8 Jewellery Care Tips You Need to Know
No matter what jewellery you own, from elegant pearl pieces to cute penguin jewellery, you want to take the best care of them possible. Unfortunately, jewellery care can often get overlooked. But your favourite necklace or pearl earrings can easily get damaged.
So, let’s go over 8 jewellery care tips you need to know.
Store With a Piece of Chalk
Let’s start with a tip you may not have heard. Store your jewellery with a piece of chalk. Placing a piece of chalk in your jewellery box can help to absorb moisture and filter out chemical residue. Both of these can cause damage to your jewellery which you don’t want.
Similarly, the small silica gel packets you get in packages with electronics, for example, do the same thing.
Either the silica gel or chalk is fine. But don’t be deterred from using chalk because of the dust it can give off. It won’t damage your jewellery, we promise!
Store in a Cool, Dry Place
So, we mentioned a jewellery box in the previous point, but that’s assuming you have one. If you don’t, we’d highly recommend it. Then, place it somewhere cool and dry.
Your jewellery does not like humidity and moisture, and exposure to it can lead to tarnishing.
This leads to our next tip…
Be Mindful of Light and Heat
The sun can damage our skin, and it can damage your jewellery, too. So, one of the best jewellery care tips is to keep it out of direct sunlight as much as possible.
Don’t leave your coloured gemstones on the windowsill; you’re asking for faded colours. The same goes for your pearls; they’ll get bleached under extreme light exposure.
All jewellery can fade and begin to look dull if exposed to light and heat for too long, so be mindful of where you store it.
Don’t Stack It
If you want to pile your clothes up on the floor, we’re not going to judge you. But throwing your jewellery around and stacking your pieces on top of each other simply won’t do.
Your jeans won’t get damaged if they’re on another pair of jeans; your jewellery will! Stacking jewellery can lead to scratches, chips, and with necklaces, annoying tangling. Plated or non-plated, your jewellery can easily become damaged.
So, opt for somewhere to hang your necklaces, so you don’t have to spend 20 minutes untangling them and potentially breaking one.
As for rings and earrings, use a jewellery box with individual slots to keep them separated.
Keep Silver and Gold Jewellery Separate
Did you know that gold is a soft metal? Well, now you do. This means your gold jewellery can easily get scratched if stored with other metals. If placed under pressure, it can also bend and deform.
So, keep it far from other metals for the best gold jewellery care. You don’t want your favourite gold penguin jewellery getting scratched and bent!
Insure Your Jewellery
More and more people are using jewellery to express themselves these days. Wearing your favourite bracelet or ring every day is a way to tell the world who you are.
Of course, not every piece of jewellery will need to be insured, but chances are, you have at least a few more expensive pieces. So you should insure those expensive pieces.
If lost, stolen, or damaged, you’re not going to be happy; you’ll be even less happy if you can’t replace it.
So, insure your favourite pieces of jewellery for some peace of mind.
Avoid Chemicals
This one may seem obvious, but we know you’re probably exposing your jewellery to chemicals without even realising it.
First, some use harsh chemicals to clean their jewellery, thinking it’s the only way to really clean it. This is a no-go, but we’ll get into cleaning later.
You must also be mindful of hairspray, body lotion, and perfume. Oh, and household cleaning products.
Don’t forget about swimming, too. The salt from the sea will get into your jewellery's nooks and crannies. A swimming pool? Well, hello, chlorine!
As you can see, exposing your jewellery to harsh chemicals is easily done. In addition, the surface of pearls, gems, and other delicate jewellery can easily become damaged.
So, get into the habit of removing your jewellery when cleaning, swimming, or putting on lotions. It’s one of the simplest jewellery care tips to do.
As prEasy Cleaning Is the Safesteviously mentioned, many go straight to a chemical-based cleaner, thinking their jewellery isn’t clean without it. However, the easiest way to clean your jewellery is the safest.
A mild dish soap and warm water is all you need. A soft brush will get into the nooks and crannies, and you can use a lint-free cloth to shine your jewellery.
Another tip when cleaning your jewellery is to use a bowl of water, not the sink. No one wants to lose their ring down the plug hole, so clean, far away from it!
Jewellery Care
Caring for your jewellery can often be done wrong or neglected altogether. But with these 8 tips, you can ensure your jewellery is clean, safe, and always looks brand new.