Keep your Trinkets Sparkling: A Guide to Jewelry Care

Care

 Gems jewellery |  By: Mansi  

Jewelxy - Timeless Jewelry Marketplace

Gems and Jewelry hold a very special place in our hearts. Be it precious or not, jewelry is always a valuable; sometimes for its actual worth or at times for its sentimental worth. But time can tarnish their shine. Let’s go through some quick pointers on how to care for your jewelry and keep it like-new.

No matter how expensive your jewelry is, they tend to lose their shine with time as dirt and pollutant gather and affect it. To keep them as good as new you would need to follow a simple cleaning ritual. But, if the jewelry is heavily tarnished then you may need to take it to the jeweller for professional cleaning. However, if you can follow these simple techniques on a regular basis at home, you can keep your jewelry bright and shiny - like new for longer.

There is a plethora of newer cleaning agents available in the market which you can use. If you don't like to opt for a chemical cleaning agent, you can clean them with a soap solution or a vinegar solution.

Thumb Rules to remember while caring for your Jewelry:

  • To prevent metals, gemstones and pearls from getting scratched always keep your jewelry in separate boxes.
  • Always wipe down your jewelry with a soft piece of cloth after use as sweat tends to tarnish their shine.
  • Chlorine can damage your jewelry and make them brittle. Don't wear your jewelry in swimming pool as chlorinated water can cause damage to them.
  • Abrasive Domestic cleaning products can also damage your jewelry.
  • Also, avoid contact with perfumes and hairspray as they can be damaging too.

Precious metals can be cleaned following simple steps. You don't always need the fancy jewelry cleaners available in the market. Simply, soak them for few minutes in a soapy solution and then rinse with clean water and leave it to air dry. For better results, line a small bowl with aluminum foil and fill the bowl with solution of hot water and bleach free detergent powder. Soak your jewelry in the solution for few minutes. This method is called the ion exchange process and it is also effective in cleaning tarnished silverware.

Silverware, if remain unused for a long time, develop tarnish from oxidization. To clean your silver items and make them look new dip your silver ornaments into a bowl of water and salt solution. You can also line the bowl with aluminum foil and then hot water and a spoon of regular salt in it. Stir the solution till the salt completely gets dissolved. The salt and aluminum will react together to remove the stains of silver sulfide from silver. You can also buy a silver cleaning solution from the market to clean deeply tarnished silver.

Gemstones are precious and you need to be more careful while cleaning them at home. Some cleaning agents can react adversely with certain gemstones and make them look dull and brittle. If you are unsure how to clean a gem ask the attendant at the jewelry shop to do it. To clean diamonds, however, you can use a mild solution of ammonia and water.

Pearls are precious and organic. Pearls are also delicate and hence, they can't be cleaned using harsh cleaning agents. If you need to clean pearls use a lint-free cloth and dip it into a very mild solution of soapy water. Gently wipe the pearls with it.

Follow the simple rituals and take care of your Jewelry to keep them Shining as New!

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Gems and Jewellery, Precious, Care, tarnish, clean, solution, shine