Jewellery Care
Jewellery Care Manual
These simple guidelines, along with some common sense, should help keep your jewellery looking great for years:
• Never wear your jewellery while doing rough work - avoid wear jewellery while participating in contact sports or doing housework, gardening, repairs, etc even though a most jewellery is durable, a hard blow can chip a stone.
• Remove your jewellery before bathing and grooming. Think of your jewellery as the final touch and put it on right before you get on with your day. Hairspray, gel, body lotion, moisturizer, perfume, mousse, make-up, shaving cream and soap are chemicals that can leave a residue on jewellery, creating a dull film that is very difficult to remove.
• To be safe, always remove your jewellery before working with chlorine bleach. Chlorine is detrimental to gold and silver and may be harmful to your gemstone.
• Don't leave these gemstones in a sunny window sill, wear them to the beach or leave them near the heaters. It could make some of these gems fade and it could dry out and discolour it.
• Many gems are very delicate and susceptible to thermal shock or temperature changes. If you do, the sudden temperature change could cause the stones to crack or shatter.
• Caring for gold-filled jewellery is simple. Minimize exposure to salt water, chlorine, soap and perspiration by wiping carefully with a soft cloth frequently to clean and remove those elements which can cause oxidation.
• Store silver items individually in a soft pouch or in zip-lock plastic bag in a cool, dry place. If silver becomes tarnished (it will oxidize over time) use a treated jewellery polishing cloth. Or simply wash the silver with warm water, rubbing in a little toothpaste, rinsing and then patting dry with a fine soft cloth. Avoid using tissue paper or paper towels as they can scratch the silver.
• wear silver often is one of the best preventative measures against tarnish.
• Don't heap your jewellery into a drawer. To prevent scratching, avoid allowing pieces to rub against each other. Remember a diamond choker can scratch that pearl necklace. Keep them separate and keep flat.