How to care for your jewelry

...or perhaps a better title would be, how to keep your jewelry clean. After twenty-five years in the jewelry business I have come to the conclusion that everyone needs to make an annual trip to their favorite jewelers to have their jewelry professionally cleaned. I recommend sometime in September, you know, when the kids are back to school and you could use a mid-day glass of red wine while someone does something for you. After the tartar sauce and sunscreen have been thoroughly removed and the original luster returned to your jewelry, you could follow three simple steps to ensure it stays brilliant for many months.
Here they are:
Simple Step #1. Make sure that your jewelry is the last thing you put on in the beginning of your day and the first thing you take off, as soon as you can. Make-up, hairspray, deodorant and perfumes are all toxic chemicals that will tarnish your sterling, so leave your gems to last. Cleaning agents and pool/hot tub chemicals will eat away at gold and platinum, so take off your baubles every time.
Simple Step #2. Create a soft and protected place to store your jewelry. By soft, I mean anti-ta
ish tissue paper, and protected I don’t mean that little cup by the sink. Gold jewelry quickly becomes dull due to rubbing up against other gold jewelry and sterling jewelry will quickly oxidize when left out in the open air. A drawer, box or basket will do, but be aware that sometimes wood, cardboard and plastic is treated with chemicals that could react with your metal. Hanging you earrings and necklaces on a wall might make it a snap for locating and selecting, but that’s like wearing a Mets jersey to a Phillies game to make it easy for your boyfriend to pick you out of the crowd… or under the crowd. The disadvantages painfully out weight the advantages.
Simple Step #3. Rinse and dry your jewelry if it becomes dirty. That is to say, if you make a delicious meatloaf on Sunday and on Monday discover that there is enough ground beef under your diamond to feed a family of six… take the ring off, soak it in warm water (you can add baking soda) rinse and wipe with a sunshine cloth*. Same with earrings that you wore on that eight hour fishing tour or the bracelet that went so well with the tennis skirt. Take them off and rinse them off as soon as you can. I don’t recommend using a toothbrush, but if you have too, make sure it is the softest you can find.
Like I said, a trip to your jeweler once a year will not only keep your jewelry looking new, but will help in keeping gems secure, clasps functioning correctly and ear wires performing to their potential. A few other options await you as well; if you’ve lost an earring, perhaps the remaining one can be replicated or modified into a pendant. If you have a pair of stud earrings (post & nut) and you prefer French backs (loop through), many earrings can be quickly converted. If you have a monster design from the 1980’s, that could be taken apart and reassembled as bracelet, earrings, anklet and a pendant… all ready to be gifted to darling daughter in law! Chances are you have collected some precious pieces that belonged to a relative that is not longer with us... or perhaps a few pieces that were given to you by someone whom you are not so fond of right now. No need to have this jewelry just sitting in a box. Let's get it out and get creative.