Jewelry Care

Basic Jewelry Care

• Remove jewellery when showering or bathing. This is particularly important when on the beach, in the sea and in chlorinated water

• Avoid wearing jewellery when doing physical work such as housekeeping, gardening or exercise

• Never expose jewellery to household cleaning products, especially bleach and highly reactive solutions

• Avoid spraying perfume, hairspray on the gemstones or pearls as it jeopardizes the integrity of the material

Jewelry Cleaning Tips

To help retard tarnish on sterling silver, wrap the piece in jeweler’s tissue paper and place it inside a plastic zip lock bag and seal.

When cleaning sterling silver remember that it is a very soft metal and can easily be marred by a fingernail or wadded piece of fabric pushed roughly against the metal surface. For this reason, use one of the following methods to clean heavier soils and tarnish:

To remove fingerprints, light grease or dirt, add a small amount of mild liquid soap to a half cup of warm water, soak 2-3 minutes, rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry completely before storing in an air tight plastic bag.

Be very careful when using any soaking method to clean jewelry that has soft stones such as amber, lapis lazuli, or turquoise. Extended soaking in any solution may harm the polish on the stone. Never use chlorine bleach to clean jewelry.

To remove excessive tarnish, polish with a 100% cotton cloth and a good nonabrasive metal cleaner. Be sure to remove any remnants of the cleaner from gemstones and rinse thoroughly with clean water. Never use toothpaste! (see more about this below).

Cleaning Tips:

1. To maintain the original condition of your silver jewelry, polish your pieces regularly using a non-abrasive cleaning cloth.

2. Remember do not dry silver off with paper towels or tissues, always use a soft cloth.

3. When you are not wearing your silver jewelry, store them in a cool, dry place. Zip-lock bag and individual cloth pouches are ideal for this and will help prevent both tarnishing and scratching by other pieces.

4. Never immerse your silver jewelry in chlorine, salt water, mineral springs, and suntan lotion. Remember, some household cleaners contain chlorine bleach; these will cause discoloration and also loosen the gemstones.

5. Avoid abrasive cleaners, detergents and commercial jewelry cleaners “dips” especially if the pieces have an oxidized finish. Using harsh polishing cleaners will alter the antique look of your jewelry.

6. Never use an ultrasonic cleaner, ammonia or any chemical solution to clean opaque gemstones, such as turquoise, malachite, onyx, lapis lazuli and opals. They are a porous stone and may absorb chemicals, which build up inside the stone and cause discoloration. Simply wipe them gently with a moist cloth until clean.

7. If your jewelry contains gemstones or pearls, do not immerse in water, as this can loosen some settings. Never use dips or abrasives cleaners on gemstones.