Cleaning your jewelry at home

 

The best and easiest is using a soft toothbrush and bar ivory. Why? This soap contains no creams or perfumes which can stick to the gemstones and start collecting dirt right away. The trick is not to brush but to tap the back of the gemstones and inside of the ring as well as the outside. The sudsing captures the dirt instead of pushing it into the crevices and lets it be rinsed away.

 

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​​​​​Take your jewelry off

 

​​​Save yourself from lost gemstones and costly repair with one simple action. Take your jewelry off before getting into a hot tub. Why? in the United States it is nickel that makes white gold white. The Chlorine in hot tubs attacks the nickel in white gold and makes it brittle and the bromine alternative does the same even for yellow gold. you cannot see brittleness but prongs can snap and metal can crack. ​

 

If you garden, taking your rings off can add years to their life even if you are wearing gloves. Why? Oregon and Idaho have a lot of garnet in the ground which will even get inside the gloves as you take them on and off. This wears gold, silver and platinum prongs quickly. Remember too, garnet is what sandpaper is made of, and minerals of equal hardness scratch each other. So gemstones softer than sapphire can show wear from this simple exposure.

 

​Most people use a dishwasher for their dishes, but on those rare occasions when cleaning them in the sink it's best to remove your rings. Why? if you have a brushed stainless steel sink, that texture is the same as a file for the metal prongs and gemstones softer than sapphires or diamonds. even a ceramic sink can wear many gemstones and the detergent is harmful to opals, coral, cameo and pearls. ​

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Caring for pearls

 

It's best to take off all pearls jewelry before getting into a shower. Why? Shampoo typically contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. This is an industrial stripper and even the small amount used for hair is enough to turn many pearl glues into something like rubber. Since most pearls are glued to a post they can slip right off the post and down the drain. pearl earrings are particularly affected. ​​​​​

 

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Storing jewelry

 

If you want to put your jewelry in the safety deposit box at the bank, it's time to buy a humidor. Why? Banks keep these boxes de-humidified to preserve documents. This can dry out and craze opals and pearls as well as coral, cameos and ivory. Also, it can dry out oiled gemstones such as emeralds. For short periods such as a vacations you can seal these in a zip-loc bag with a damp piece of cloth on the other side of the bag and not touching them. But remember where you left them so it doesn't go too long..​​​​​​

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It is best to get into a routine of wiping down your pearls with a clean microfiber cloth after each wear. Pearls should never be cleaned with an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. If the pearls are strung make sure the silk is completely dry before wearing. Store your pearls separately from gems and metal jewelry to avoid scratches. Never store pearls in a plastic bag, the plastic can emit a chemical that will damage the surface of the pearls. 

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Stained Sapphires

 

If the top of your sapphire is getting cloudy with what looks like an oil stick on it's table go find a pencil with an eraser. Why? That rainbow like cloud came from perfumes that are in a lot of soaps today. The pencil eraser can remove it with just a gentle rub without scratching the hard sapphire. Afterward you can clean it with a soft toothbrush with a bar ivory and a warm rinse.​​​