From engagement rings and treasured heirlooms to statement necklaces, jewelry often has great sentimental value. It’s also an investment for many people. For these reasons, it’s important to keep your pieces in good condition to ensure they last for years to come.
Giving your jewelry proper care and attention can help maintain its beauty and shine, especially if your pieces get worn daily. Read on to learn how to take care of your jewelry the correct way.
1. Avoid Sleeping in Jewelry
Be sure to remove your personal ornaments when you go to bed. This can help protect the jewelry from being crushed, stretched and yanked each night. Doing so can help prevent you from breaking a chain or bending a prong, which can cause you to lose a gemstone.
Storing your jewelry while you rest can also help keep you safe. For example, a ring can get caught in your hair or an earring can fall in your ear. Large stones can also scratch you while you sleep.
2. Store Jewelry Properly
To enhance the longevity of your pieces, it’s crucial to store them properly under the right conditions. This may help prevent discoloration and damage. Always store your jewelry at room temperature and keep it out of the sunlight, such as in a drawer.
It’s also important to store gold pieces separately from silver jewelry since gold scratches easily. You can keep them in soft cloth bags, and store diamonds in boxes. Additionally, hanging trees are great for displaying and storing costume and non-precious jewelry.
3. Clean Your Jewelry Correctly
You may have heard that toothpaste can help clean jewelry. However, it can be too abrasive and cause damage to your metals and gemstones. An alternative you can use is mild dish soap with no detergents, warm water and a soft brush or cloth. Be sure to rinse your pieces in a glass of water in case a stone becomes loose.
You can also remove any oils, dust or moisture that might have collected on your jewelry throughout the day with an anti-tarnish cloth. To clean pearls, use a clean makeup brush and warm, soapy water. Additionally, you can get your fine jewelry professionally cleaned. This typically involves an inspection and steam cleaning.
4. Avoid Getting Jewelry Wet
Whether you’re going to the beach, pool, spa or gym, don’t bring your jewelry along. While you may be tempted to accessorize your swimsuit or gym outfit, moisture from salt water, pool chlorine and sweat can discolor jewelry. For this reason, try to wear your pieces only during dry activities. If you want to bring your personal ornaments with you to the gym or beach, consider storing them safely in a cloth jewelry bag.
5. Remove Jewelry Before Applying Lotion or Perfume
Did you know that gemstones, pearls and metals are sensitive to chemicals? This includes the products you apply to your skin, such as lotion, hairspray, makeup setting spray and perfume. Try applying these products before slipping on your jewelry. If it does come into contact with these substances, rinse the jewelry and wipe clean with a soft cloth.
6. Keep Jewelry Away From Light and Heat
Too much light and heat can impact a gemstone’s color and durability. For example, it can cause stones such as topaz and amethyst to fade. Additionally, pearls can bleach from extreme light exposure as well as crack or dry out from excessive heat.
While caring for your jewelry can seem tedious or time consuming, it can help make your favorite pieces sparkle and last for years to come. A trusted jewelry box company can help make preserving your baubles simple and secure.
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