If you love jewelry, you are probably constantly fretting when you find them tarnished, tangled up, or dirty. Jewelry is meant to add that final touch to an outfit, and it totally understandable that you are frustrated about keeping them clean—whether it is a new purchase or an old heirloom. Even the least maintenance ones need the care to retain their status still; hence knowing to care for them, especially if you have an extensive collection, is essential.
To ensure that your jewelry is always shining, the following tips will help you take care of them, prevent tarnishing and dullness.
Put jewelry on last and remove it first.
Most jewelry damage that needs professional jeweler repair happens when during dressing up and dressing down. Stories of straps, chains, and necklaces snapping because of getting stuck in clothes are rife, and the best way to avoid this is to accessorize last when dressing up and removing them off first when dressing down.
Avoid using too much oil when wearing jewelry
Oils, as we know them, are magnets for dirt. If you immerse your jewelry in oils from things like lotion, hair sprays, or petroleum jelly, they could start accumulating dirt and lose their sheen. That said, the number of times you can polish or wash the jewelry with abrasive washing solutions is limited –therefore, it is better to reduce the need for cleaning altogether.
Another crucial aspect of this is to prevent your jewelry from reacting with lotions, sprays, or deodorants. Be it diamonds, silver, wood, or pearls, oils allow dirt to stick to them, increasing oxidation opportunities and becoming tarnished.
Store your jewelry separately.
Even with your best efforts to take care of your jewelry, the damage could be happening during storage. Either from getting tangled together, scratching, or even reacting, it is best to plan for separate storage of your precious items. Items most prone to damage include plastics, wood, pearls, ivory, precious metals, and precious stones—this makes it necessary to store the items separately. Consider the following storage solutions:
- Cloth pouches for precious stones and heirlooms
- Tarnish resistant jewelry pouches for titanium and silver jewelry
- Individual storage cases for the high-value pieces
- Jewelry trees for bangles, earrings, and necklaces
- Ring boxes and watch boxes to store everything separately.
-
Insure your precious pieces
Insurance is part of care, and for peace of mind when using your precious jewelry, it is better to find insurance for all your pieces before storage. While you may have bought some items cheaply, their commercial value and significance in your life may have appreciated. Furthermore, some pieces just cost a lot to repair by yourself. Therefore, it is crucial that you have them insured during their use to be free. Losing or damaging jewelry can be extremely stressful, whether it is an engagement ring, heirloom, or something of deep emotional significance. Taking jewelry insurance helps preserve their fond memories and their value all through. The insurance covers damage and repairs on top of the loss, so instead of the jewelry sitting in a drawer and you bearing entire liability in the event of a tragedy, just insure it.
Service your jewelry regularly
While there are some aspects that you can do by yourself, there are some that are best left to the professionals. For example, if you have jewelry with moving parts or things that are subject to wear, taking them for a pre-emptive jewelry repair will help you maintain them in their best conditions and anticipate problems. While you are at it, you could also check for onsite jewelry appraisal to know your pieces’ value for insurance and security reasons. Most jewelry shops have an onsite jeweler repair where you can return and have your articles checked once every few years or months—depending on your usage.