Jewelry Care

You've invested in some lovely pieces of jewelry-- some of which you wear daily and some only on special occassions. Now, how do you care for them the way in which the professionals do? You are not trying to find the answers they give you so they can sell you something. You want to know how they do it themselves. These are a few of their strategies brought to you by one of their own.

Store it in zip lock bags.
We all love to get jewelry in a posh velvet box or a velvet pouch, but apart from looking nice these do small to protect our valuable jewellery. But if a jeweler handed you your pricey silver ring in a plastic zip lock bag you'd most definitely give them a skeptical look. The truth of it actually is however , that nearly all jewelers store their shop's jewelry in these inelegant but functional bags. The main reason that jewelers use these bags is to give protection to the jewellery from the oxidative effects of air. Oxidation is what gives jewellery that dull tarnished look. So if you do use these zip lock bags for your jewellery, be certain to seal them well and get as much air out of them as possible.

Keep it away from direct sunlight.
Many stones, such as citrine, amethyst, topaz, coral, turquoise and Oregon susnstone, can be permanently spoilt by the sun. You may hardly ever see these stones in the windows at your city's jewelry store for this very reason. Daylight causes the colors of many gemstones to fade or change. This is particularly true of heat treated stones or stones that are "color enhanced". And because so many stones today have had their color "enhanced" ; ( another dirty tiny jewelers secret ), the damaging consequences of daylight are strong and fast.
Many jewellery stores will sell you a dear polishing material while using a inexpensive disposable one in the back. Cloths like Connoisseur's brand expendable wipes work fine on both silver and gold. Will that last one or two years for the average jewelry owner who cleans at most once a year? Yes.

Go easy on the jewelry.

Do not over clean your jewelry. Proper storage (like in zip lock bags above) decreases the necessity for cleaning. Handling and cleaning leave micro-scratches on the finish leaving the piece lifeless over time, and for more delicate pieces like earrings, over handling increase the danger of bending or breaking the piece. So clean you jewellery when you are ready to wear it not so it looks nice in storage.

Something fishy here.

One item that helps jewelers keep their jewelry from tainting can be discovered at another kind of local shop : the pet shop. Put some in a pouch in your jewellery box to help prevent oxidization or pour it into the individual bags where you store your precious things. This is superb for minimizing tarnish on pieces you store and only wear a couple times a year. The disadvantage here is that you must replace the turned on charcoal every year to keep it fresh.

By following these easy lesson, you are guaranteeing the survival of your jewelry like your wedding rings.