How To Store Your Jewellery
Preventing damage before it occurs is the best way to keep your jewellery looking its best and storing your jewellery correctly is an important first step in this.
While diamonds are the hardest natural material on Earth, most other gems are comparatively fragile and can scratch or even crack quite easily. Add to this the fact that gold, especially high karat gold, is a relatively soft metal, storing your jewellery carefully and correctly is key to keeping it looking beautiful.
When a fine piece of jewellery is purchased, it will usually come with a box or sometimes a pouch. These boxes and pouches often come with a soft and padded interior, ideal for taking care of your item. However, many people will discard these and store their jewellery in a single box or draw with all their other items. Doing this will significantly increase the risk of damage which can be irreparable. It is worth noting that specialised jewellery travel equipment is available, allowing you to carry multiple items safely in one container.
Prolonged exposure to light or heat can also damage certain gems, causing them to fade or discolour permanently.
How to Take Care Of Your Jewellery
Much like taking care of the way you store your jewellery can help prevent damage before it occurs, understanding what types of activities you should avoid while wearing it, can help keep your items in good condition.
We recommend you remove your jewellery when carrying out vigorous tasks such as household chores, gardening or sport activities, as there is an increased possibility of accidental knocks.
Jewellery should also be removed when performing any task that involves chemicals such as household cleaning liquids or even visiting the local swimming pool, as chemicals such as bleach, ammonia and chlorine, can often discolour gold and damage many types of gemstone.
Applying personal grooming products like skin lotions, creams, hairsprays and even perfume can damage certain types of gemstones. Prolonged use will eventually start to accumulate inside the grooves and spaces of the gold, and will dull a gemstone’s sparkle.
How to Clean Your Jewellery
In between professional service, the safest home technique for keeping your jewellery sparkling is thankfully simple.
Start by ensuring that none of the gems are loose and could possibly fall out. If any are, take the piece to a reputable jeweller and ask for it to be serviced.
If your jewellery is in general good condition, fill a bowl with some warm (not hot) water and add a few drops of mild dish soap, mixing the solution well. Gently place your item into the bowl and let it sit for approximately 10 minutes. This will help loosen any dirt that has accumulated over time.
With an unused soft toothbrush, gently clean your piece of jewellery. Ensure that you are careful not to brush too vigorously, as this could cause scratches to the metal or damage the gems. Pay special attention to any gaps or grooves in the metal especially around the back of the gem, as this is often where dirt will accumulate.
Rinse under warm running tap water, to wash off any remaining soap and dirt. It is advisable to place the bowl over the sink hole while doing this, to avoid accidentally losing your jewellery.
Gently dry your jewellery using either a soft cloth or paper kitchen towel, by patting dry rather than rubbing, so as to avoid causing any scratches.
Finally us a dry very soft cloth, ideally lint free, and gently hand polish any remaining water marks. Be careful around the claws (prongs) that hold your gemstones in place, so as not to catch and bend, as this could cause the gem to fall out.
Your jewellery should now have regained its shine and sparkle and is ready to wear.
Should you have any questions regarding care of your jewellery, please contact us via:
info@yosefijewellery.com