How to Care For Your Jewelry

You are the proud owner of a quality piece of jewelry. You want the piece to last through years of wearing, and you know that it needs specific care. Here are some common-sense ways, and a few you may not have thought of, to care for your gold, silver, and gemstone jewelry.

Rings with gemstones and diamonds that are raised high need particular caution when wearing to be sure that the ring does not catch on something and have the stone pulled off, or worse yet, your finger cut! Be especially careful when working around machinery or electricity. Hard working hands can come in contact with many objects that may scratch or dull the surface of the ring or gemstone, including common chemicals such as bleach or ammonia. If your work day or sport is hard on your hands and jewelry, perhaps you should consider leaving the ring at home, even if it is your wedding ring,

When applying lotion or make up or using hair spray, take your rings off. Some cosmetics will get "goo" in the small places and will make the stones look dull. Definitely take off your rings if you are working with any hair product that contains ammonia or bleach, as these will turn sterling instantly black, and dull the luster on pearls!

When you wish to clean lotion residue or dirt from your jewelry, warm, soapy water in a small dish and a toothbrush is a good way to scrub away the dirt. If you have soft stones, such as lapis lazuli, pearls, turquoise, or opals, soapy water is the best, rather than chemical cleaners. Be sure to use a small dish and not the sink, or you may be saying bye-bye to your stone or ring as it goes down the drain.

An ultrasound cleaner is a small box that has a motor that produces ultrasonic waves through a cleaning solution and bubbles away dirt and stains. It works well on hard gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. It effectively knocks off the dirt in tiny cracks and crevices that a toothbrush can't reach.

A steam cleaner blasts a small jet of steam and air into the tiny places in a setting. Composite stones are two or more layers of stone fused together, and stones such as these should not be placed in an ultrasound or steam cleaner or be chemically cleaned. Opals are often fused to another stone to give the opal's strength, and the fusion could be damaged by harsh cleaning.

Interim care of your gold, silver and gemstone jewelry is something you can do yourself periodically. But it still does not take the place of a good cleaning at a jeweler's where the integrity of the setting points can be examined, the gold and silver polished with a good jeweler's polish, and the stones checked for cracks, scratches or any damages. A jeweler may be able to discover a possible problem and take care of it before the ring has become irreparable or lost.

By Alan King