Jewelry Care

Or, things no one talks about…

First off, let me say that you probably know how to take care of your car. For instance, you know that you need to change the oil on a regular basis. You were shown this probably in several ways growing up. With jewelry, that was not the case. Most likely because no one could teach what they, themselves, didn’t know.

Before anything else, here is the rule of thumb for wearing jewelry. It is the last thing to go on (yes after makeup and especially hairspray) and the first to come off.

So, here is a jewelry primer.

Clean your jewelry… as often as you clean your clothes. That’s right, you wear it, you clean it. There are a few exceptions (and I’ll get to them) but for almost all jewelry you can take it off and drop it into a cleaning solution and leave it overnight. Really, and yes, it is that simple.

What kind of cleaner? A detergent. What it does is breakdown and removes oils, dirt, soap, lotion, etc. My favorite (and I have no relationship at all with them) is Simple Green. It is biodegradable and smells ok (Sudsy ammonia works too, but I can’t stand the smell). 1/3 detergent to 2/3 water. It’s as simple as that. Rinse the jewelry off in the morning, dry it, and it’s ready to go. Looking sparkly clean.

Why is this so important? If you have a loose stone, you’ll know if it is moving and can get it fixed. With gunk holding the stone in place, it can get to the point of falling out and you’ll never know there had been a problem until it was too late. Repairing jewelry is a better option than replacing missing stones and repairing as well. With jewelry that has moving parts, chains, bracelets, earrings, the oils from your skin and the dust from the air combine to make an effective grinding compound. Left, that compound grinds away at those small links until things start to break. At that point it is like an old car that will end up in the shop cost you more than it’s worth. And it’s all preventable! On top of that, you initially enjoyed that jewelry because of its how it made you feel. Whether a purchase of a gift, your wearing it because you like it. So, why let it get lackluster when it is so easy to keep clean?

Exceptions: Not to cleaning, but how to clean. There are a few rather delicate stones used in jewelry. There are also some that are held in place with glue. For this type of jewelry, you don’t want to soak it overnight, like you can with 90% of the jewelry.

So, what types are we talking about? Pearls, Coral, Turquoise, Marcasite, Costume jewelry. This is where a nice soft toothbrush comes in. Use the cleaning solution. Brush it on, rinse off, and then dry. Drying is very important to these pieces as prolonged moisture can cause problems.

What about pearl or stone strands? Because of the string, often silk, you don’t want to use liquids. So a very soft cloth, rubbing the outside is all that is needed. The outside is what is touching your skin and if cleaned never has a chance to build up and get to the string. If you’re reading this and looking at your strand, and it looks like between the beads there is some build up, you can wipe between them. Be gentle and use care. If the string is dirty looking, it needs to be restrung. Same is true if there are gaps between knots. If in doubt, take it to a jeweler and ask. It is better to know that have your strand break at some unfortunate time.

I know there are some who never take their jewelry off. I’m not sure where that tradition started, but frankly if makes no sense at all. None. You have your favorite shoes, but you sure as heck aren’t going to wear them gardening, are you? No, and why? You know the answer. It would ruin them. Why people think jewelry is indestructible is mind boggling. Don’t read this and then cry if: (and yes, these are real) You lose your diamond while mucking out a stable. You lose your custom matched ring while cutting away ground cover. You burn your finger from an electrical ark while working on your car. Plain and simple. If it’s a messy job and you’d never be dressed up to do that job, you probably shouldn’t be wearing your jewelry while doing it!