid causing severe damage.
#1: The pool. Chlorine damages the finish of precious metals and precious stones and causes them to deteriorate bit by bit.
When you wear jewelry to the pool or hot tub, you’re essentially exposing it to high levels of bleach. Yikes!
#2: The ocean. Those little grains of sand will find their way into every nook and cranny of your precious pieces. And if it’s not remedied immediately, that damage could end up being permanent.
#3: The garden. Like sand, dirt particles can also squeeze their way into the tiny crevices. This causes micro-abrasions and also dulls the shine of the metals and precious stones.
And if you think garden gloves are the answer, you’re sadly mistaken! These will only add to the problem by adding sweat into the mix.
#4: Active sports and the gym. When fine jewelry is regularly exposed to sweat, it leads to tarnishing. Even if you’re wearing solid gold, the metals it’s alloyed with (such as sterling silver) are vulnerable to tarnishing.
#5: Applying lotions, gels, and sprays. When your jewelry comes in contact with products like sunscreen, shampoo, hairspray, moisturizer, and perfume, it gets coated in a layer of residue from those substances.
Because of this, it’s best to save jewelry for your last step when you get ready.
Source: Retha Ferguson via Pexels
The filmy layer created by creams, sprays, and cosmetic products dulls the brightness of your jewelry and damages its gorgeous finish.
Worst case scenario, the sticky residue gets deep into the crevices of your pieces and never gets fully removed during cleaning.
#6: Household cleaning tasks. Any time you’re using harsh chemicals or cleaning agents, your fine jewelry should be nowhere nearby! Take a minute to stop and remove it before it’s too late.
Jewelry storage
So, when you do take off your jewelry, where should you put it?
Well, that depends where you are—and how long you’re planning to leave it off.
If you’re just taking a piece off momentarily (for example, removing your rings while you scrub the kitchen sink), use a reliable ring dish and put it in a safe place.
Make sure there’s no danger of it tipping over and spilling its contents!
Of course, it’s always safest to put your jewelry in your jewelry box when you’re not wearing it.
Your fine jewelry should have a home in a soft and secure container with a gentle lining that cushions each individual piece.
Make sure there are enough compartments to accommodate all your jewelry pieces so that they never get piled on top of each other!
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Finally, your storage container should close with a firm, airtight grip to seal your pieces into that dry environment for safekeeping.
Why airtight? Because continuous exposure to air and moisture causes tarnishing over time. Thankfully, most jewelry boxes are designed with exactly these concerns in mind.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that keeping up with jewelry care does take some extra attention.
After all, owning valuables is a big responsibility! And when it comes to jewelry, that responsibility involves keeping them safe and in tip-top shape.
But once you get into a routine, it will be easy to keep up.
Years from now, when you’re still getting use out of these precious belongings, you’ll know every extra step you took was one hundred percent worth your time!
