Articles by EJA Members
Jewelry Care
by Jill of JQJewelryDesigns
Jewelry is one of our favorite and most personal accessories. But did
you know that chemicals found in everyday substances like hair spray, lotions, perfumes and other cosmetics can permanently damage the luster of pearls and the shiny finish of silver and gold? Exposure to chemicals, even household cleaners and chlorinated swimming pools, can damage and discolor
precious metals and may harm some colored gems. The sulfides in air
pollution will cause silver to darken, and the more humid the climate, the faster sterling will tarnish. Knowing how to care for your jewelry can make all the difference in keeping it beautiful for generations to come.
The most difficult is cleaning jewelry that includes gemstones within the
piece. If your sterling silver jewelry begins to show signs of tarnish,
simply wipe it clean with a silver cloth. Most cloths come in two parts:
a cleaning cloth and a polishing cloth. A chemically treated cloth, makes
the job a lot easier and faster. The Sunshine Cloth is one of the best
known and is great for sterling silver and won't harm gemstones. I would
avoid silver dips because some may take the color and polish off many
gemstones. Special cloths are also
available for cleaning gold.
Some stones are notoriously delicate:
Amber
Coral
Drusy
Emeralds
Foil-backed glass stones
Malachite
Mother of pearl
Opals
Pearls
Peridot
Unstabilized turquoise
These delicate gems need VERY gentle cleaning. They should not be exposed
to silver dips, ammonia, hot solutions, ultrasonic cleaning or any
abrasives. Due to their organic nature, these gems are both soft and
porous. Be careful about chemicals in hair spray, cosmetics or perfume.
They can damage pearls in particular. Opals also require special care.
Never use an ultrasonic cleaner or ammonia, and avoid heat and strong
light.
Opaque gemstones like lapis lazuli, turquoise and malachite require
special care because they are rocks,
not crystals. They should just be gently wiped clean with a moist cloth.
These gemstones can be porous and may absorb chemicals, even soap, which
may build up inside the stone and discolor it. Never use an ultrasonic
cleaner, ammonia or any chemical solution.
Liquid silver jewelry is very difficult to clean. You can use a soft
cotton cloth or a Sunshine Cloth.
Avoid dips. They leave residue deposits between each bead and make the
necklace stiff. A good
alternative is to take dry baking soda (or baking powder) and rub it on
the liquid silver beads.
Then pat and brush the dry powder off.
Now that your beautiful jewelry is clean, the question is how to keep it
from tarnishing and becoming dull again? Put your jewelry on after
applying makeup,lotions, perfume and hair products. In a perfect world,
after wearing your silver jewelry, take a few seconds to wipe it off with
a soft clean cloth. But that's in a perfect world . . .
I recommend keeping jewelry tightly sealed in ziplock jewelry bags with
no-tarnish strips (available from most jewelry suppliers) inside with the
jewelry. Change the strips every 3 to 6 months, depending on where you
live and how fast jewelry tends to tarnish. Common blackboard chalk will
also help prevent tarnish, as well as activated charcoal. Pacific
silvercloth is embedded with thousands of particles of silver. These
silver particles absorb tarnish-producing gases, keeping your sterling
silver clean and shining between uses.
Proper jewelry storage is often overlooked. Jewelry should never be
tossed into a drawer or thrown on top of a dresser - that's just asking
for scratches and cracked gemstones. Almost every gemstone is much
harder than the metal it is set in. Gems can scratch the finish on your
silver and gold, and the harder stones can scratch the softer ones. By
storing each piece of gemstone jewelry separately in an airtight baggy,
you can prevent scratches and wear, as well as tarnish.
Keep your special jewelry safe for generations to come! |