Women with body jewelry

Taking Care Of and Cleaning Jewelry

First, how susceptible is your jewelry to scratches and chemical products? Hardness is based on a gem-trade standard called Mohs scale. The higher Mohs scale number, harder stone is. The highest Mohs scale rating is 10 (diamonds). Anything with a Mohs scale rating of less than 7 is easily scratched (such as coral, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, and turquoise). Gold, silver, and platinum are only Mohs 2-1/2 to 4.

Because a diamond can scratch gold or pearls it is always important to store all jewelry pieces separately. Gold jewelry will last you a lifetime if it is taken care of. Gold can be scratched and dented if you are not careful. Because of where they are worn, gold rings and bracelets will get most damage, much more so than earrings or necklaces. Chemicals also can cause damage to gold. One of worst is chlorine. Constant exposure to chlorinated cleaning products will make gold weak and prone to breaking. Don't wear your gold in swimming pool or Jacuzzi. Take your jewelry off around house when cleaning but if you prefer to wear rings and bracelets wear rubber gloves for protection. Even makeup, perfume, hairspray, and perspiration can cause gold jewelry to lose its luster. Clean your jewelry regularly using a good jewelry cleaner. A quick clean can be done with a baby tooth brush and mild soap and a small amount of ammonia. (Never clean in sink as jewelry might fall down drain, always clean in a bowl away from a drain pipe) Grease can be removed from karat gold jewelry by dipping into plain rubbing alcohol. Always rinse thoroughly and dry after cleaning. Keep it wrapped separately in a soft cloth, jewelry box divider or plastic baggie. Keep your eye on prongs that could break and cause loss of a stone. An occasional visit to a professional jeweler is best idea.

Platinum is one of rarest and most durable precious metals. It does not tarnish or get discolored from chlorine. Even though it is very tough you still need to take good care of your platinum jewelry. Store it separately because platinum can be scratched. Platinum can be cleaned in same manner as other fine jewelry.

You will probably be surprised that sunlight can cause many colored gemstones to fade, change color or become pale. Common stones that are damaged in sunlight (there may be more): Amethyst, Ametrine, Apatite, Aquamarine, Aventurine, Beryl, Celestite, Chrysoprase, Citrine, Fluorite, Kunzite, Rose Quartz, and Smokey Quartz. Pearls are organic stones and quickly react to any form of chemicals like perfumes, hand lotions, hair spray, etc. Chemicals directly attack nacre, ruining luster, which causes patches on your pearl. Put your pearl jewelry on last after you have applied your perfumes, lotions, etc. They should not be worn along with any other jewelry items such as chains or even watches. Clean pearls only with lukewarm water. Never brush them in any way. You can then wipe it with a regular cotton cloth. The silk is delicate and gets stretched after a period of time. Always store bead necklaces (such as lapis, pearls, etc) flat as that will keep silk from stretching. It could break when strand is worn on a regular basis. You should have them checked, to see if they need to be re-strung, every 3 years if you wear them regularly. Opals are water-based stones. Sudden temperature changes cause them to crack in multiples (known as Crazing). They should thus be cleaned only in room temperature water (68°F - 75°F) and then wiped with a soft cotton cloth. Emeralds, naturally coming out of ground have several surface breaking inclusions in them. Almost all of them are treated through oiling to hide these inclusions. They cannot be immersed in ultrasonic cleaners or steam machines for this reason. The oiling will either discolor or come out during cleaning process. Thus they can only be cleaned with room temperature water (68°F - 75°F) and a cotton cloth.