Jewelry is one of the most treasured and intimate accessories that adds a finishing touch to any outfit. Understanding the best way to store jewelry and adequately care for it is crucial to maintaining its beauty.
Here are Portofino Jewelry’s quick and easy jewelry safety tips to protect your jewelry from tarnishing and dulling and keep it shining for future generations.
Essential Jewelry Care Tips
No matter what kind of jewelry it is, you will always treasure it. This is a list of quick and easy ways to protect the most prized items in your collection. This list has tips from how to store jewelry to cleaning it and providing jewelry safety.
Keep It Away From Chemicals
Chemicals can cause damage to precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. They also may harm certain colored gems. Even everyday cosmetics like lotions, perfumes, and hairsprays can cause permanent damage to your pearls, as well as other fragile or porous gems, such as turquoise.
Remove any fine jewelry before going into a chlorinated pool or using household cleaners. These cleaners often contain ammonia, which can cause damage to delicate gemstones and vintage jewelry. Another common household solvent is chlorine bleach. It can cause damage to gold alloys.
Store Your Jewelry in Airtight Containers
The importance of knowing where to keep jewelry properly is often overlooked. It is not a good idea to store jewelry in a drawer or on top of a dresser. This storage method will lead to scratches and damage.
Air can carry dirt, dust, and moisture. Your jewelry can also tarnish over time from moisture and air contact. A container that allows only a tiny amount of air is the best option for jewelry safety storage. You can use silica or chalk to absorb moisture in your jewelry container.
Clean with Warm Water and Dishwashing Liquid
Mix a few drops of mild dish soap and warm water to clean jewelry that is becoming dull or filmy. Use a soft cloth to rub it. After rinsing, rinse in cool water. Then buff the jewelry with a cloth until it is dry.
You can also give your jewelry the no-soak treatment. One personal safety jewelry pro-tip is using a small makeup brush dipped into shampoo and water to clean pearls and other porous stones. Dry them with a damp cloth.
Here are other specific instructions for cleaning different types of jewelry:
Gold: Avoid silver. Silver is a soft metal and can cause scratches when in direct contact with it.
- In a warm bath, place the gold.
- Use a few drops of dish soap.
- Allow the gold to soak for five minutes.
- Place the gold on a piece of soft cloth.
- Use a soft toothbrush to clean crevices.
- Rinse the cloth and dry it with a soft towel.
Silver: Avoid air. Silver tarnishes due to a chemical reaction that occurs when it is in contact with air for a prolonged period. This process can be slowed down by keeping it in an airtight container.
- Silver is best treated with polishing than washing. If you have to, only clean silver jewelry with water. You can polish your jewelry with either liquid polishes or wipes.
Pearls: Handle with care. Like other organic gem materials, pearls are subject to damage, scratches, and deterioration. When cleaning or handling pearls, be gentle.
- To prevent your pearl strings from becoming twisted, weak, or dirty, make sure you regularly clean and re-strung them.
- After each use, wipe pearls with a soft cloth. Wiping will prevent perfume, hairspray, and oils from causing damage to the pearls.
Gemstones:
- For nonporous gemstones like rubies, sapphires, and diamonds, the best way to clean them is to soak them in a solution and gently scrub off any dirt and debris.
- You can brush porous gemstones like amber, turquoise, and emerald with a bit of water. Make sure to wipe them clean.
Invest in Professional Jewelry Cleaning Services
While personal safety jewelry methods are possible, some tasks require professional assistance. Many online tutorials show you how to clean your jewelry yourself. Some websites provide helpful tips and tricks. However, others may recommend ways that could cause severe damage.
If your jewelry is damaged or worn out, consult a professional. A professional will know what’s safe for jewelry cleaning, care, and storage. Watch out for the following:
- Hard-to-reach dust and buildup: If an ultrasonic cleaner is not possible, or you have jewelry with hard-to-reach grime, a quick trip to a professional jewel cleaner will suffice.
- The loose gems: Jewelry is a highly complex piece of art. It could lead to disastrous results if you try to do it yourself. Leave it to professionals to secure a gemstone back in its place if it’s loose or if it falls out.
- Deep scratches: You’ll need to bring it to a professional if it’s not possible to buff it out yourself.
- Broken parts or lost parts: Most jewelry is small and difficult to repair without specialized equipment. If you don’t have the right equipment, it is best to take it to an expert.
Keeping Your Jewelry in Perfect Shape
It can be challenging to take care of jewelry, especially when there are so many options you should consider like style, length, and material. There are many jewelry safety tips available on the internet. However, it is up to you to choose the best method for you.
These are additional jewelry care tips to help you take care of your jewelry:
- Keep your jewelry clean. Body oils and sweat can cause jewelry to be dull. DIY Cleaning requires warm soapy water, a soft toothbrush, and some elbow grease.
- Store jewelry in a dry, clean place. Use compartments and dividers to keep pieces from scratching one another. You should also invest in a safe place to store jewelry while on the move.
- Check for loose gemstone stones, prongs, and clasps. If you don’t give your jewelry regular check-ups, it’s easy to lose pieces of jewelry. For a sparkling shine, your jeweler can deep clean your pieces.
- Get your favorite jewelry insurance. It will guarantee your jewelry protection, no matter what your events or outdoor adventures may bring.
Setting the Bar High for Jewelry Care
Thinking about jewelry safety, care, and storage doesn’t have to be complicated. These recommendations are safe for jewelry and will help prevent any damage. With these tips and methods of how to store jewelry, you can continue keeping your jewelry collection organized and appropriately maintained.
To learn more about protecting your jewelry collection and custom jewelry in Avon, CO, get in touch with Portofino Jewelry. You can consult our professional jewelers for jewelry repair and maintenance, so you can transform your jewelry into something worth keeping for generations.
