If you love to wear your jewelry, chances are it goes through a fair amount of abuse. Like a car requires oil changes, your jewelry requires a little care and upkeep. Follow these simple steps to keep your treasured pieces in good shape and looking their best!
- Regular Check-ups. Bring your jewelry in at least twice a year to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. This can prevent losing stones, clasps failing, etc.
- Clean at Home. Use a soft, new toothbrush and warm water with mild dishwashing soap or jewelry cleaner to regularly clean your jewelry between check-ups. This can help prevent build-up in your jewelry which can cause it to look dull as well as cause negative reactions to your skin. If you use jewelry cleaner, make sure it is safe to use on the specific type of jewelry you have. Feel free to contact us with any questions.
- Better Safe than Sorry. If you feel a sharp prong, notice a loose stone, or accidently bang your jewelry on a hard surface, bring your jewelry in right away for inspection.
- Store jewelry you're not wearing in separate small plastic baggies or soft sided containers to keep jewelry from rubbing together and causing scratches. Plastic bags will also help prevent tarnishing on sterling silver jewelry.
- Dirty Jobs. If your ring has stones or open areas than can collect dirt, lotion, cooking materials or other substances, take it off and keep it in a safe place while participating in those activities. Hobbies such as gardening will cause extra wear on your jewelry, and when your jewelry gets dirty, it will lose it brilliance as well as make it hard to notice a missing or loose stone. Dirt and lotion can hold a stone in place until it is cleaned, causing it to fall out and get lost.
- Don't Wear it in the Pool, Hot Tub, or Ocean. The chemicals in pool water eat away at the metal alloys in jewelry, making it weak and brittle. Once the damage is done, it is impossible to undo. Salt water can also be harmful to certain stones and metals.