Caring For Your Jewelry

Jewelry Care Tips


Proper jewelry care begins with keeping your jewelry clean. Each material may require a different method for thorough cleaning. However, there are a few general guidelines to follow that will help keep your jewelry looking new and shiny.
Always try to remove your jewelry when active and when using dish soaps or other heavy cleaning substances. These substances can contain harsh chemicals that will accelerate the wear on your items. Additionally, the excess oils and debris accumulated on your skin when you are active will dirty and dull even the brightest of jewelry.
Keep jewelry away from sweat and harsh chemicals as much as possible.
A polished appearance is the result of the metalsmith’s effort to file, sand and buff the metal to a perfectly flat surface. When even minor scratches occur, as seen under a microscope, the surface looks like the ragged edge of a saw blade and light is bounced in and around those scratches like a voice echoing in the Alps. An unmarred surface allows the light to be bounced back smoothly, with no echoes, and results in a highly reflective surface. When cleaning your jewelry, never use anything but 100% cotton as a polishing cloth since paper, polyester, and coarse fabrics often contain wood fibers or synthetics. These materials may impart fine scratches in the metal, especially on sterling silver.
If storing your jewelry, clean it first by gently wiping free all oils or accumulations using a jewelry polishing cloth. Place your jewelry in a jeweler’s tissue or in it’s original packaging. To help prevent tarnish on silver jewelry, you might also try wrapping your jewelry in tissue paper, and placing it inside a sealed container such as a plastic zip lock bag.
We highly recommend having your jewelry professionally cleaned approximately every six months, especially if it is worn daily. This is also a great time to check settings, and perform general maintenance to keep your jewelry looking just as fantastic as it did when you received it. For more information on our jewelry repair and maintenance services, click here.

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Cleaning Gold Jewelry



Although gold does not tarnish, it can become dirtied or dulled by the oils produced by your skin, makeup, lotions, or other foreign substances. A mixture of warm water and a mild detergent can be used to soak the jewelry for just a few minutes. You can use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub away any debris. Remove the jewelry from the soapy water making sure to rinse it thoroughly. Promptly dry and polish your jewelry with a soft jewelry cloth.To the Top

Cleaning Silver Jewelry



Over time, sterling silver may tarnish or develop dark spots. Always put your silver jewelry on last, after hair spray, perfumes, lotions or oils, as these products can cause dark spots. To further prevent this, you can try wrapping your sterling silver jewelry in tissue paper and placing it inside a sealed container, such as a plastic zip lock bag. Make sure to clean your jewelry before storing it.
If your jewelry has become tarnished, you may use a solution of warm water with a mild detergent to soak it for a few minutes. Thoroughly rinse and dry the jewelry being careful not to scratch it. Remember that silver is much softer than gold, and will scratch easily by a fingernail or a rough cloth. Sometimes professional cleaning may be required to obtain that sparkling new look.

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Cleaning Platinum Silver


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Platinum silver can be cleaned using most regular silver cleaning products. If your jewelry has become tarnished, you may use a solution of warm water with a mild detergent to soak it for a few minutes. Thoroughly rinse and dry the jewelry being careful not to scratch it. Remember that silver is much softer than gold, and will scratch easily by a fingernail or a rough cloth.
Though platinum silver is still 92.5% silver, it is much less likely to tarnish as quickly as sterling silver. To prevent this, you can try wrapping your platinum silver jewelry in tissue paper, and placing it inside a sealed container such as a plastic zip lock bag. Make sure to always clean your jewelry before storing it.

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Cleaning Jewelry with Stones



Most faceted gemstones are very hard, hard enough to cut glass. However the dust in the air can contain silica. This thick sand attaches to oils from our skin and lotions and sticks to the jewelry and can scratch the stones. It is important to keep your stones blemish free.
To remove excessive tarnish, polish with a 100% cotton cloth and a good non abrasive metal cleaner. Be sure to remove any remnants of the cleaner from gemstones and rinse thoroughly with clean water.

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Caring for Cultured Pearls


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Cultured pearls are relatively soft compared to other gemstones and precious metals. So it is important to take special care of your pearls to ensure they will remain bright and beautiful for generations to come.
Cosmetics, perfume, and hairspray, all contain chemicals that can dull the luster of a pearl over extended periods of time. Even acids contained in a body’s oils and perspiration can work to damage luster in the same way.
Therefore, it is best to put your pearls on after applying makeup, perfume, and hairspray. It is also suggested that you wipe down your pearls with the custom microfiber cloth provided after each use. Occasionally, you may want to dampen the cloth and give your pearls a very thorough wipe down.
Always keep your pearls separated from hard jewelry items, such as metals and other gemstones, to prevent them from scratching your pearls. Pearls are best kept in a soft cloth pouch or a separately lined jewelry box.
If you wear your pearls several times a week, it is best to take them back to your jewelry for re-stringing about once every other year to prevent strand breakage. When having your pearls re-strung, most jewelers will advise to use only silk thread. However, nylon thread is an acceptable alternative. Make sure that the string is knotted between each pearl. Individual knotting will prevent all the pearls in a strand from falling off, should a break occur. Knotting also prevents the pearls from rubbing against each other.

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