Jewelry Care:
TIPS FOR CARE AND CLEANING OF FINE JEWELRY
Gems and precious metals are gifts of nature, which need special care. The harder the gem, the less vulnerable it is to potential damage.
A diamond is the hardest gem known to man. Hardness is based on a gem-trade standard called the Mohs Scale, developed in the early 19th century. Diamonds are rated the highest, at 10; rubies and sapphires are Mohs 9; emeralds and topaz, 8; and garnets, tourmalines and quartz, 7. Anything softer than a 7 can be scratched very easily, including opal, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, pearl.
Gold, silver, and platinum are softer than many stones which means that they require special care when wearing, storing, or cleaning.
To keep your jewelry clean and ready to wear. Use a smooth soft 100% cotton cloth to gently wipe each piece of jewelry clean of make-up and skin oils after each wearing. Always use 100% cotton since paper, polyester, and coarse fabrics often contain wood fibers or synthetics, which impart fine scratches.
To help retard tarnish on sterling silver, wrap in soft cotton cloth or special non-tarnish tissue and place in a plastic zip locked bag and seal. To remove fingerprints, oils or dirt, add a small amount of mild liquid soap to a half cup of warm water, soak for 2-3 minutes, rinse thoughly with clean water and dry completely before storing in an air tight plastic bag.
To remove excessive tarnish on silver, polish with a 100% cotton cloth and a non-abrasive metal cleaner. Be sure to remove any cleaner from the gemstones and rinse carefully with clean water. Be very careful with patiniaed or darkened areas on silver, Silver polish can remove the color. Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner or harsh chemicals on cloisonne or opals.
Important warning about caring for your jewelry!
Always remove your rings and fine jewelry before using any products that contains bleach, alcohol, turpentine, acetone, and ammonia! Bleach can cause gold and other materials to break down leaving the metal unrepairable. Petroleum based products can actually "melt " amber and do significant damage to pearls, emeralds and opals.
Never use toothpaste or other abrasives to clean metal or stones.
Be VERY careful when soaking any stones such as, amber, lapis lazuli, turquoise, emerald, opal or pearls. Extended soaking in any solution may harm the polish or any treatment on the stone. Many stones should not be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner.
Click here to see more beautiful hand crafted jewelry.
Modern Traditional January: Garnet January: Garnet February: Amethyst February: Amethyst March: Aquamarine March: Bloodstone April: Diamond April: Diamond May: Emerald May: Emerald June: Pearl, Moonstone June: Alexandrite July: Ruby July: Ruby August: Peridot August: Sardonyx September: Sapphire September: Sapphire October: Opal, Tourmaline October: Tourmaline November: Yellow Topaz, Citrine November: Citrine December: Blue Topaz December: Turquoise, Zircon Designers Jewelry Online
